Gluten-Free Baking

Baking recipes without gluten are less complicated than you think, you just have to send the right substitutes for the usual cereal flours onto the baking sheet. We will show you which flours are suitable for which baked goods and other tips for gluten-free baking.

Gluten-free baking – how does it work?

Baking recipes without gluten are less complicated than you think, you just have to send the right substitutes for the usual cereal flours onto the baking sheet. We will show you which flours are suitable for which baked goods and other tips for gluten-free baking.

For those who want or even have to eat gluten-free, at first glance many delicious dishes are missing. Rolls, cakes, biscuits – there is flour in everything and therefore gluten, right? Not quite! Because with just a few tips and tricks you can also bake gluten-free. So you don’t have to do without baked goods, because the gluten protein doesn’t have to ensure a smooth dough everywhere.

Gluten-free flours

It doesn’t always have to be grain! Almost all types of grain contain gluten and are therefore unsuitable for gluten-free baking. The following types of flour made from “grains” are gluten-free:

• amaranth flour
• buckwheat flour
• flaxseed flour
• Corn flour (polenta)
• quinoa flour

Nut flour is also gluten-free. By the way, nut flour should not be confused with ground nuts. Nuts are also ground for nut flour but are also de-oiled. This means that nut flour is significantly drier than plain ground nuts. Of course, this also has an effect on the dough when baking.

• almond flour
• coconut flour
• chestnut flour
• hazelnut flour
• walnut flour

The last category includes the bean or legume flours. These have a very distinctive taste of their own and are therefore particularly suitable for a hearty bread. The most common bean flours are:

• chickpea flour
• soy flour

The flour mix makes the difference

For normal baking, it is often enough to use simple wheat flour type 450. Since many of the flours mentioned above do not have good baking properties on their own, flour mixtures should be used for gluten-free baking. Rule of thumb: 4 parts flour, 6 parts starch. In practice, this means that for one kilogram of gluten-free flour, you can mix 400 grams of all of the grain, nut, or bean flour mentioned above with 600 grams of potato or corn starch. There are now other starches on the market, such as tapioca starch or rice flour.

To make it, put the flour and starch in a resealable container and mix well with the lid closed by shaking vigorously. Gluten-free flour can be made in advance and has the same shelf life as the individual ingredients. Caution: soy flour can become rancid due to its high-fat content. Store flour mixtures containing soy flour in a well-cooled and dark place.

Examples of gluten-free flour mixes

500 g gluten-free flour for bread:

• 100 grams of buckwheat flour
• 100 g soy flour
• 300 g potato starch

500 g gluten-free flour for pastries:

• 100 g amaranth flour
• 100 g almond flour
• 300 grams of cornstarch

Strong bond, what mean?

A good dough needs a binder so that the baked goods are light and fluffy and not too bone-dry. The classic binding agent of the traditional art of baking: the egg! Even with gluten-free baking, there is nothing wrong with using eggs as a binding agent. A little tip: Beaten egg white makes the baked goods particularly fluffy and juicy. However, if you also eat vegan, eggs are of course unsuitable as an animal product.

There are now good, vegan alternatives on the market as binding agents for gluten-free baking. Carob bean gum or ground psyllium husks are common. For pastries, simply use 1-2 tablespoons of agave syrup.

Chia seeds as an egg substitute

If you not only want to bake without gluten but also want to bake vegan, chia seeds are the ideal egg substitute. One tablespoon of chia seeds mixed with three tablespoons of water replaces one egg in the baking recipe. Caution: The baking time is extended by almost a tenth of the usual baking time. So leave the cake, bread, or muffins in the oven a little longer.