Gluten Free Master Baking Mix/ Homemade "Bisquick" Recipes

In this gluten free journey I've created quite a few recipes over the years. One of the most popular on this site is my gluten free master baking mix. I revised the original recipe last year to create a healthier, whole-grain, soy-free, and dairy/casein-free version. Since then I've used it for countless recipes... dinner recipes...dessert recipes...snacks...you name it! It's so easy to use. It's much healthier than the Betty Crocker version, it's a more frugal option, and it's incredible easy to make.

Today I'm sharing the Revised Whole Grain Gluten Free Master Baking Mix recipe again, along with 5 additional SUPER easy recipes that you can make with the master baking mix.

I would really love your feedback on these recipes. I love the biscuits. I love the cakey-cookies. I love the easy muffins. And mostly... the pancakes just rock.

What are your favorite OLD Bisquick recipes? What would you make using this mix or the original mix? If you have a recipe you'd like me to try & feature on the blog using this mix, please email me your suggestions!

Soft & sweet chocolate chip cookies made using the GF Whole Grain Master Baking Mix. 

Flaky,  Buttery Drop Biscuits made using the GF Whole Grain Master Baking Mix. 

Ginger Lemon Girl's Gluten Free/Casein Free
Master Baking Mix (Like Bisquick)
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Created by Carrie Forbes @ Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-friendly recipe

3 cups brown rice flour
2 cups sorghum flour -or- millet flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch -or- tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry. Makes about 7 cups.

***********************

Half Recipe: 
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour -or- millet flour
3/4 cups arrowroot starch -or- tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

2 tablespoons brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

A Few Gluten Free Master Mix Recipes: 

1) Easy Muffins: 
1 cup MASTER MIX
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
⅓ c. blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped apples, etc...

Mix all ingredients. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill ¾ full of batter. Bake 350 for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of muffin comes out clean. Makes 6 muffins.

2) Pancakes: 
1 cup MASTER MIX
¾ cup - 1 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together, you can add additional milk if necessary depending on how thick or thin you like your pancake batter. Grease pan (with butter, oil, or non-stick spray) and heat until droplets of water will sizzle. Pour about 2 tbsp. batter per pancake onto preheated hot skillet. Cook on med. high heat until bubbles form & pop on top of pancakes -or- until edges look dry. Flip cook an additional minute or so. Serve hot. Makes about 9 (2") pancakes.

3) Drop Biscuits: 
1 ¼ cup MASTER MIX
3 tablespoons palm shortening, crisco, or butter
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening or butter into master mix until it looks like small peas. Stir in egg. Stir in1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have a stiff dough. (You may not need all 4 tablespoons of water.) Drop batter (2-3 tbsp. at a time) on greased baking sheet, each biscuit about 2” apart. Shape each biscuit into a circle. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Place a pat of butter or margarine on top of each biscuit in the last few minutes of baking. My oven underheats, so things tend not to brown -- you may need to turn up your oven to BROIL for 2-3 minutes to brown the biscuits. DO NOT allow to broil for longer or they will burn.  Makes 6 biscuits.

4) Basic Cookies: 
2 ¾ cups MASTER MIX
½ cup palm shortening, crisco, or butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla
2-4 tablespoons water
ADD IN'S -- 1 cup of any of the following (or mix of the following): chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, raisins, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, rolled oats, chopped candied oranges, etc...

Cream sugar with shortening or butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in master mix. If needed, add 2-4 tablespoons of water until you get a stiff (not crumbly) batter. Fold in any additional flavorings/spices/additions. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet.  Flatten cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand, as they will not spread. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen 1" cookies.

5) Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (dairy free version -- shredded daiya vegan cheese)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup MASTER MIX
1 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" pie pan or a large baking dish. In a large skillet brown ground beef and chopped onions. Spread browned ground beef & cooked onions in the greased baking dish. Sprinkle ground beef with cheese or daiya vegan alternative. In a small bowl mix together the salt, master mix, milk, and eggs. Pour over the ground beef & cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and/or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 slices. Serve each slice with the option of being topped with mustard, ketchup, chopped tomatoes, and dill pickles!

Gluten Free Girl's Whole Grain Muffins

I really love Gluten Free Girl. To be honest, before I met her at IFBC 2010 I thought she was a bit of a food snob. One more reason I need to stop judging people before I meet them! :-) I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet her!  Shauna is a gem. She has an incredible hug and even more incredible heart for people. Her laughter --a joy to hear, her boots red, and her smile is warm & inviting.

I truly enjoy her writing & her blog. One thing I love about reading blogs is that you get to watch as the seasons change, as writers evolve, as their food changes.

Shauna has recently decided to stop using white sugar in their home. She's using more natural choices such as sucanat, date sugar, coconut/palm sugar, etc... She's also using more whole grains and she's cutting gums out of her baked goods.

I absolutely love all of these changes. They cater to my own natural & healthy food choices and I'm excited about the new possibilities in Shauna's baked goods. I'm eagerly awaiting her gluten free yeast bread that doesn't contain gums!

Last night I tried her whole grain muffins.

The muffins don't use xanthan gum or guar gum. The first thing I loved about them! Shauna also uses a 70% whole grains and 30% starches for this recipe. She tells you how to make your own personalized gluten free whole grain mix and then shares a basic recipe template. She wants you to play. She wants you to start thinking off the page.

Recipes are simply the outline, the basic idea of what you can make. It's up to you to make them unique. To use what you have available. To be creative and inspired.

The muffins we made last night used a combination of almond flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, quinoa flour (I love the taste of quinoa with cinnamon & raisins!), arrowroot starch, and ground flax seeds.  As Shauna stated, you'll probably never make the same muffins twice! That's certainly the case at our house. For the add in's we used about 1/4 of raisins (which cleaned out my stash of raisins) and a handful of sliced almonds. Apparently my chopped walnuts & pecans have hidden themselves in the freezer beyond my reach.

Since I'm watching my calorie intake I calculated that basically my overall recipe (including the amount of sugar & oil used in the original recipe) had 3693 calories. I was able to make 18 muffins from the batter, which means each muffin had about 205 calories. Overall, not bad! Plus, the health benefits of these whole grain muffins is substantial. I love that our version contained healthy proteins & fats with the almond flour + quinoa flour + ground flax seeds.

To reduce the calories in my next batch, I'll probably use a bit less sugar and replace half the oil with applesauce or pumpkin puree.

I was thrilled when I caught my husband (who generally isn't a huge fan of baked goods) packing 3 muffins in a plastic bag to take to work with him today. As I munched on my muffins for breakfast this morning, I was pleasantly surprised at how moist they were.

Do you enjoy muffins? What you would you include in your 70/30 gluten free whole grain mix? If you need some inspiration, here are a few of my favorite muffin recipes and most of them are whole grain:

• Gluten Free Whole Grain Banana Nut Muffins
• Gluten Free Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten Free, Whole Grain Vegan Banana Bread - easily made into muffins!
• Gluten Free Carob Banana Muffins
• Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins
• Gluten Free Ginger Lemon Muffins 
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Gluten Free Orange Cinnamon Muffins

*This post is linked to The Gluten Free Homemaker's Wednesday Carnival for 1/26/11. 

My Favorite Gluten Free Recipes of 2010

Taking a lead from one of my favorite bloggers, Jill of Hey, This Tastes Good, here is a roundup of some of my favorite recipes from the past year! I hope you enjoy them!

Michael and I started January 2010 off with a hearty skillet meal of ground beef, cabbage, and pasta. I love easy, simple, one pot skillet meals like this!

Jan 2010 - Hearty Cabbage & Beef Casserole

In February 2010 I recreated one of my favorite recipes from my childhood to be gluten free. Popovers! I remember the recipe from the Winnie the Pooh cookbook. One of my favorite hobbies is recreating old recipes from my favorite cookbooks! I hope you'll enjoy these popovers as much as we have. They are even prettier now that I own a popover pan and they become very high and golden in the oven!

February 2010 - Gluten Free Popovers

In March 2010 I baked loaves upon loaves of bread. My favorite recipe that was for Honey Oat Bread. A very simple bread that's light & fluffy, but takes on a sweet whole grain appearance!

March 2010 - Honey Oat Bread

During April 2010 we made cookies. The ease & simplicity of peanut butter cookies made without gluten, eggs, dairy/casein, or soy. I don't think there could ever be too many cookie recipes! :-)

April 2010 - Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

In May 2010 I shared a recipe for one of my favorite easy soups (an American-Asian favorite) Egg Drop Soup. I love the fresh greens and the use of chickpea miso tamari, which adds a healthy dose of natural probiotics that aid in digestion.

May 2010 - Egg Drop Soup

Beginning in mid-June 2010 I started a 30 day series entitled "30 Days Gluten Free: Quick & Easy Meals." This series kept me on my toes having to prepare posts for 30 straight days. I could not have done it without the help of over 25 blogging friends who shared their recipes with me. One of my favorite recipes was for Kat's Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichokes. A simple easy crock pot meal! Make sure to check out the entire series for 30 days of quick & easy gluten free meals!

June 2010 - Kat's Slow Cooker Chicken & Artichokes

In July 2010 I shared a several posts on gluten free baking & cooking ingredients. I shared why I preferred certain gluten free ingredients other others and I also shared this post on a gluten free chocolate protein smoothie. I love fruit & green vegetable smoothies, especially in the heat of the summer. This chocolate smoothie was a nice alternative to a banana smoothie and offered a great source of vegetable protein.

July 2010 - Chocolate Protein Smoothies

August 2010 was an exciting month for Michael and I. We traveled to Seattle, Wa. for the 2nd International Food Bloggers Conference. It was our first time flying across the country and our first time on the west coast. We had a wonderful time and I shared several posts on our experiences while we were there. But I also shared some really delicious recipes during the month. One of my favorites was for this French Toast Casserole, a recipe originally from my wonderful friend Betty B. that she made gluten free just for me!

August 2010 - Betty B.'s Blueberry French Toast Casserole

September 2010 was "back to school" month. Michael and I both work for universities, so as classes start back in the fall our jobs become hectic & busy. It's a good time for soups & stews, for chocolate muffins, and for more experimenting with gluten free (and vegan) breads. September is one of my favorite months and I love these double chocolate muffins and how easy they are to make using my Revised Gluten Free Master Baking Mix.

September 2010 - Double Chocolate Muffins

In October 2010 Michael & I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. I can't believe I've had the privilege of being married to my best friend for over 6 years! Instead of taking a big trip on our anniversary (and after the expense of Seattle!) we took the weekend and went to the beach instead! I also created these super cute & grain free peanut butter cupcakes one evening while we were visiting Michael's parents. This is one of my favorite recipes of the year!

October 2010 - Grain Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes

In November 2010 it was time again for our favorite family holiday, Thanksgiving! I tried several new recipes this year including a brined & basted turkey breast that I was truly proud of! But even more than the turkey, I loved this corn-free "millet bread" that had a very similar texture to cornbread. I learned very clearly this year that my body doesn't tolerate corn products well, so for the most part I avoided all products with corn in them. This millet bread version of a "corn-bread" was delicious and I loved the aroma of texture of this gluten free quick bread.

November 2010 - Quick Millet Bread (Aka - Mock Cornbread)

And finally in December 2010, I participated in Amy Green's (author of Simply Sugar & Gluten Free) holiday series, "A Gluten Free Holiday." I shared a favorite recipe for a breakfast quiche with a mock hollandaise sauce. It was a busy month for us, as I'm sure it was for everyone, but I did manage to squeeze in a few of my new favorite cookies for the holidays. These gluten free spritz cookies were a welcome addition to our holiday bakied goods. I haven't had this type of shortbread cookie in nearly 5 1/2 years and they were quite good!

December 2010 - Gluten Free Spritz Cookies

Here's to another great year of gluten free recipes! If you have suggestions for recipes you would like to see this year on Gingerlemongirl.com, please contact me! Happy New Year to you and your family!

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

Gluten Free, Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Gluten free, vegan banana bread. Egg free. Rice free. Dairy/casein free. Low sugar/ low glycemic.

A few years ago I completely turned my nose at anything labeled "vegan." I'm not really a fan of labels as it is... but then again you want people to visit your blog... so sometimes labels are helpful, especially to search engines. But I'm getting off topic... A few years ago I knew how to bake. I could bake the heck out of a banana bread, chocolate cake, brownies, apple pie, you name it... but it was always in the traditional sense. Wheat flour. Eggs. Sugar. Milk.

Nearly 5 years later that seems so boring. Anybody can cook & bake like that if they want too. It wasn't until I HAD to change my diet and cut gluten out of my life that I realized it was completely possible to bake without those traditional ingredients.  You don't need wheat, eggs, sugar, or milk to make a good and delicious banana bread!

I didn't necessarily make this particular banana bread for people following a vegan diet. I made it for friends who have kids who can't eat eggs. I made it because I like thinking outside of the box. I made it because I like figuring out new ways to bake old favorite foods.

I've learned so much about non-traditional baking in the past 5 years and every day I learn more. If anything, I've realized there are truly no limits to what you can do in the kitchen.  Just because you have food limitations doesn't mean that your life has to be boring or bland or no longer tasty!

That's the thing I love about gluten free baking. It seems hard at first, but once you step outside of that little American box you were accustomed too of prepackaged mixes, wheat flour, sugar, butter, and eggs... you realize the whole world has been baking with thousands of other ingredients for centuries.

So walk on the wild side with sorghum flour, blanched almond flour, or quinoa. Bake a batch of brownies with millet flour or brown rice flour or amaranth. Make an egg-free cake with ground flax seeds, chia seeds, or mashed bananas. Ditch the white sugar and sweeten a batch of brownies with molasses, agave nectar, local honey, or stevia.

Don't be afraid to try new things. You may not always end up with a perfect baked good every time, but you will have the joy of experiencing new flavors in your kitchen!

Gluten Free, Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
free of gluten, dairy/casein, rice, soy, and eggs
created by carrie @ www.gingerlemongirl.com
print-friendly recipe.

**Makes 3 "7.5 x 3.5" loaves of banana bread**

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup millet flour (5 oz., 140 grams)
1 cup sorghum flour (5 1/4 oz., 150 grams)
1 cup arrowroot starch (4 1/2 oz., 124 grams)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3-4 small bananas)
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer + 1/4 cup warm water (or 2 eggs)
1 cup non-dairy milk (I use almond milk)
1/4 cup canola oil, melted coconut oil, or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup honey, agave nectar, or sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional Add-In's:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup allergen free chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together all wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until you have a thick cake batter texture. Fold in chopped walnuts or chocolate chips if you are using them. Divide the banana bread batter into 3 (7.5 x3.5) greased loaf pans. (The batter should fill each pan about halfway full.) Add a few half pecans or walnuts to the top of your bread for decoration if you'd like. Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown, and a toothpick or sharp knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

*Also makes 18-24 muffins. Line muffin pans with paper liners and fill about half full with batter. Top each muffin with a pecan if you'd like. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Carrie's Notes:

• If you're opposed to using Ener-G egg replacer (or if you don't have any) I think you could make the banana bread or muffins without it, they just may not rise quite as high. 
• Millet flour & sorghum flour: If you don't like these flours, use other whole grain gluten free flours that you like. Brown rice flour, quinoa flour, even bean flours would work just fine in this recipe. 
• This is NOT a really sweet bread. Feel free to up the amount of sugar or honey to 3/4 cup - 1 cup. It should not affect the end result of the rise or texture or the bread. 
• This bread is also delicious toasted and I think it would make GREAT french toast!
• You should be able to halve this recipe easily and make 2 larger loaves of banana bread. I like making it in the smaller loaf pans though because I think it gets a better rise. I use the same loaf pans to make Elana's Gluten Free Bread. 

This recipe has been linked to Amy Green's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. Make sure to stop by and see all of the other yummy and slightly indulgent treats that are listed on today's roundup! 

Revised Gluten Free, Casein Free Master Baking Mix Recipe

gluten free master mix pancakes

One of the first recipes I created when I became gluten free in 2007 was a gluten free baking mix similar to the popular "Bisquick." It's been one of my most popular recipes and I'm glad that it's such a helpful & practical recipe for so many people.

Now, 4 years later... you can actually BUY gluten free Bisquick... and if you need something fast, it is very useful. But I will warn you... the Betty Crocker GF Bisquick is not the tiniest bit healthy. And sometimes that's completely okay. If you want cake for special occasions it certainly doesn't have to be healthy... but really I want my pancakes to at least have a LITTLE bit of fiber in them... if that sounds like you too, then you'll probably really love this mix!

gluten free mini-donut hole muffins

After initially posting the recipe one of the most frequent questions I received was how to make the mix casein free/dairy free. Many people suggested simply replacing the powdered milk in the recipe with additional tapioca starch. I didn't necessary want to offer this recommendation because tapioca starch is such a simple & unhealthy starch. I've also discovered I just don't like the taste of tapioca starch. I've always been a proponent of whole grains and I wanted to find a way to keep the mix at a high gluten free whole grain ratio.

I also wanted to remove the Crisco from the recipe. Not only does it contain soy, which I try to avoid... but I've since realized it's basically an edible form of plastic. Which is sort of gross when you think about it. I can't tell you how many people asked me what they could use instead of Crisco and at the time, I was not knowledgeable enough to give them a good answer. Now I know that you can use Spectrum Palm Shortening or Coconut Oil.. it's up to you! They both work really well. And you don't have to feel guilty about your pancakes with these healthier alternatives to Crisco!

So, at long last, here is the new revised gluten free, casein free, and soy free master baking mix. Use it cup for cup in any "Bisquick" type recipe. It's fantastic for quick breads, muffins, biscuits, etc...

Do you have a recipe you make with this homemade gluten free master baking mix? 

I'd love to feature it on Gingerlemongirl.com! 

Just leave me a comment and share your thoughts & recipes! 

gluten free snickerdoodles

Ginger Lemon Girl's Gluten Free/Casein Free 
Master Baking Mix (Like Bisquick)
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Created by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-friendly recipe. 

3 cups brown rice flour
2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes to use this wonderful mix: 

Mini-Donut Hole Muffins

Apple Snack Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Almond Joy Impossible Pie

Easy Chocolate Brownies
Quick Biscuits

*my favorite* Master Mix Pancakes

Ground Flax Seeds

Ground flax seeds are one of my favorite ingredients for baking. Somehow I left these humble, healthy little seeds out of my post on my favorite gluten free baking ingredients.

Full of amazing omega 3 fatty acids, healthy fiber, and phytochemicals (like antioxidents)... these little seeds are incredibly healthy. They not only add a great "whole grain" nuttiness to your baked goods... they are good for your heart, your cholesterol levels, and are a fantastic source for b vitamins, magnesium, and manganese.

Ground flax seeds can be used for so many things. Most often I toss a few tablespoons into baked goods (no matter what it is --

• chocolate cake --they will never know
• fruit/green smoothies -- a perfect source of healthy omega 3's and extra fiber, you'll never taste it!
• cookies -- seriously
• breads -- i love the nutty "whole-grain" appearance these seeds give to bread!
• pancakes -- hey, you need something to combat all that sugar in the maple syrup! Add flax seeds and you can eat pancakes with a smile!
• muffins -- does this even need an explanation? Always throw some into your muffins for extra fiber & nutrition!

One of the best things about ground flax seeds is that they are gelatinous when they get wet... this means they make a wonderful egg substitute in gluten free, egg free, or vegan baking!

Most baking experts recommend not replacing more than 2 eggs in a recipe with ground flax seeds. If you replace 3 or more eggs, you will drastically change the texture & possibly the taste of your baked good.

Keep in mind that unlike eggs, ground flax seeds will not help your baked good rise (those wonderful egg whites do that!) nor will they provide the moisture or texture qualities that egg yolks have.

For a basic egg replacer use 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water, this equals 1 egg.

Some of my favorite recipes that use ground flax seeds are:

• Elana's gluten free almond flour bread
• Banana nut muffins -- toss in a few tablespoons
• Chocolate chip cookies - seriously I add a tablespoon or so... nobody notices!
• Our favorite pancakes - add a tablespoon or so
• Chocolate cake - add 2-3 tablespoons
• Carrot cake -- add 2-3 tablespoons
• Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
• Gluten Free Master Baking Mix (like Bisquick) -- I usually add about 1/4 cup to the mix.

Do you use ground flax seeds? What do you add them too?

GF Baking 101: Gluten Free Flours

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - Using arrowroot starch instead of tapioca

Some of the most frequent questions I get are about the types of gluten free flour I use in baking. Over the past four years I've used a dozen or more different types of flour. As with many who are new to being gluten free, I started using white rice flour, lots of starches like tapioca starch, corn starch, and potato starch, etc...

But soon after starting to bake gluten free, it became apparent to me that the popular starchy white gluten free flours used by most gluten free cookbook & recipe authors (while not hurting my gut) were doing serious damage to my blood sugar and my waist line.

Obesity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, diabetes, etc... ALL run in my family. Research is starting to show how diabetes, celiac disease, and gluten intolerance are often linked genetically. Therefore, what are gluten free folks doing eating all of these super starchy, simple carbohydrate flours when diabetes and blood sugar disorders so are closely related to celiac disease?

I've been overweight most of my life. About two years ago I was diagnosed with the high blood pressure & high cholesterol that is so exceedingly abundant in my family. They were NOT diagnoses I was thrilled with. Seeing the pattern of being overweight and having elevated levels of these unhealthy medical problems has made me very aware of my diet and what I need to do to prevent the onset of diabetes. One of the first places I could start was changing the types of flours I used in gluten free baking.

One of my main goals in baking gluten free the past few years has been to create recipes that are not only delicious, but are as healthy and low glycemic as possible. Websites like Meghan Telpner's Making Love in the Kitchen, Elana's Pantry, and the Spunky Coconut have helped me to re-learn how to bake gluten free in ways that are much more healthy, low glycemic, and good for my body.


Gluten Free Grain Free (Low Glycemic) Baking

Most often these days I stick with low glycemic, mostly grain free baking. For baking recipes in this manner I use blanched almond flour, coconut flour, and for a bit of lightness arrowroot starch.

Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour.
It's the only almond flour I buy. The company doesn't pay me a dime (I wish they did! lol). It's just a good flour, period. I learned about using the Honeyville brand from Elana, and she's right... Other brands of blanched almond flour (in my opinion) just don't compare to the quality that you get with this brand. Almond flour is a naturally gluten free flour (and the Honeyville brand is CERTIFIED gluten free), it's high protein, low glycemic, and is nutritionally a great option. I love using almond flour for recipes because it's so insanely simple. So often you make recipes for cookies, muffins, bread etc... and just use this one flour. That's it. No xanthan gum, no combination of flours, etc... Simple. Easy. Healthy.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour.
I actually have not tried any other brand of coconut flour, so I don't know how they compare to the Tropical Traditions brand. I've been using coconut flour for several years. I actually started to use this flour before I tried almond flour. The neat thing about baking with coconut flour, is that most often the things you bake don't taste like coconut. (At least I don't think they do.) I personally prefer to combine coconut flour with another flour like almond flour instead of using straight coconut flour recipes. Coconut flour, while expensive initially, is often a practical & economical choice of flour because most recipes call for so little actual flour. Coconut flour is VERY absorbent and therefore you don't need very much of it to create a lot of volume. You generally use 3 eggs in a recipe calling for 2 tablespoons of coconut flour! If you would like to use coconut flour exclusively, check out this book by Bruce Fife.

Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch.
The only starch flour I use anymore is arrowroot starch. It's lower on the glycemic index ( I cannot find the original information I used to verify the glycemic index -- yet while I cannot "prove" it's a better starch, I still prefer this gluten free starch to all others. --csf 8/25/11)  Like most starches it really doesn't have that many health benefits, but it does provide a lightness to gluten free baked goods without compromising your health. I haven't tried other brands of arrowroot starch, simply because I can buy it in bulk from Bob's Red Mill. One thing I really like about arrowroot starch is it's great both in grain-free gluten free baking and in whole grain gluten free baking. It means I only have to stock one little starch in my small pantry space! If you prefer not to use arrowroot starch in your baking, just remember you can use any other starch in place of it in a one-to-one ratio.

Gluten Free Whole Grain Baking

When I do use grains in gluten free baking, I stick with whole grains. What has worked for me has been to simply use 2 grains & 1 starch for best results. For example if I'm converting a recipe that calls for 1 cup of "regular" flour I'll simply use:

• 1/3 cup brown rice flour (whole grain)
• 1/3 cup sorghum flour or millet flour (whole grains)
• 1/3 cup arrowroot starch
• + a binder = either 1/2 tsp. of xanthan gum or guar gum  -OR- **2 tbsp ground flax seeds (ground flax can be used in place of xanthan gum in MOST recipes -- please note that this does NOT work well in yeast breads!) Most gluten free baking requires a binder/texture ingredient such as xanthan gum or guar gum which sort of "replaces" the gluten that gives such great texture in wheat baking, especially for yeast breads. Many baked goods like quick breads can actually be made without the gums... since muffins, cakes, coffee cake etc... do not need to have the same somewhat resilient texture, tight-crumbed texture as yeast bread. 

That's it. I don't have any rhyme or reason as to why I choose a specific gluten free whole grain. Whatever is in my pantry I use. Generally I keep sorghum, millet, and brown rice in my pantry. Arrowroot starch is the only starch I keep in my pantry because it's lower glycemic & because it's not grain based. This simple ratio of 2 whole grains to 1 starch works for nearly every recipe I try. It's easy. It's simple to stock in my pantry. It's healthier than using white flours and grain-based starches.

My whole grain flours of choice that I may have rotating in my pantry are the following:

Brown Rice Flour.
A whole grain of brown rice finely ground into a flour. It's one of my favorite whole grain flours. I always have it in my pantry and it's usually the 1st whole grain I use in a recipe. It has a very mild flavor, it works well in every recipe I use. My husband would call it "low maintenance" (unlike his wife... lol) If you had to pick two whole grains to stock in your pantry, this is #1 choice I'd go for. I've always used Bob's Red Mill. Some people say that they prefer Authentic Foods superfine ground brown rice flour, but I've never had a problem with Bob's Red Mill. Gotta love buying in bulk and low shipping costs!

Sorghum Flour.
An ancient grain that's been used in other parts of the world for centuries, it's relatively new to the US food market. Sorghum flour is high in insoluble fiber and it has a slower digestion rate, which makes it not only suitable for celiacs, but also for people with diabeties or high blood sugar. If you wanted my pick for #2 whole grain to keep in your pantry, it would be sorghum flour. Some people don't like the flavor of sorghum, but I love it! I think it makes gluten free baked goods taste very similar to their wheat counterparts. Sorghum and brown rice flour are the only whole grains that are ALWAYS in my pantry. Again, I personally have always used the Bob's Red Mill brand and I'm very happy with it.

Millet Flour

Another ancient seed grain that's been largely ignored in the western world up until recently. Probably more often than not you'll find it as the main ingredients in some bird seeds. My favorite aspect of millet flour is it's very mild flavor. Most people who do not like the taste of sorghum, really like the mild nutty texture of millet flour. For some reason I generally buy a box of sorghum flour and millet flour at the same time. I'll use all the sorghum flour first, and then I'll use the millet flour. Don't ask me why. I'll pretend it's for variety. I use them equally and exchange them 1:1 in baking. It's mildly flavored. A whole grain that's lightly colored (so it doesn't seem like a whole grain!) and it's healthy. Another win win! As with the others, I solely use Bob's Red Mill.

Quinoa Flour.
The most recent whole grain addition to my pantry. I really love the flavor of quinoa flour. I don't use it nearly enough. Quinoa (pronounced - "keenwah") is a hearty, high protein flour, high fiber flour that's really a great option for celiacs and those with high blood sugar, sugar sensitivity, or diabetes. Quinoa flour also seems to naturally bring out the sweetness baked goods (even when you don't use much sweetener!), it's a lighter high fiber flour, and it's really delicious. I definitely plan to use more quinoa flour in my future whole grain baking! Again, I purchase mine from Bob's Red Mill.

Notes on my recipes:

• Tapioca starch - Lots of my older recipes use tapioca starch. I've realized over the past few years that tapioca starch tastes very bitter to me. I've also had readers complain about some recipes having a bitter taste. I've found that it's the tapioca starch that causes this bitterness. I don't know if it's a personal taste preference, if tapioca goes rancid quickly, or what exactly causes this. But I've stopped using tapioca starch, not only because it's so unhealthy, but because of the bitter aftertaste. I substitute arrowroot starch 1:1 for tapioca starch in any recipe calling for tapioca. If you have a baked good that seems to have a bitter aftertaste, check the ingredients for tapioca starch.

• Sugar - I seldom, if at all, use sugar in recipes anymore. I will be doing a post soon on my preferred natural sweeteners. Generally in most recipes now, I use agave nectar, honey, or stevia.

• Gluten Free Flour Substitutions - In ALL of my recipes, EXCEPT YEAST BREADS, you can substitute any whole grain for a whole grain, any starch for a starch. If I used brown rice flour and all you have is sorghum flour, use sorghum flour. If I used arrowroot starch and all you have is potato starch, use it! It will work! Yeast breads are the only recipes that break this rule. Yeast breads are tricky and the ratio of starches to whole grain is very important in getting a bread to rise correctly.

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So there you have it... a glance of the ingredients in my gluten free baking pantry. What flours do you use most often in your gluten free baking? Why do you use them? What gluten free flour combinations seem to work best for you? Share your favorite gluten free baking ingredients in the comments below!