Questions tagged [gluten-free]

Techniques and substitutions for gluten-free cooking and baking, especially for people with celiac disease or celiac sprue.

Gluten is the protein in wheat and some other grains (such as rye and barley) which gives dough its elasticity, or chewiness. Gluten-free cooking generally means the total absence of these gluten-producing ingredients, and attempts to recreate the properties of the protein using alternative flours, gelling agents, and other food additives.

As gluten intolerances may vary in severity, please specify the level that applies; solutions that are acceptable for gluten-sensitive individuals may not be appropriate for Celiacs.

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What does gluten "do" in baking?

I saw many questions regarding converting baking recipes towards gluten-free, and it seems it's not an easy process. But none of the questions I came across helped me understanding what gluten actually "does" in baking. The background of this…
takrl
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How much gluten will set off somebody's celiac disease?

I have a house guest incoming that has celiacs and I know that it means they can't eat gluten. But does that mean that I need to yank everything that has wheat out of my kitchen for the duration? I need to know if this something that gets set off…
sarge_smith
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What are good techniques for getting gluten free bread to rise?

I make gluten free bread in a bread maker, however I can never get it to rise as much as 'regular' bread and is usually a little heavy. What techniques/recipes/substitutions can I try to get my gluten free bread to rise more? I currently use a…
Clinton
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How can I turn rolled oats into flour without a food processor?

I don't have a proper food processor, just a little baby-food-sized one, so when I made Alton Brown's all-oats oatmeal cookie recipe before, I used half oat flour and half rolled oats. They were perfect, so I'd like to repeat them for my friend with…
JPmiaou
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What takes over the functions of gluten in gluten-free bread mixes?

Gluten has many effects on bread doughs, as explained in this beautiful answer. I think the main effects for bread doughs are the first three mentioned there: Provide elasticity, presumably because of the network of links it creates in the…
Erik P.
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Are there any other gums that work in gluten-free baking besides xanthan and guar?

I'm curious, are any other substances that could substitute for guar gum or xanthan gum in gluten-free baking? Xanthan isn't an option because of allergies, and while guar gum seems to work OK for most things, I'm not a fan of the slick or slimy…
user2347
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Why would gluten-free chicken meatballs involve pre-cooking 1/3 of the chicken before frying the formed meatballs?

I am looking at this recipe for gluten-free chicken meatballs and found this step to be odd. Anyone know what the purpose is? Is it related to the lack of gluten or somehow helping the balls to stay bound together? If so, how does it work? Add…
Elizabeth
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What are good references for Gluten free baking

I have several members of my family who are GF. Baking for them has become a real challenge. I'm looking for good references to learn to understand how to work with this limitation in my baking. What are good references (online or print) for good…
acrosman
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Homemade Gluten-Free Udon Noodles

I have celiac disease and would like to make gluten free Udon Noodles. I have been unable to find a recipe and have never made homemade noodles. Does anybody know how to make these delicious, chewy noodles using brown rice flour? Or have any advice…
julie
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Gluten-free alternatives to beurre manie/roux for thickening sauce?

I'd like to thicken the sauce for my Thanksgiving turkey a bit, without making it inedible for my gluten-intolerant guests. From other questions on this site, I understand that corn starch would be an option, but it might give a more starchy…
Erik P.
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Can you overmix a gluten-free cake?

If you're making a regular cake, you add all the first ingredients (eggs, butter, sugar, ...) and mix everything well. When you add the last ingredient, the flour, you mix until it's just incorporated, since over-mixing can make the gluten form and…
Mien
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How best to use gluten free all purpose flour?

In the grocery store mixup, I got a bunch of gluten free flour. I don't have additives like xanthan gum but would like to bake bread and other recipes so I don't need to go to the store for a few weeks while all this plays out. Should I try mixing…
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Choux pastry, general questions with gluten free flour

I have a few questions regarding choux (cream puff pastry) and gluten free flour. After trying a few different recipes with a huge range of butter/ flour ratios, I settled with this one…
Zibelas
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Why is gluten-free baking possible?

Maybe a silly question, but I've been trying to learn a lot of baking fundamentals and trying to understand specifically what makes a cake. Most explanations I've read are something along the lines of: flour for structure fat to interfere with…
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Gluten-free replacement to coat something with before roasting, to obtain crust

A recipe calls for coating (slightly cooked) fennel bulbs in flour before roasting them, presumably to obtain a bit of a crust. Is there anything I could coat them with that is gluten-free?
Erik P.
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