Gluten-Free Flours

ÚÛ

Wheat isn’t the only grain you can bake with! There are a multitude of flours, grains, and other substitutes for wheat flour. I find it best to not use just one non-gluten substitute, but to mix a variety to make the closest consistency to cake flour. Be cautious when looking for flour alternatives: Some starches contain traces of gluten or are manufactured in factories that produce other wheat products. Always choose products that are labeled gluten-free to be safe.

Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Mix

After experimenting with just about every gluten-free flour out there, millet flour stood out among the rest. Light yellow in color, it has a delicate flavor and texture that are ideal for baked goods. Its qualities aid in making a sweet and tender cake; I’ve found that other flour alternatives have a distinct flavor and denser texture that interfere with an ideal dessert profile. Millet is also exceptionally nutritious. It is high in protein, carries all the varieties of essential amino acids, and is high in B vitamins and minerals. Appropriately, millet stands front and center in my flour mix! To give it the perfect cake flour consistency, I mix it with a few other gluten-free flours, starches, and thickening agents. Adding starches and guar gum to non-gluten flours is key to help thicken and emulsify the dessert during mixing and baking, which is what gluten (and eggs) normally do. Guar gum, a natural thickening agent that is derived from guar seeds, acts as an emulsifier. You can find it at your local organic grocery store or check my resources on page 332. This mix may also be used in recipes for baked goods other than cakes, such as the Sugar Tart Dough you’ll find on page 328.