Hello everyone and Welcome!
I decided to create a totally separate page focusing on gluten free flours used in baking. I know that so many of us are either in the realm of leading a gluten free lifestyle, or feel that it could be something that should be a part of our daily eating plan.
This page will almost be an idex for you when you start gluten free baking or would like a quick reference when baking some of my recipes. Having everything in one place is ideal and I think it might make the process more seamless. Gluten Free baking uses certain flours that help us achieve the consistency we want. When I started I thought that the flours used in gluten free baking were the same and that there were no variations. But I soon found out that when you start to baking using gluten free flours, the options are endless!
I changed my diet because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis and so far it has helped me a lot! This article on “Gluten Free Flours For baking” is here to make our lives easier and is made to reference whenever you need assistance.
Let’s dive straight in shall we?
Gluten Free Flours For Baking (In South Africa and Abroad):
Bob’s Redmill 1 to 1 Baking Flour: Xanthan Gum and Sweet Rice flour are apparent which both aid in binding ingredients together. A great choice when baking gluten free.
Komati Foods Gluten Free Flour: Is a light and binding flour that I am currently using in all my baking. This gluten free flour is a game changer if you are living in South Africa.
Nature’s Choice GF Cake Flour: This gluten free flour contains brown rice flour, as well as tapioca flour . This is great for baking gluten free. However the ingredients list doesn’t make mention of Xanthan Gum. Which means you may need to add some to your recipes, to make sure they bind correctly.
Bob’s Redmill Sweet Rice Flour: Rice flour has a gelatinous texture. As much as it still is gluten free, the high starch content helps to bind ingredients when baking and cooking.
Fresch Gluten Free Cake Flour: This flour contains xanthan gum as well as rice flour. These are all the best ingredients for baking and cooking.
Health Connection Wholefoods White Rice Flour: This is a great alternative to using wheat flour. However, rice flour requires some help from other GF ingredients, like Xanthan gum and gluten free cake flour.
Cassava Flour– Cassava flour is great to use in baking cakes. It create a soft but firm texture needed for layering cakes.
Coconut Flour: This flour is very absorbent so a little goes a long way. You will find that it requires a bit more moisture. Make sure to check recipes using coconut flour as they usually require an extra egg for more moisture. Coconut flour is great for gluten free and paleo cooking.
Oat flour: This is a great alternative to using all purpose flour in baking cakes. It really helps in the rise of cakes and breads and creates that light and fluffy texture we all love.
Remember, adding Xanthan gum helps to bind ingredients together, so it is really necessary in gluten free baking.
What is Xanthan Gum?
Xanthan Gum is a food additive, which is used for thickening and stabilizing foods in baking. Using Xanthan gum could have health risks, please read here if you would like more information about it.
We find it in a lot of products, whether we know about it or not, and at the moment it is one of of the easier ingredients to find when baking gluten free. It helps to bind the ingredients together and that prevents breaking and fragility in our baked goods.
A few alternatives to using Xanthan Gum in gluten free baking:
- Agar: This is a vegan substitute and also acts as a binding agent.
- Chia seeds: Great source of protein and helps to absorb water to create a more gelatinous food/baked treat.
- Ground Flax seed (good for vegan baking): It is sometimes mixed with water to create a “flax egg”, this can be used to bind as well.
Why is GF baking?
Most people who suffer from Celiac disease, fatigue and Rheumatoid Arthritis (like me) find that removing gluten from our diet helps. Removing gluten causes less bloat, constipation and a general feeling of fatigue and discomfort. The gluten in foods and baking cause inflammation in the joints and gut and by removing it, those symptoms ease up. Having an autoimmune disease isn’t a walk in the park.
Thank you so much for being here and I hope this helped you in some way! If you have any questions please do leave me a comment 🙂
