substitutions

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!