Most gluten is derived from wheat or wheat-based products.
Wheat-free or gluten-free diets tend to incorporate fewer overall calories, more dietary fiber and less simple sugar than high-starch diets, which prompts many health-conscious individuals to make part or all of their food consumption gluten-free. Also, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, approximately one in 33 people in the United States have celiac disease -- a digestive condition that inhibits the uptake of gluten. As a result, wheat-free diets have influenced the eating habits of many, and resulted in increased use of gluten-free flours, foods and food alternatives. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
Gluten-Free Solutions
1. Explore alternatives to wheat flour. Wheat flour alternatives, when combined with xanthan gum, provide elasticity to dough comparable to gluten, and the body and texture offered from wheat-based products. Substitutes for wheat include potato starch, tapioca, soy, quinoa, rice and nut flours.
2. Create a unique blend of non-gluten flours to address your baking needs. It is important to remember when creating gluten-free flour that flour mixes work better than single substitutions. For instance, the graininess of rice flour has to be balanced with a fine-textured flour, such as tapioca, to achieve an ideal consistency.
3. Use xanthan gum to add pliability to non-gluten flour. Xanthan gum, a corn-sugar derivative, acts as a thickener, emulsifier or stabilizer, depending on the application. According to Bette Hagman, author of "The Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well without Wheat Revised Edition," use .75 teaspoons of xanthan gum per cup of non-gluten flour when baking bread, use .5 teaspoons per cup for cakes and .25 to .5 teaspoons per cup for cookies.
Gluten-Free Flour Mix
4. Add 2 cups white rice flour, 2.5 cups brown rice flour, .75 cups and 2 tablespoons of. potato starch, .75 cups and 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour, .5 cups corn starch and 3 tablespoons xanthan gum to a large mixing bowl.
5. Mix thoroughly with a whisk. As an alternative, place the ingredients in a stand mixer, and, using the whisk attachment, mix on low for two minutes.
6. Store the flour mix in an airtight food storage container. Use the gluten-free flour mix in recipes that prescribe all-purpose flour or other wheat-based flour.
Tags: flour cups, rice flour, cups tablespoons, flour Wheat, non-gluten flour