Against the Grain: Extraordinary Gluten-Free Recipes Made from Real, All-Natural Ingredients (2015)

Unlike wheat flours, gluten-free flours include many whole grains, nuts, seeds, and pseudocereals (nongrains that function like grain flours). Everyone’s taste is different, but it is generally agreed that many gluten-free flours have nutty, earthy overtones. Sampling many different flours and brands is the best way to find your favorite flour combinations. I had been baking gluten-free for more than five years before I discovered light buckwheat—I discovered it by chance, nestled in among wheat flours at my local supermarket. For years, I had dismissed buckwheat as a heavy, earth-flavored flour, suitable for pancakes but not much else. Now it is my favorite all-purpose flour, essential to these recipes and suitable for all types of baked goods. I purchase my light buckwheat flour directly from Bouchard Family Farms, which grows and mills it in Maine (www.ployes.com), but it is also available online and in the bulk bins of most co-ops and natural foods stores.

flavor

The bran coats of whole grains and some seeds often have a bitter taste. This is nature’s adaptation to prevent birds and other animals from eating all the seeds or grains that would otherwise be germinated. The challenge in gluten-free baking is to take advantage of the high protein, high fiber, and nutritional benefits of whole grains while minimizing the bitterness. A number of techniques, including toasting, boiling, and fermentation, reduce the bitterness, and the addition of acidic sweeteners like molasses, brown sugar, and maple syrup works to mask the bitter effect.

Most neutral-tasting gluten-free flours are predominantly starches, since protein and fat both give flour a more distinctive taste. However, starches used alone are not sufficient substitutes for wheat, and they need to be combined with higher-protein flours and other sources of protein. The most neutral-tasting flour is rice flour, and it is not surprising that it is the predominant starch in most commercial gluten-free baked goods and pastas. Though taste is important, gluten-free flour can’t be chosen by flavor alone. It is also important to consider the binding properties of the flours, their ability to absorb and hold water, and the texture they impart to baked goods.

some commonly available gluten-free grains

Grains are members of the grass family. They are classified as monocots because they have a single seed leaf inside the seed coat.

CORNSTARCH is produced by soaking and fermenting corn in water. The process washes the starch out, which is then dried. Cornstarch is used as a thickener in both sauces and baked goods, and it is the most common anticaking additive in products like shredded cheeses and powdered sugar.

MILLET is a small-seeded grain, once mostly thought of as birdseed in the United States. However, in the rest of the world, it has long been an important food crop. Millet flour has a neutral to slightly bitter taste and a protein content similar to that of wheat flour. Among gluten-free flours, it is considered to be one of the easiest to digest.

OATS are high in protein and have the most soluble fiber of any grain. The outer hull of the oat grain is removed to expose the groat (the outer hull is an excellent source of insoluble fiber known as oat fiber). Steel-cut oats are whole oat groats cut into smaller sizes. The groats can also be flaked and steamed into rolled oats and instant oats.

BROWN RICE is the rice grain with just the outer husk removed. It can be ground to varying degrees of coarseness, and the texture varies considerably among brands. Although it is a relatively low-protein flour, it is an effective substitute for sorghum, buckwheat, and millet in small amounts.

WHITE RICE has the outer husk layer as well as the bran and germ layers stripped away. It is a very neutral-tasting flour good for light cakes.

SORGHUM is a high-protein grain grown in tropical and subtropical climates. Sorghum is the third leading cereal crop in the United States and is grown for both human and animal consumption. It is also used in the production of sorghum molasses and some beers. Many people believe the taste of sorghum flour is closest to wheat flour. Sorghum flour is perhaps the best substitution for light buckwheat flour in recipes, since it has a very similar protein and fiber profile.

TEFF is a tiny, high-protein, high-calcium grain. It may be dark, red, or ivory. It is considered to be a lower-carb grain because up to 40% of teff grains can be fiber. Teff is often used as a solo flour in flatbreads, and it can be substituted for buckwheat.

some commonly available gluten-free nongrains

Nongrains include nuts, seeds, legumes, roots, tubers, and pseudocereals. They are classified as dicots because they have two seed leaves inside the seed coat.

ALMOND FLOUR is the blanched nuts ground into high-protein, high-fat flour or meal. Almond flour (also known as almond meal) is available commercially, but it is easy to grind the almonds yourself. It is a very popular flour with those following a low-carbohydrate diet.

AMARANTH FLOUR comes from amaranth seeds, which are from a plant in the beet and spinach family. The seeds are considered a pseudograin because they have properties of grains. Amaranth flour has a distinctive, earthy taste and is high in protein and fiber. Amaranth seeds also can be popped and have a gelatinous consistency much like quinoa when cooked.

ARROWROOT STARCH is made from the arrowroot plant tuber. It is mostly carbohydrates and has a gel-like consistency and thickening properties when heated. It is related to the ornamental prayer plant as well as ginger and banana plants.

BUCKWHEAT FLOUR is milled from a fruit seed closely related to wild rhubarb and sorrel. There are many types of buckwheat, from dark to light. It can be used as a substitute for teff, millet, quinoa, sorghum, and brown rice flours. I use a light, silver-hulled Acadian buckwheat grown exclusively in northern New England and Canada. It has a fine texture, and it may be the most neutral-tasting gluten-free flour with a decent protein content.

CHICKPEA FLOUR, also known as garbanzo bean flour, is milled from a light-flavored, rounded member of the bean family. It is commonly used in Indian food and is also called gram flour and besan. It is an excellent choice for batters to be fried.

COCONUT FLOUR is produced from the fruit of the coconut palm tree and is made by drying out and grinding the leftover pulp from coconut milk production. It has a high-fiber content and is the most highly absorptive of all gluten-free flours, absorbing four times more fluid than other gluten-free flours. Added to a batter with adequate hydration, it produces a very moist baked good. Coconut flour has a distinctive and slightly sweet coconut taste.

FAVA FLOUR is milled from fava beans, which are also called broad beans and are in the legume family. Fava beans are related to lima beans, but they are not true beans; they are really a large-seeded vetch, a ground cover crop that is grown as forage in pastures and for soil improvement. Fava beans are high in protein, soluble fiber, and carbohydrates. The high protein content of fava flour produces baked goods with a very wheat-like texture, but the distinct bean flavor is not for everyone.

FLAX MEAL comes from the seeds of the flax plant, which is both a food and fiber crop (the foliage is made into linen). Flaxseeds may be dark or golden, and are chewy, due to their high oil content. Flax meal is high in fat and protein with a good omega-3 profile. It is also very high in dietary fiber. Flaxseeds also have a coating that attracts and absorbs water, creating a gel that is commonly used as an egg replacer; thus, flax meal works well as a thickener and binder.

POTATO FLOUR is ground from cooked, dehydrated whole potatoes. It is a heavy flour, as opposed to the lightness of potato starch. Potato flour absorbs lots of moisture in baked goods. A small amount in bread adds moisture and makes very tender loaves. It is also excellent for fried batters since it crisps up rapidly in hot oil.

POTATO STARCH is a very light starch produced from the root tubers of the potato plant. To make the starch, potatoes are pulverized until the starch leaches out. Then the starch is washed out with water and dried into a white, tasteless powder. Low in both protein and fat, potato starch is a good thickener and gelling agent. Substitutes for potato starch are tapioca starch and arrowroot starch.

QUINOA FLOUR comes from a seed that acts like a cereal. Like amaranth, it is related to beets and spinach. It is a good source of fiber and protein. Because the bitter seed coating produces a taste that some people find off-putting they prebake the flour to reduce its bitterness. Quinoa can also be dehydrated into flakes (the flakes come from seeds that are prewashed to remove bitterness and then steam rolled).

SOY FLOUR is milled from soybeans, which are not considered true beans. Soybeans can be ground into a high-protein fine flour or made into oil. Like bean flours, soy flour creates a moist wheat-like crumb in breads and baked goods, but leaves a distinctive beany taste. Soy flour is also favored for low-glycemic diets because only about 35% of soybeans are carbohydrates, with the rest being protein, oil, and water.

TAPIOCA FLOUR, which is also called cassava flour, is basically tapioca starch but with the fiber included. The flour is produced by cooking, drying, grinding, and milling the cassava root into a fine powder. Like tapioca starch, it is a neutral flour that improves the texture of baked goods, but it has a far greater fiber content (7 to 12%). Unfortunately, tapioca flour is still not as accessible as other gluten-free flours to the home baker.

TAPIOCA STARCH comes from the root of the cassava, or manioc, plant. The fibrous root is ground to a pulp to release the starch. The starch is then separated from the pulp and dried. It is a low-protein, low-fat, and high-carbohydrate starch, but it redeems itself as an ideal thickener that forms a gel when heated. As a gluten-free flour, it is flavorless and adds a chewiness to baked goods. Tapioca starch is great for freezing and thawing because unlike other gluten-free flours it doesn’t leach out water. Like other starches, it is insoluble in cold water unless physically or chemically modified.

Tapioca starch doesn’t just provide structure for open-crumb breads. When combined with light buckwheat and molasses in these Yankee Ginger Snaps, it produces big, chewy cookies like those you find in a bakery.

how to adjust for weight differences in flours

The only way to really control for differences between brands of gluten-free flours is to weigh your ingredients. If you do not have a scale, you need to become a critical nutrition label reader. For the particular flour you are using, look on the top of the nutrition label for the serving size and the weight in grams. For example, the label may read:

Then you know that a full cup of your flour weighs 4 × 30 grams, or 120 grams. If the recipe you are using calls for 1 cup (140g) and you are using a cup measure, then you have to adjust the amount (volume) of flour you add to make it equivalent in weight, as shown below.

1. Determine the weight of 1 cup of your flour using the Nutrition Facts on the label.

e.g., 1 cup weighs 120g

2. Check the weight of 1 cup indicated in the recipe.

e.g., the recipe calls for 140g

3. Subtract the weight of your flour from the recipe weight.

e.g., 140-120 = 20g

4. Divide the difference by the weight of 1 cup of your flour.

e.g., 20/120 = ¹/6 cup

This means that the recipe weight is one sixth more of a cup than the weight of your flour. Thus, you will have to add ¹/6 cup (or 8 teaspoons) of your flour to make it an equivalent amount. Without this adjustment, you are most definitely going to end up with a thinner dough or batter.

If you are measuring out ingredients by volume, you will get the most accurate volume measurements if you use a set of cup measures and level off the top rather than measuring with a single graduated cup. Even if kitchen math is your strong suit, you can see why a scale would save you a lot of work.

variability in the protein content, fiber, and absorption rates of gluten-free flours

One of the beauties of gluten-free flours is that there are so many different sources with different flavors, textures, and nutrition profiles. This does, however, make it a little tricky to substitute one kind of flour for another in a recipe. For example, protein content varies considerably between flours, as shown in the table that follows. Protein content is one of the major determinants of how much water the flour will absorb during the mixing process. It takes more of a low-protein flour to produce dough of the same consistency as high-protein flours. If you try to substitute a low-protein flour for a higher-protein flour, you will end up with a slack dough. Fiber also significantly affects how much water flour will absorb. All-purpose wheat flour has a consistent 2.5% fiber, whereas gluten-free flours have wildly different amounts of fiber. For example, a high-fiber flour like coconut will absorb nearly four times more liquid than regular flours.

percent of protein and fiber for gluten-free flours

In practical terms, the variability in protein and fiber between different gluten-free flours means that: (1) you should substitute flours by weight and (2) you should choose to substitute flours with similar nutritional profiles. For example, the protein content of Bob’s Red Mill Buckwheat and Bob’s Red Mill Teff are nearly identical.

As you work with different flours, you will get a feel for the ideal dough or batter consistency. Compensating for differences by adding in a tad more flour or liquid in the final stages of mixing should not have a huge effect on the outcome of your baked goods.

some flour suggestions for light-textured baked goods

Similar to wheat flours, for which there is an ideal bread flour and an ideal cake flour, different gluten-free flour combinations work better in some baked goods than in others. Use the lists below as a basis for fairly neutral-tasting baked goods. In general, you will get the best results with a ratio of 50% flour to 50% pure starch (e.g., potato, tapioca, arrowroot, or cornstarch). My two favorite basic “all-purpose” combinations are 50% light buckwheat flour + 50% tapioca starch and 50% oat flour + 50% tapioca starch. I find these two combinations to have the properties most similar to wheat.

YEASTED BREADS

✵ Brown rice

✵ Light buckwheat

✵ Oat

✵ Sorghum

✵ Potato flour (use sparingly)

✵ Starch: Potato starch, tapioca starch

BISCUITS, WRAPS, PASTRIES

✵ Light buckwheat

✵ Oat

✵ Starch: Potato starch, tapioca starch

CAKES

✵ Coconut (use sparingly unless compensating with significant increase in liquids)

✵ Brown rice

✵ Light buckwheat

✵ Starch: Tapioca starch, potato starch

QUICK BREADS, MUFFINS, COOKIES, AND BARS (WITH ANY STRONG SPICES OR FLAVORS): For these recipes, you can use a 50/50 flour-to-starch combination using light buckwheat, oat, and brown rice flours. Note when using highly absorptive flours like coconut and almond, you will most likely have to increase the amount of liquid, including eggs.

ACCENT FLOURS FOR INTERESTING FLAVORS AND BOOSTING NUTRITION PROFILES: Most gluten-free flours that contain a significant amount of protein have a very distinctive taste. Although some people like the earthy, almost bitter taste of these cereal and grain flours, most will want to add them into a mix of more neutral-tasting flours and starches. In general, you can substitute any of these flours by weight for about 20% of the flour (as opposed to starch) in these recipes. For example, if a recipe calls for 100g of light buckwheat flour and 200g of tapioca starch, you can substitute 20g of millet flour for some of the buckwheat. The flour/starch mix would then be 20g millet, 80g light buckwheat flour, and 200g tapioca starch. The following flours all have a similar protein and fiber profile to buckwheat flour.

✵ Amaranth

✵ Millet

✵ Teff