GF Flours

Breaking it down: Gluten Free Flour

Buckwheat is gluten free, really!
flickr photo credit, llsimon53

What is gluten free flour? People ask me this a lot and I often stumble my way through a response, similar to how I answer other high pressure questions like, what is your favorite book, or who is your favorite writer? The problem is, there is no ONE right answer. Which is a good thing, really.

Right now, I’m loving my DIY Gluten Free flour blend. Check out the link for a VERY easy tutorial. You can do it, really.

But you should know, I wasn’t always so cavalier about DIY. In fact, I was downright terrified. For a more detailed version of my anxiety-ridden GF flour journey, check out Part 1 of my award winning series (joke) called, So Many Flours, So Little Time, and Part 2.

The trouble with tackling GF flour as a newbie isn’t a lack of choices, it’s the abundance of them. Rice flour is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also amaranth, quinoa, millet, sorghum, etc. And for all you Paleo’s out there, or those who can’t tolerate grain, there are non-grain flours, like almond and coconut.

The question is, how to decide which ones to use, and for what? You can go directly DIY recipe or check out this list of articles describing gluten free flours. Some are more cut and dry, others more flowery (ha, pun intended), but all are informative.

• Who doesn’t love About.com? Here is a no-frills yet descriptive article about GF flours and starches. A great place to start.
• I love this post from Shauna, Gluten Free Girl, who waxes eloquently about tootsie rolls and then (somehow) segues into her love of GF baking. Scroll down to see her helpful list of “baking secrets” and then an alphabetical description of GF flours.
• If you are excited about making your own flour blend, check out Shauna’s helpful video. Bunky and I watched it together and she was in awe of the “lady chef.”
• GF Flour 101 by Gluten Free Mommy includes advice on getting started, storage, measuring, and a description of flours and starches.
• There are probably countless GF flour “lists” to be found online, but I like this one because of the pictures alongside the descriptions, and the writer also includes recipe links for each flour type, which is a nice touch.
• This is a more casual flour breakdown from Lisa of Gluten Free Canteen.
• I also like Lisa’s “favorite things” post. In fact, after reading it I ran out (um, went on amazon) and bought some Cambro storage containers on sale.
• This isn’t a list, but a comprehensive article on GF flour by Nicole Hunn of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring. She also links to her GF flour test where she puts 4 major brands to the test in recipes and then scores them. It really appealed to my inner geek and I followed it rather obsessively.

Am I missing anything? Let me know and I’ll be happy to add it to the list.