Gluten-Free Flour Mix
People always ask me what is in our flour blends and the answer is always the same. “It depends”. I don’t mean to be sarcastic or evasive when I say that because it really does depend! One flour mix is not the be all and end all for your gluten-free baking needs. I am convinced of that! You need certain flours to achieve certain results. You aren’t going to make delicate cookies with a heavy flour like quinoa. BUT, a light flour like tapioca can help you achieve a drop dead delicious cookie! So the recipe dictates the flour blend.
We use a variety of flours in our baking. Our breads all contain different flours as do our cookies. Our “Multi Seed Bread” has very different flour from our “English Muffins”. Rest assured though we are using the goodness of a variety of nutritious flours like quinoa, millet, sorghum, oat, coconut flour, teff, amaranth, garfava, chick pea, hemp, brown rice, arrowroot, tapioca and sometimes, we even grind our own flour from certified gluten-free grains. We take pride in blending to achieve the best final result. It takes time but it’s worth it.
Now, knowing the flours we use, let’s talk about the proper way to measure. This is key. If you are not measuring properly, it could spell disaster for you in the end. How many of you just dive in the bag with your measuring cup and scoop out the proper cups you need according to the recipe? Well that might work, but to be more accurate, use a spoon and carefully scoop out the flour into your measuring cup. Then, use the edge of your knife to scoop any excess off the top. That is one way to accurately measure baking ingredients. The other way is to use a digital kitchen scale. A digital kitchen scale gives you the best possible accuracy for baking. Most professional baking recipes are in written using weights of the ingredients and you’ll often find pastry chefs “scaling out” their ingredients on digital scales. They really are a key item in the kitchen and digital is the most accurate. I like the Salter and Starfit brands. I use the Salter when I am measuring liquids because it measures in millilitres and fluid ounces. It also measures in grams, ounces, pounds and kilograms. Very handy!
Salter Scale - measures dry and liquid ingredients
The Starfrit one is great because it measures in 1 gram increments. It also measures in pounds, ounces, grams and kilograms. So I end up using both at some point during my baking.
Starfrit Digital Scale measures in 1 gram increments
Digital scales are a great asset in the kitchen. Dial scales are ok if you’re in a pinch but they can vary by as much as 5-15 grams and that could be the difference between a delicious or dry final product. You can even put your pans on the digital scale and calibrate it to zero then start your measuring your batter or dough. That way, you know every loaf is the same weight. It helps in baking time. If your products are not the same size or weight they are going to have different baking times to measuring is a great way to make sure that when a recipe says 10 minutes, they really mean 10 minutes. Once you get the hang of measuring your ingredients, it really does make baking easier. You’ll thank me when you realize that you have one darned good product at the finish line.