This is the mix I use for my GF Flour blend. I found made a variation of one I found in the Seattle Times a few years ago. (Their recipe called for a blend of brown and white rice flours. I used just superfine rice flour - whichever I have on hand: brown or white.) Originally this recipe was credited to Wendy Wark, who has stated that the recipe for this blend is not hers, but rather from some other unnamed/not remembered source. So I don’t know who to thank for this. It works GREAT as a 1:1 ratio for 99% of my recipes from my family that call for “regular” flour. (Not bread recipes though.)
Since I’ve begun to use sorghum and other flours, I still use this mix as the basic mix in my baking and cooking. I’m still exploring the world of gluten free baking (aren’t we all?). Who knows where it will take us. For now, this is what I use.
I know this list looks daunting, but I don’t mix it up very often. When I do, I make a double or triple batch in a huge bowl - or however much I plan to bake/cook those couple weeks or month. During holiday season, I make a triple batch, etc.
SINGLE BATCH OF GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND: (4 1/4 cups of flour)
- 2 1/4 cups superfine rice flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 2/3 cup tapioca flour
- 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
DOUBLE BATCH OF GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND: (8 1/2 cups of flour)
- 4 1/2 cups superfine rice flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1 1/3 cups tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 cups sweet rice flour
- 2/3 cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons xanthan gum (or 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
TRIPLE BATCH OF GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND: (12 3/4 cups of flour)
- 6 3/4 cups superfine rice flour
- 3/4 cup potato starch
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 2 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons xanthan gum
Carol Fenster has a new GF Flour Blend out too. It uses sorghum flour. I haven’t experimented too much with this - but here it is for you to try out too.
A NOTE ABOUT POTATO STARCH vs. POTATO STARCH FLOUR: (From the EnerG Foods website):
What is the difference between Potato Starch, Potato Starch Flour and Potato Flour?
Potato Starch and Potato Starch Flour are the same thing.
However, Potato Starch (flour) and Potato Flour are different.Potato Starch is a very fine flour with a bland taste, that is made by removing the potato peel, made into a slurry and watery mix, then dehydrated to form Potato Starch. The Potato Starch is not cooked, thus it does not absorb much water unless it is heated. For example, it will make an excellent gravy if heated with liquid in a saucepan.
Potato Flour is heavy with a definite potato flavor made from the actual potato including the potato skin and will absorb large amounts of water because it has been cooked and contains the peel. It is not used as main flour in baking as it would absorb too much liquid and make the product gummy. Small amounts are used to increase water, hold product together and so on.
7 comments
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September 4, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Gaby
I love you Kate! Kristi told me about your site yesterday and I have downloaded all the great treats to try and make. I think you are wonderful.
I also see things before they happen, and you are going places with this! Not only my stomach!
Lots of love and best wishes.
Gaby and Mohamed
Oh! What a surprise to see you here, Gabs! You are so wonderful! Bless you and yours, Gabs and the love that we share is definitely what makes the world go ’round, huh? Let’s get together and cook! I’ll send some muffins to you via work and your love. =) -Kate
October 18, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Heidi
I would like to try your GF flour mix, however, i am confused a little about “potato starch flour”. We have potato starch and potato flour, but we have not seen the combination. Is it a blend?
Heidi
Thanks for asking the question about the flour, Heidi. You want to use potato STARCH not potato flour. Some boxes here are sold as “potato starch flour” but I definitely see the issue! LOL I don’t know how it escaped me earlier. I will fix the post to change the name to be easier to understand.
-Kate
October 24, 2007 at 1:01 pm
abdulsamad
what is the difference between rice flour and sweet rice flour?
The two different rice flours come from two different kinds of rice. The sweet rice flour is made by grinding a short grain, sweeter rice (sometimes called “sticky rice”) and the other comes from grinding long-grain rice. Sweet Rice Flour is used in many Asian confections and the other is used with mainly savory dishes.
I hope this helps!
-Kate
January 14, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Rosemary
Hi,This is great but I would also love to find a list of all the various flours and descriptions of how they react in baking. The quote above about Potatoe flour explains some unexpected results I’ve had with it. I assume that the 3 starches (potatoe, tapioca and corn) will add lightness to a mix. There are so many variables that it would be nice to have the information all in one place. Why use one instead of another? What textures, water retention, light or heaviness or stickiness can we expect?
Another thing that I’ve never seen mentioned is that some of these flours are hard to digest or cause gas. obviously the bean flours have that potential but also millet, quinoa, sorghum and spelt. The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts has some info http://www.cambridgeculinary.com/glutenfree.aspx. Know of any place this exists all together? Thank you.
Hello Rosemary –
The questions you ask about flours are good ones. The absolute BEST resource I can think of is a book by Shelly Case called “The Gluten Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide”. She lists great resources about where to buy the flours as well as what they are (protein, fiber content, etc in a huge chart). The other cookbook that has some good information about flours is “The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook” by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt.
It is actually funny that you should ask this because this weekend I began working on a substitutions list. Not what we substitute for wheat flour, but what we can substitute for the different gluten-free flours when we don’t have them for different recipes. I wanted to make something this weekend, but the recipe called for soy flour which I neither have nor use, so I had to figure out something similar to create the food. (Make sense?)
I hope I can get a list figured out that will help all of us. I am busy compiling info as fast as I can find it.
I hope my answer helps a bit.
Please let me know.
=)
Kate
January 15, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Rosemary
Yes, it helps a lot. I also found some good information at http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Gluten-Free. Thanks SO much for your willingness to share information.
Rosemary
February 2, 2008 at 6:34 am
Norma
Hi I am knew to the G.F. diet and the first thing I did was ask the computer. I have compiled a lot of info on flours as my cousin has had celiac for years and has trouble with lack of B vit. .If you type “nutritional value ” before the grain or flour you wish to know about this might help you at least stay health, I was totaly amazed. I have 2 books that give lists of flours and their characteristics , values and sub.s G.F.101 &G.F. GOURMET BAKES BREAD THERE IS A LIST OF SUBS ON LINE BUT LOST THE SITE, sure hope this helps
almomd meal /flour=finely ground pecans walnuts cashews pumpkin seed
rice flour=sorghum,/garbanzofava bean flour
cornstarch=arrowroot or lotus root flours,potatoe or amaranth starches
potatoe =almond flours
1 xanthan gum = 2 gaur gum
This is great! Thanks! I have been putting together a notebook of flours etc I use for substitions lately. Not just substitutions for wheat flours, but the ones I make when a recipe calls for one GF flour and I don’t have it on hand. The ones you’ve listed above are great.
-Kate
June 27, 2008 at 11:56 am
Laura
Hi - I’m new to the GF breadmaking scene. What can I use in place of the instant milk powder in GF bread recipes? I’m allergic to (gluten), dairy, corn, and I like to stay away from soy due to thyroid problems. What does that leave? Or can I just not put any kind of milk powder in?
Does it affect the bread much to use the suggested arrowroot in place of corn starch in the recipes and flour blends? I see a question above that lists lotus, potato and amaranth starches also that can be used in place of cornstarch - are they used 1:1 just like the arrowroot?
What is the best “real bread-like” GF recipe out there? The ones I’ve tried remind me of the commercial GF breads sold out there by Food For Life, and they are dense, tasteless and fall apart easily, or cake like. There is a bakery (called Sami’s Bakery) that makes GF Millet bread only sold at health food stores that is GF and the most like real bread that I’ve found, and I would love to duplicate their bread at home. Any suggestions or recipes?
Thanks! Laura
Laura -
I don’t know very much about dairy sensitivities and allergies (sorry!). Does that mean that you can not use sweet dairy whey either? If you CAN, then I would suggest using that for a substitution for the dry milk or buttermilk called for in a recipe. If you can NOT, then I am not sure what other substitute will provide the same moisture boost that the dry milk or buttermilk or sweet dairy whey provides. I imagine any other type of powdered milk (milk from whatever source you can tolerate) would work as well.
The other substitutions that you ask about are:
- arrowroot and cornstarch can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio.
- potato starch (NOT flour) is *NOT* a recommended substitute for cornstarch because of the different consistencies. (The same statement is true for tapioca starch, etc)
- I have sometimes substituted sweet rice flour for some baked goods (as long as there was another starch used as well) in place of the cornstarch. It has worked, but I have not tested this consistently to give you a better idea.
-amaranth can be used 1:1 for cornstarch that is used for thickening.
Gluten Free Bread is… well… Gluten Free Bread.
While I have not recreated “light and fluffy” biscuits or WonderBread, I’m actually quite thankful. Instead, i make heartier - NOT heavier! - breads. Seldom do my homemade baked breads come out dense like Food For Life Breads UNLESS that was my intention in the first place (like with the Molasses bread). There are several GF bloggers who have great bread recipes for you to try in addition to the ones listed here. GF Bread is just like Gluten bread - it’s completely personal! I learned this lesson just recently because I bought a loaf of bread (for the first time in YEARS) for my in-laws while they visit. (We have a separate toaster for them and my Dad when he visits.) I stood in the bread aisle for ages looking like a deer-in-headlights because I didn’t know what kind of bread to buy for someone elses tastes. I bought the one I thought would be the best (Oat Bran and Honey). My love took one look at it and wonder what I was thinking. This is what I was thinking: “Why the h*ll is the only person who WON’T/CAN’T eat this crap the same one who is BUYING it!”
Needless to say, tonight they are having GF pitas with hummus for a snack.
And I’m betting they will give up and just eat my bread too.
I love a wide variety of breads. From the sandwich breads to pitas to hearty breads. Eating gluten free breads actually an adventure around here. I’ve found that I prefer - by FAR - the breads we make at home compared to any GF breads available in the store in or in mix. It does take a little while to get in to the swing of GF baking, but once you hit your stride, there’s no stopping you!
When I get a chance, I can better address your bread baking tips in a future post. I’m just not able to do it at this moment but wanted to get back to you with something, anyway.
-Kate