Converting to Gluten-Free
So many folks are eating gluten-free these days. And there are tons of GF products and recipes.
But what if you want to make a favorite family recipe gluten-free?
Converting to gluten-free, particularly with baked goods, is not just a simple substitution.
That’s why I was pleased to get an email the other day from Better Homes and Gardens. It was touting is 2010 Cookie edition that hit newsstands last week. The edition includes a recipe by gluten-free, dairy-free expert Jean Duane, whose business is called Alternative Cook.
The email included Duane’s tips for converting a conventional recipe to gluten-free:
1. Start with a combination of flours in these ratios: 50% grain flour (brown rice or sorghum), 25% starch (cornstarch, tapioca or potato starch) and 25% protein flour (navy, fava, garbanzo, soy, gafava flour) or a different grain flour. One cup of wheat flour translates into 1/4 cup of grain flour, 1/4 cup of bean flour and 1/4 cup of starch.
2. Add 25 percent to 50 percent more leavening (baking powder, baking soda or yeast). Don’t skip this one!
3. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon acid (vinegar, citric acid, ascorbic acid dough enhancer, cream of tartar or citrus juice).
4. Add 1/2 tsp. of either xanthan gum (now sold in some supermarket baking aisles) to the dry ingredients or guar gum to the wet ingredients for every cup of flour, or 1/4 teaspoon of each. For smaller baked items, gums can be omitted.
5. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to absorb liquids before baking.
For Duane’s gluten-free, dairy-free brownie recipe, see www.askjeanblog.com
