New Mum’s Food Adventures

I have to mention I am Australian because our products are different. We can’t call out oats “gluten free” but instead “wheat free”. It’s complicated and I understand why. But there’s a lot of misinformation on oats because of people being confused by these reasons. I won’t go into detail it’s better if you are curious to google it.

Orgran is good but not perfect. It makes very tough pasta but fairly good pie pastry. A bit biscuit like. Goes great with buckwheat to make pancakes.

Woolworths brand Gluten Free Plain flour is quite amazing and versatile but is difficult to make some pastry with. It’s great at biscuits, shortbread, cakes, cinnamon scrolls and the best I have found for making handmade noodles and pasta but it’s hit or miss for bread. Goes ok in pancakes as long as it’s mixed with something else.

Coles I’m Free From Gluten Free Flour is hit or miss with everything. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Hit or miss to make breads but a good taste. Hit or miss in pancakes. Haven’t tried cookies too afraid it will turn into little bricks. I’m free from self raising is awful. Just awful.

After trying most of the self raising they’re all terrible. It’s easier to get plain and add baking powder.

Add baking powder even if you’re using yeast. It will help keep it soft and fluffy and if your dough is dense it will still be soft and fluffy instead of boarding on a log of leathery brick like monstrosity.

Yeast needs longer to proof in gluten free baking. It can overproof and collapse even if there is or isn’t psyllium husk or xanthum gum.

Too much xanthum gum or psyllium husk or combined with both can cause breads and cakes to collapse and be too moist.

Overnight proofing in the fridge can result in less clump spots because the psyllium and/or xanthum gum are able to fully gel and bind. Usually results in a more flexible and stronger bread with better structure. Seems to cook all the way through better as well.

Rice flour turns out better if steamed then remove the steam to finish with baking. Most GF baking is better steamed first.

Adding vinegar and baking soda can make all the difference. You don’t taste the vinegar really. Seems to help make sure the bread is super soft.

Add protein! Even in powder form. My GF baking is not vegan. But if you are, try adding vegan protein powders or protein rich flours like fava bean flour. It definitely helps the results and flavour.

Psyllium powder which is super fine is very difficult if it’s your first time doing gluten free baking. The powder is more fiddly and you need less than recommended. It’s prone to clumping. My only solution is longer kneading. Try to get the more coarse husk specifically for GF baking and always prepare the gel first. You can use an electric beater to beat the lumps out before you mix it into your dough.

Invest in a mixer with a good dough hook. I’m doing this by hand or with a hand mixer and it’s an awful lot of work. If you’re making gluten free as often as I am you probably need a kitchen aid mixer.

You need xanthum gum in pasta even if you’re making egg pasta. Don’t skip it. Psyllium performs ok to strengthen pasta.

If you’re making gf pasta, let your dough rest for 20-60 minutes. Have heaps of extra flour read and laminate. GF pasta will gain strength as you laminate your pasta sheets and become easier to work with and produce a stronger pasta. It won’t be like gluten based but it will be stronger than store bought GF pasta.

Gluten free flour doesn’t want to work in an electric pasta maker. It’s not impossible but it’s hard. A standard manual pasta maker is great. It’s doable with just a rolling pin and a good knife to make pasta or noodles but GF pasta can be so brittle. It’s better to use a pasta machine and laminate 3-5 times.

Buckwheat can add amazing structure and strength to bread but too much can make it a dense brick. Helps make it more diabetic friendly. I was briefly cooking GF for my type 1 diabetic Aunty and cutting the standard AP Gluten Free flour carbs using flaxseed and adding buckwheat which has resistant starch, she was able to eat the breads without spikes. Sometimes you have to get creative and do a lot of research.

Quinoa can make GF bread too wet. Skip eggs if using quinoa. If vegan skip vegan eggs or it can be too wet and gummy.

Adding yoghurt is a key ingredient to bread and cake mixing with GF flour that tends to be too dense and hard. It will help make it softer and fluffier.

Unless you experiment, there is no perfect gluten free blend because perfection is subjective.