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Archives for January 2007

Flour substitutions for gluten free cooking

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Gf-Zing! received the following questions about flour substitutions from a reader named Melissa:

I’ve read that as a substitute for wheat flour in a recipe that you can use chickpea flour for a substitute in a 1:1 ratio without any further changes to the original recipe. This seems too easy – do you know if this is true?

Here’s our answer: Chickpea flour can be substituted for wheat flour 1:1 for dusting meats that are going to be fried, but it has a pretty beany flavor so it is not the right choice for substituting in baked goods. We would not use large amounts of chickpea flour in baked goods because of this beaniness.

 

For frying meat, you might also try using mochiko flour (this is sweet rice flour), especially for making something like Coq Au Vin for which the flour is a vital thickening agent in the sauce.

I’ve also read that 1 cup of the following (after mixed very well) equals 1 cup of all-purpose flour, is this also true and how does it taste? 1 cup of cornstarch or arrowroot, 3 cups of rice flour, 3 cups of potato starch flour, ½ cup soy flour


Here are some effective flour mixes for various baking projects.  Gf-Zing! prefers the following general mix (except for pies), and if we are making a cake we add extra xantham gum to the batter:

General Flour Mix

  • 2 cups plain brown rice flour
    2 cups plain white rice flour
    1 1/2 cups sweet brown rice flour (this is a different kind of rice flour – you could also use sweet white rice flour – also called mochiko)
    1 1/3 cups tapioca starch or tapioca flour
    2/3 cups GF corn starch
    1/2 cups rice bran or rice polish
    2 teaspoons xanthan gum

For Pie Crust:

  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour (tapioca starch)
    1/2 cup cornstarch
    1/4 cup potato starch (katakuriko in Japanese stores – this is NOT the same as potato flour)
    1 cup sweet rice flour (mochiko flour – not the same as white rice flour)
    1 teaspoon xanthan gum
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 teaspoon sugar

For Cupcakes:

  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour (flavorless variety)
  • 1/4 cup potato starch (katakuriko)
  • 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 2 Tablespoons pure powdered egg white

For Biscuits and Cinnamon rolls that use baking powder and baking soda for leavening agents:

  • 1/4 cup potato starch
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup brown rice flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Xantham gum

 

Make sure all your ingredients are gluten free. Mix all the ingredients together in a large container or bag. Use as much as you need for your recipe. Store the rest.

Hope this helps!

 

 

Lamb Steaks with Herbs and Lemon

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This simple recipe from the Gf-Zing! website is designed for the gluten-free community, but the glutenated world will enjoy it too! You can make a delicious meal with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Have ready a couple of plates, some mashed potatoes and a glass of pinot noir for the chef, and start cooking:

  • 1 to 1.5 pounds Lamb top round roast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
  • freshly ground salt and pepper
  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large tomato cut into eight wedges
  • 1/2 a lemon

Slice the lamb roast into four 3/4 inch slices – each one should be the size of a playing card or a burger. Spread each slice on both sides with the minced or grated garlic, then sprinkle one side with thyme, mint, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a robust pan until hot. Fry the lamb steaks on the non-herb side for 3 minutes, then flip them to the other side that has the herbs on it.

Fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomato wedges and fry for 2 minutes more. Move the lamb steaks and tomato wedges to your plates, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and serve.

Helpful Spanish Website

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A helpful reader has sent an email to gfzing@gmail.com with a new link for the Spanish recipes section, since the old Recetas sin Gluten: Aptas para Celiacos was no longer working.  The link has been changed.  Thanks to alert readers for their assistance!

Gluten Free Squash Muffins with Cranberries

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Most muffin and quick bread recipes include a very large amount of sugar, producing a cloyingly sweet breakfast.  This Gf-Zing! recipe uses less sugar (and some honey), and is gluten free.
Mix Dry ingredients in a large bowl:

1 cup Bette Hagman’s Featherlight Mix, or other GF flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup pecan meal
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon xantham gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix wet ingredients in another bowl:
1 cup fresh or canned squash, mashed
1/2 cup mango juice (or other fruit juice)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg product

Stir the two mixtures together until thoroughly mixed, then add:
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 12-muffin pan with aluminum liner papers.  Fill liners with batter to the top.  Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Make sure all your ingredients are gluten free!

Applesauce Muffins – gluten free

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These yummy muffins were developed for the Gf-Zing! website. The large amount of cinnamon balances the blandness of rice-based flours.
Use a 12-muffin pan, and line with aluminum foil liners.

In a large bowl, mix:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1 cup unsweetened applesauce *

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum

Mix throroughly, then stir in 2 cups Bette’s Featherlight Rice Flour Blend (Authentic Foods makes a pre-mixed bag of this flour blend, or you can mix your own using the directions in one of Bette Hagman’s books.)

Next, stir in 1 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup broken or chopped pecans. Stir to blend thoroughly.
Spoon the batter in to the muffin liners, then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

* If by chance you do not have any ready-made applesauce, you can make your own with a couple of apples. Poke several holes in the apples with a fork.  Microwave the apples on the setting you use for baking potatoes, until they are cooked through. Cool them so that you can peel them without burning yourself.  Remove the soft apple from the peel, discard the seeds and core, and mash away.  That’s it!

Make sure all your ingredients, including the spices, are gluten free.

Other muffins you might like:

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

Coconut Almond Muffins

Bev Lieven’s Donut Muffins

Donut Muffins (lower refined sugar recipe)

Banana Maple-Pecan Muffins

Fish in Rice Wrapper

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This easy frying technique is very versatile and worth trying for almost any product that you might once have “floured” before frying. The result is gluten-free, but it is superior to much of what the glutenated world consumes!

You will need to find some gluten free rice wrappers (banh trang wrappers) in an Asian grocery store. These wrappers are round, and they have a cross-hatch pattern on them from the basket weave of the manufacturing process. You can use the 6 inch or the 8 inch variety – no matter. To use the wrappers, you soak them in warm water for 20 seconds, one or two at a time. Be careful to read the label – there are a few versions of this product that contain wheat (they have a different cross-hatch pattern on them.)
Set out a pie plate of warm-hot water right next to where you are working, and open the package of rice wrappers.

Prepare a zesty seasoning mixture of chopped scallions, garlic, ginger, hot peppers, salt, pepper or whatever you like – use some type of onion-like vegetable, and some fresh herbs that go with fish. You will need a tablespoon of seasoning mixture per piece of fish.
Cut the fish into 4″ pieces (skinless, boneless). Use salmon, cod, hake or other firm-fleshed fish.

Place a single wrapper in the water, then lay it out on a piece of waxed paper until it is soft enough to roll – about 20 seconds total.

Place the soaked wrapper on a plate, put a tablespoon of the seasoning mixture in the center of the wrapper, spreading it to the same size as one piece of fish.

Put a piece of fish on top of the seasoning on the soaked wrapper.

Complete the package: Fold the bottom piece of wrapper over the fish, then fold in the two side bits, then roll the package up towards the top of the wrapper so the package becomes a sort of egg roll.

Set the wrapped fish aside and continue with the rest of the pieces of fish, using one wrapper per piece.

Heat oil on medium-high until hot enough for frying in a non-stick pan or heavy pan and fry the wrapped fish packages for 4 minutes per side until crispy and browned. The oil should be hot enough so the packages sizzle immediately when they go in the pan.

Serve the fish packages as is or with a gluten-free asian dipping sauce – the kind that is served with pot stickers.