Cooking

Cooking Gluten Free

When cooking with other flours not contain gluten, be prepared to experiment and accept that a few of your attempts may be unsuccessful. It is not always curtain that just substituting other flour in place of wheat flour will work like a normal recipe.

With most recipes you need to add an extra egg, this will help and act as a binding agent.

Replacement of Gluten

Using xanthan gum (personally recommended), guar gum powders, psyllium husk and gelatine can replace the role of gluten. There is a general proportions for using xanthan or guar gum.
They are the following:

• 1/2 teaspoon for a family-sized cake
• 1 tablespoon for bread

Flour Mixes

These days you can buy plain and self raising flour from the supermarket which I use and recommend for most recipes. It works just as good as the gluten based flour.

These days there are many gluten free flour substitutes available or ready-made gluten-free flour mixes, pastry and baking powders.

Here are a few recipe mix ideas from the Better Health Channel that I recommend:

Plain Flour

• 6 cups rice flour
• 2 cups potato starch
• 1 cup gluten free cornflour

Baking Powder

• 1/4 cup bicarbonate soda
• 1/2 cup cream of tartar

Sweet Pastry

• 60g maize cornflour
• 3/4 cup milk powder (or if dairy free substitute with coconut powder)
• 1 1/2 cups coconut desiccated
• 120g melted butter

Cakes and Bread Mix

• 400g millet flour
• 300g sweet rice flour
• 300g potato starch