Any gluten-free or wheat-free bakers out there?

[HSMom2One]

I recently eliminated wheat from my diet and am going to try some baking (from scratch)...as I'm collecting ingredients to have on hand I realize that many recipes call for Xanthum Gum or Guar Gum. Does it matter which one I use, or is one better than the other? Xanthum Gum is a lot more expensive than the other, so I'm leaning toward buying Guar Gum. Any suggestions?

[Kanga]

I love Xanthum Gum. My friends have no idea they are eating gluten free cookies! It is expensive but most recipes only call for 1 teaspoon so it lasts a long time.

[momo4]

they both work exactly the same. One is just cheaper than the other, because of the way it is made. I came across this the other day.

1) Since no single wheat-free flour has all the
attributes of regular wheat flour, the trick is
to blend several wheat-free/gluten-free flours
using final product texture as a guide.

Bette Hagman, a pioneer in gluten-free baking,
provides a good basic flour blend in her
cookbooks that can be used in equal (1:1)
substitution for regular wheat flours. Her
gluten-free flour blend suggests that:

For every cup of wheat-free/gluten-free flour,
use 1 tsp. xanthan or guar gum for cakes, 2 tsp.
xanthan or guar gum for breads or pizza, and 1
tsp. or no xanthan or guar gum or most cookies.

2) Most gluten-free flours will require the
addition of xanthan or guar, a substitute binder
used to compensate for the lack of gluten. The
amount needed to add will depend on the type of
product and it’s reliance on the gluten
structure. Breads rely heavily on gluten for
their structure, cakes to a lesser extent, and
cookies almost none. Typically the starchier
and/or more refined the crumb, the less the
reliance on gluten. Xanthan gum tends to be
almost three times as expensive, and in the US is
grown off of corn syrup (but tests out corn-free
in the lab after processing). Some gluten-free
groups discourage the use of guar because of the
higher fiber (and therefore possible laxative
effect) of large amounts of guar gum use. Try
both and see. If these gums are not appropriate
for you, some suggest the use of mung bean (AKA
green bean) flour (1/8 of cup to every cup flour)
or pre-gelled potato flour.

Suggestions for the addition of xanthan or guar:
For every cup of wheat-free/gluten-free flour
use:


½ tsp. Xanthan/guar gum for cakes


1 tsp. Xanthan/guar gum for breads or pizza


½ tsp. to no xanthan/guar gum for most cookies.

[Michele in New Zealand]

I use neither! :) I just take a regular recipe and GF it. I do use a GF baking powder which possibly helps and I mix up the flours. I use a lot of organic brown rice flour, tapioca flour, organic corn flour and a little almond flour. It seems to work.

:D

[susie in tx]

Personally, I find that the xanthum works a bit better. I think it's stickier, for whatever reason. However, I have used guar for years, ever since we had to eliminate corn. Xanthum is sourced from corn and I decided not to take any chances when we eliminated the corn. After we brought the corn back, I never did switch back to xanthum.

Tapioca flour also works as a binder, and you might be able to swing gf baking without some sort of gum if you use a goodly amount of tapioca in your flour mix.

[DIY-DY]

I recently eliminated wheat from my diet and am going to try some baking (from scratch)...as I'm collecting ingredients to have on hand I realize that many recipes call for Xanthum Gum or Guar Gum. Does it matter which one I use, or is one better than the other? Xanthum Gum is a lot more expensive than the other, so I'm leaning toward buying Guar Gum. Any suggestions?

We were WF for five years, and during that time I learned SO much about food, how food works, what makes it work (and, naturally, what doesn't work so well :p).

We landed on a flour blend that was economical (relatively speaking), nutritious, and versatile. It replaced what you'd normally call your all-purpose flour in our pantry. Take a big tub and dump in one bag of Bob's Red Mill Sorghum Flour, one bag of Bob's Garfava flour, one box of tapioca flour, and one bag of rice flour (I like the tapioca and rice flours from the Asian stores - the rice is more finely ground than brands like Bob's or Ener-G - and the cost is significantly lower). Roll it around to mix it well and then, just scoop it out like you would flour from a bag when you're cooking. (After a while, I cut back on the amount of tapioca and rice flours, increased the sorghum and garfava, and started adding in bits of other flours here and there - like teff or quinoa - especially great for breads. For cookies, muffins, and things that I didn't feel needed to be "hearty", per se, I'd just stick w/ that basic blend. GOOD stuff. Like I said, very forgiving, and very flexible.

Also, always sift, or at least thoroughly whisk, your flour once you've measured it and poured it into your mixing bowl. I don't know how, precisely, that makes such a difference in the texture, but boy-howdy, does it ever!

We used whatever was less expensive, as far as the gums go. Tapioca *can* be used, but be careful b/c too much tapioca will give you a very creepy, chewy texture that'll haunt the rest of your meal! :D You can also use beaten egg whites (folded into a baked good right before baking - works well w/ breads), or unflavored gelatin (about a scant Tbsp. for a two-loaf recipe, for example). But the guar and/or xanthan was always my favorite for ease of use, consistency, and overall familiarity.

I don't have an extensive array of recipes posted (b/c I'm essentially lazy and would rather eat than write about it), but there are a few on my blog, if you're looking for some fun things to make from scratch. Dy's Wheat-Free Pages (http://classicadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/wheat-free) I hope you find scads of great new treats to put on your table, and that being wheat-free is a good experience for you! Best of luck!

Dy

[HSMom2One]

Thanks a bunch for your post. This is wonderful advice and I'm going to give it a try. I'm always trying to save money (out of necessity), and these flours and ingredients are getting a bit spendy as I try them out.

Blessings,
Lucinda

[Jenny in Atl]

Only thing I can say after baking GF for the last four years, mix gently :eek:
Nothing like GF flours in a mixer on high.

[Arch At Home]

I used to use rice flour and tapioca starch from Asian markets. After getting a bag that was cross-contaminate, I decided that the savings was not that great.

Another note: I buy my guar and xantham gum from iherb.com. It is much cheaper there than from the hfs even with shipping. In addition you can buy flours and starches at a great savings from azurestandard.com. Shipping usually comes to a little less than half of my order but it still saves me money.

[susie in tx]

My favorite books had a blend in them that I morphed. I tended to use 1/3 sorghum or millet, 1/3 sweet rice flour (I bought mine at the asian food store) and 1/3 tapioca. Tapioca flour and tapioca starch are the same thing. Sometimes, I added a tablespoon to 1/4 cup of rice bran to a recipe to add fiber. I've yet to be able to make a whole grain gluten bread taste as good as my own gf bread. And, I was incredibly picky about gf bread. Apparently, I'm just as picky about gluten bread.

It's an adventure, but certainly something that can be worked around. :)