Gluten-free Flour Blends
I use one of the following in The Sensitive Pantry recipes calling for gluten-free flour blend or mix:
Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour (my favorite flour blend)
Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Mix - Art of Gluten-free Baking
About Gluten-Free Flour Blends
One thing most of us have in common is the search for a great gluten-free flour mix. One that will replicate the results of baking with the wheat flour that can now no longer be allowed into our kitchens. You know the one…the one that makes the fluffiest of cakes, the flakiest of pie crusts, the crispiest of pizzas, the softest of rolls.
It’s common knowledge—in the world of GF baking—that a mixture of different flours, starches and gums are required to provide results similar to those yielded by gluten-containing wheat flour. But just which flours, starches, and gums should you choose and in what ratio? And are GF flour blends equal cup for cup to wheat flour? Those are some of the big questions.
There are cookbook chapters and blog posts by the truckload dedicated to this very subject. Some of you will want to consume all that information and others will just want to keep it simple—just tell me what ingredients I need to make a good cake, muffin, or loaf of bread!
Many of the GF blogs I’ve read have their own favorite GF flour mix that they use in baking sweet and savory treats. Some, like me, don’t mix up one blend but put together different flours for each individual recipe or use a pre-mixed flour blend offered by the companies that provide ingredients to GF bakers.
I’ve begun to compile a list of the various GF flour options so you can check them out yourself. Be sure to read the posts that go along with the blend “recipes” because the folks who developed them have great experience and typically share their tips for using the flour and baking gluten-free.
Something to be aware of—while most of the flours below contain xanthan gum some do not. It’s critical to note this difference when using flour blends in recipes that may or may not require xanthan gum. If my recipes specifically call for one of the flours below I’ve already taken into consideration whether the flour blend has xanthan gum or not and the recipe accommodates that.
I’ve also shared some of my favorite GF flours (these are not flour blends but can be used to make some of the homemade mixes you’ll read about in the links below) and will be sure to add links to great posts or information on GF flours as I run across them.
Mixes you can make yourself…
Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Mix - Art of Gluten-free Baking
Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix - Gluten-Free Goddess
Gluten-Free All Purpose Mix - Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef
Wendy Wark’s Gluten-Free Flour Mix - Celiac.com
Carol Fenster’s Gluten-Free Flour Blends - Savory Palate
Gluten-Free Flour Formulas - Celiac Sprue Association
Mixes you can buy….
Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour
Arrowhead Mills GF All Purpose Baking Flour (*does not contain xanthan gum)
King Arthur’s Multi-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour (*does not contain xanthan gum)
*Always check flour blends to see if they include xanthan gum in their ingredient lists. Xanthan gum (or guar gum) diminishes the crumbliness that is often a trait in gluten-free baked goods.
If you choose a flour blend that doesn’t include xanthan gum you can add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon per cup of flour in your recipes to improve results.
Favorite GF flours…
Authentic Foods GF Flours - Rice Flours (Brown, White, or Sweet) & Sorghum Flour
Almond Flour - Elana’s from Elana’s Kitchen shares her favorite Almond Flours
Other GF flour information…
Solving the GF Flour Mix Mystery - The Gluten-Free Lifestyle
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Reader Comments (1)
Just a note: I just got the Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose baking mix that you reference above with the *does not contain xanthan gum but it actually does list xanthan gum in the ingredients. Have the reformulated it perhaps?