How to Make Gluten Free Flour Blends

Traditional wheat flours contain gluten, which keeps "baked goods" from getting crumbly and falling apart by trapping air pockets. Xanthum gum, from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called "Zanthomonas campestris" and guar gum, a powder that comes from the seed of the plant "Cyamopsis tetragonolobus" are exceptional gluten substitutes. When added to nontraditional flours, these gums allow those with allergies to wheat or gluten to enjoy "baked goods" once more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Use potato starch flour, which is ideal to thicken cream-based soups and sauces; decrease the amount called for in typical recipes by one half. In a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid, combine ice water and potato starch flour in a 1 to 1 ratio; shake jar vigorously until mixture is smooth and proceed with recipe. Cornstarch is a refined starch from corn that is used as a clear thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces and Asian cooking. Prepared with the same 1 to 1 ratio, cornstarch usually does not need adjustment.
2. Work with tapioca flour, which is a light, white, very smooth flour that comes from the cassava root "Manihot esculenta." This imparts baked goods with a nice chewy taste that makes it superb for use in white or French-style bread. Soy flour has a high protein and fat content with a nutty taste. It is best when used in combination with other flours and for baked goods that include chocolate, fruit or nuts, such as brownies and banana bread.
3. Substitute corn flour for wheat flour in recipes that call for a mixture with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins; corn flour also makes excellent waffles or pancakes especially when topped with blueberries. For every 1 cup of corn flour, add ½-tspn of xanthum gum or guar gum to improve the texture. Cornmeal is simply ground corn that comes from either the yellow or the white varieties.
4. Utilize fine textured white rice flour. This is unequaled as basic flour for gluten-free baking. It performs well with other flours and is flavorless. Milled from unpolished brown rice, which has more food value because it contains bran, brown rice flour is best in recipes for baked goods that call for whole-wheat flours.

Tips & Warnings

• Organic food markets, health food stores, Asian markets and many typical grocery markets carry these flours and gums.