What are gluten free flours, and what is xanthan gum?
What are gluten free flours and what is xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum is gluten-free and helps bread cakes and pastry have a less crumbly texture. It appears to be stretchy and helps to binds our food together. One recommendation I had years ago was to add 1 tsp. of xanthan gum per 150 g of gluten-free flour before adding wet ingredients to your recipe. If you look at my gluten free all purpose flour you will see this has xanthan gum added. A lot of prepackaged gluten-free flours for your use will contain it.
Today we have lots of manufacturers offering types of flour mixes, cake mixes and also lots of flours to purchase in our supermarket. It can be a case of trial and error. I don’t particularly appreciate cooking with flours that contain Sorghum as I’m not too fond of the taste of it, but others love these mixes.
Rice flour: As the name suggests, rice flour involves grinding white or brown rice into a fine powder. This usually has a pretty neutral taste, but that said, you’re probably going to want to use other gluten-free flours alongside it (either in a gluten-free flour blend or by blending your own like I have) to get a different texture.
Buckwheat flour: Using buckwheat flour gives a nuttier taste and texture to your baking.
Coconut flour: As you might expect, coconut flour lends a distinctive flavour to anything it’s used in. This is why it’s often blended with other gluten-free flours to make things more neutral.
Corn flour: Corn flour uses the starch from sweetcorn kernels. If you’re after a lighter texture for your baking, it can be a great choice.
Almond Flour
Buckwheat Flour
Coconut Flour
Corn Flour
Cornstarch
Garbanzo Flour
Millet Flour
Oat Flour - remember not everyone can stomach this!
Potato Flour
Potato Starch
Quinoa Flour
Sorghum Flour
Soya Flour
Sweet Rice Flour
Tapioca Flour
Teff Flour
If you require any further information or help then please get in contact with me via the form online.
I hope you have enjoyed this information. Until next time!
Emma Alexander-Cook.
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