Gluten Free Pantry

This may look like an add for Bob's Red Mill, but it's not.  Bob is one of the only brands that has a dedicated Gluten Free line of flours.  I have found that I like a combination of four flours for my GF baking.  Here's what you'll need to buy or order to get started: 1) Brown Rice flour; 2) Garbanzo Fava flour or just Garbanzo flour, 3) Potato Flour (not starch) and 4) Tapioca Flour.  So here's what each flour does...

  



BROWN RICE FLOUR -- Brown rice flour is a whole grain flour and therefore, nutritious. It does not have a vegetal bite or after taste.  I use this for the bulk of flour in my GF baking recipes. Adds fiber, iron and protein.

GARBANZO FAVA FLOUR -- Garbanzo Fava or Garbanzo Flour is just that dried, ground garbanzo beans.  It does have a bit of a vegetal bite in baking that you have to be careful of, but adds a fair bit of protein.  I use this flour as a supplemental flour in baking for texture and protein,  breading chicken tenders and pizza crust.  Adds protein, fiber, iron and calcium.

POTATO FLOUR -- It gives sponge.  But a little Potato flour goes a long way, because as it stirs in, the starches get working and it thickens up.  This is also a good thickener for GF roux's.  Adds protein, fiber, Vitamin C and Iron.

TAPIOCA FLOUR -- Tapioca flour adds a lightness to help counteract the denseness that GF baking can tend towards.

Now round up at least four of these.  A big one for brown rice flour.  I bought these clear OGGI cannisters from Bed Bath and Beyond.  I use the 8" diameter x 8 " height for brown rice and 5 " dia x 8" height for the others.  With clear I can see what the flour is.  It was a nightmare with ceramic, I couldn't see anything.

Here's what gives rise to my GF baking!  Gluten is the elastic-like mesh that rises our common breads and pizzas when yeast or the like rise up underneath it.  I use aluminum free, to cut out as many heavy metals my kids ingest as possible.  With a kid on the autism spectrum, I'm just more vigilant about those things...use whatever you have.

 

Sweeteners.  Aren't they pretty?  For The Good Food Fairy's GF recipes you'll need maple syrup, honey, sugar and maple agave, if you can find it.  Agave comes from the Agave cactus.  Maple agave is much lighter on the maple flavor than maple syrup and sometimes using a liquid sweetener as opposed to sugar,  produces more of a moist crumb.

 

Now your ready to bake up some magic of your own!