My goodness, there are so….MANY…..GLUTEN FREE FLOURS!!!!!!! It is absolutely overwhelming to wrap your head around all the different types of flours there are. Who knew we needed so many different flour products to replace wheat flour?? It’s wild!
On this post, I would like to talk about flour blends. On a different post we will discuss how to use some of the flours individually.
Choosing Commercial Gluten Free Flour Blends
Out of the commercially available blends, I have found Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour to be the most consistently available and good quality. It works particularly well in recipes with strong flavors, such as banana bread, pumpkin muffins, or chocolate cake. I like this article regarding different gluten free flour blends on the market. If you are making a product that needs to stand on its own – biscuits, pie crust, breads, rolls, etc – it is worth it to make your own flour blend.
Why use your own gluten free flour blend?
I fought against a DIY blend for about 18 months of my gluten-free journey, even though my favorite bakers AND America’s Test Kitchen make their own blends. I should have known it was a silly thing to fight when I realized they all have similar components. It doesn’t really make sense that a blend like the one below is not commercially available. What I found was I just wasn’t satisfied with the flavor of things like cinnamon rolls or biscuits when I used the commercial blends. They were fine. The texture was great, and the flavor wasn’t bad. When I finally gave in and tried some of the different DIY flour blends that use the components listed below, I was like “Ohhhhhhh, I get it now. This tastes MUCH better.” And just like everything else about eating this way, once you get into the habit of doing it, making your own flour blend isn’t hard. It’s a minor annoyance that is worth it!
Notes
- This particular blend is from one of my favorite gluten-free bakers, Daniela, of The Gluten Free Austrian. I take ZERO credit for this blend. I share it on my site because I use it in so many of my recipes. Please check out Daniela’s recipes. She is awesome!
- Often, I am happy to give you measurements in cups and in grams. In this instance, I am only going to give you the weights in grams. I am a big advocate for weighing your ingredients in gluten-free baking, and in this case, it is a necessity. If you don’t have one, get yourself a digital kitchen scale like this one!
- I keep my flour blend in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent spoilage. I understand that space in the fridge is a premium for some. If you don’t have much room, divide the weights listed by 2 to give you a smaller amount to store.
Where do I source my flours?
Again, I took the advice of Daniela from The Gluten Free Austrian, and I get my flours from VitaCost. You can get the superfine options at GREAT prices here.
PrintDIY Gluten Free Flour Blend
While convenient, store-bought blends may not always deliver the best results, especially in more delicate baked goods. For items like biscuits, pie crusts, or cinnamon rolls, the flavor and texture can sometimes fall short of expectations. Many experienced gluten-free bakers find that store-bought blends lack the flavor profile needed for certain recipes. Most DIY blends I have found have some variation of the ingredients listed below.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: None
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Category: Baking
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
300 grams White Rice Flour (fine ground) DO NOT USE SWEET WHITE RICE FLOUR, they are different things
240 grams cornstarch
160 grams tapioca starch
75 grams finely ground brown rice flour (avoid stone ground as it is grittier)
100 grams non-fat milk powder
30 grams potato starch
20 grams xanthan gum
Instructions
My preferred mixing method is to pour everything into a large bowl that I have and give it a thorough whisk. I then transfer the mix into the storage container I use, which is big enough I can give everything a really good shake. This has worked well for me.
Alternatively, you could mix up smaller batches of the flour blend in a food processor or blender to ensure thorough mixing.
Notes
- I keep my flour blend in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent spoilage. I understand that space in the fridge or freezer is a premium for some, so if you don’t have much room, divide the weights listed by 2 to give you a smaller amount to store.
- Check out VitaCost as a great source of ingredients for this flour blend at great prices!
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