Monday, January 17, 2011

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

I've been asked about how to still enjoy baked goods while on a gluten free diet. Several people simply get the packages from the store that are pre-made cake or cookie mixes. For me, I'd rather go with my own stuff because I know I can trust what I bake. The first month I experimented with what I thought was gluten free, I was extremely ill and never got better. Suddenly, I completely quit eating anything that could possibly have gluten in it, including pre-made mixes and artificial sweeteners and walah! I'm 99% better, and getting better everyday! Of course, you can still love on your sweet tooth on a gluten free diet, no reason not too, unless your britches are getting too small... might be time for you to cut back. Remember, a gluten free diet does not mean you're going to lose weight, just means you're going to be eating healthier. Someone mentioned to me the other day that they steer clear of corn and potato flour as well, which reminds me of the Paleo Diet, and if you are like that you're not going to like this flour mix. I, on the other hand, will continue to eat potatoes and corn products (non GMO) because I'm only eating gluten free to stay healthy and not be bed-ridden again. So if you come up with a "healthier" mix, let me know. Here is my mix, and it works very well on brownies, cakes, cookies, and everything you would use all purpose flour for. I'll be using it for pasta and bread as well.

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch
1/2 cup corn flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum

I would go ahead and make several batches of this so that you can always have it on hand, since it's a process to throw everything together and shake it up.

This recipe is from Jules Shepard's Nearly Normal Gluten Free Baking. I highly recommend her book.

2 comments:

  1. Is the white flour the all purpose gluten-free flour?

    I got a $50 whole foods gift card for christmas so that I could stock up on all these things! I will definitely try this mix up. And I'm going to look for that book.
    Thanks so much for your help, Angela!!

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  2. Sorry, I just changed that. I meant white rice flour. Good luck!

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