There IS Another Way to Have your Cake and Eat it too!

A friend of mine, an English lady and probably one of the best bakers that I know, recently was told by her doctor to remove all wheat products and gluten from her diet, for health reasons, prompting me to put together this information for her and her obvious panic at the thought!

Then I got to thinking that many of us do not realize that there are lots of alternative flours to use instead of the "normal" bleached wheat flour that we have all grown up on, leading me to put this article together.

Thanks Glory!

If you get this same "sentence" handed down to you, here's some really good information that just might help ease the "shock!"

Becoming gluten-free requires removing all gluten from the diet. This means eliminating all products that might contain wheat and other offending grains such as rye, oats and barley.

There are many flours that can be substituted or combined to use in place of regular flour when baking gluten-free products. This list does not include them all.

Wheat Flour Substitutions:

Amaryth flour adds a good flavor but since it does not stick together well when cooked on its own, it should be used in combination with other flours, to make cakes, biscuits and pancakes.

Buckwheat flour should be used in small amounts only because it has a very strong flavor and is sometimes difficult to digest.

Carob flour can be used in cakes, biscuits, drinks, desserts and sweets.

Corn flour can be blended with cornmeal when making corn breads or muffins.

Millet flour tends to make breads dry and course so substitute only 1/5 of the flour mixture with this flour.

Nut or legume flours can be used in small portions to enhance the taste of puddings, cookies, or homemade pasta.

Potato starch flour is excellent for baking when used with other flours. It is a good thickening agent for cream soups.

Quinnoa flour makes excellent biscuits and pancakes although imparting a slightly bitter flavor.

Rice flour, brown or white, is a good substitution when thickening gravies, sauces, and cream pies.

Sorghum flour, excellent for all baking purposes, is the best general purpose gluten-free flour.

Soy flour has a nutty flavor and should be used in combination with other flours in baked products that contain nuts, chocolate, or fruit.

Tapioca flour imparts the chew factor to baked goods and is excellent if used in small quantities.

You can purchase gluten-free mixes and flours from a variety of sources. Many companies are dedicated to offering gluten-free flours and products. Health food stores are also a good source for these products. Of course, the grocery store, now days, is full of products that gluten intolerant shoppers can use.
These flours might be a bit more expensive but I've tasted several baked and cooked items made with them and all were very good!