Homemade Baking Mixes wheat-free and gluten-free

Combinations of a few or several flours/starches tend to work most satisfactorally when baking gluten-free. Yet baking with, say, five different flour products to replace wheat flour can be a bit more time-consuming and space-consuming. It used to be that every time I wanted to bake something, I'd go to the freezer where I keep gluten-free things, and often have to grab half a dozen different bags. Sometimes I would leave them all on the counter to bring them to room temperature before baking, which looks messy and takes up space on the countertop. When it came time to bake, I would need to measure out amounts from each bag. Sometimes it's more simple than that. Sometimes I only use brown rice flour and oat flour, and then a little xanthan gum, and maybe some tapioca starch. But that's about as simple as it goes for my baking. Until I implemented an idea from a book I read- why not measure out my flour mixtures in large amounts, and bag them up into gallon-size freezer bags?

I have a few different flour combinations that I readily use. I'll provide them on this post. It works well to bag up flour mixtures ahead of time in large quantities- then when it comes to bake, you only have one bag to remove from the freezer! You can also go about using baking mixtures in a different way- when you make a particular recipe, measure out dry ingredients for the recipe in one bowl, and then triple or quadruple the amount of flour /starches/ xanthan gum/baking powder called for in the recipe- all dry ingredients(except yeast, if using), and place in a large ziploc bag, label and date with the particular recipe title. This mix then is more than just a gluten-free flour mix; it's a complete mix of all the dry ingredients that belong to a particular recipe. If you prefer, you can measure the amounts of the dry ingredients for the recipe in individual quart-sized bags, so you have just the measurement of one single-batch in each bag.

Please note that the mixtures I provide do not contain xanthan gum. Back to the flour combinations that I recommend, in all of these ratios, I do not include xanthan gum in the mix. I usually add xanthan gum to the recipe when I bake, but want to allow flexibility for whether or not I add it and how much. Xanthan gum helps tremendously in preventing crumbling in gluten-free goods. Here are some common guidelines for using xanthan gum:

● Add ½ teaspoon xanthan or guar gum per cup of flour blend to make cakes, cookies, bars,
muffins and other quick breads.
● Add 1 teaspoon per cup of flour blend to make yeast bread, pizza dough or other baked
items that call for yeast.

Now for the combinations I presently use. I am still experimenting between different combinations, so there are quite a few here. The amounts given are large; you may want to make a smaller proportion of a mixture first, and try it out in a recipe. Depends how much you bake and how much space you have. Gluten-free flours keep longer and retain nutrients better in the fridge or freezer. I can keep two or three large mixes in my freezer at a time. If you're going to be baking gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, it may pay off to have an extra freezer- it's sure been nice for our family. I can bake large batches and have allergy-free food convenient and nutritious. I can have several bags of gluten-free flours in the freezer. I buy fresh produce at really good sale prices and stock my freezer with blanced vegetables(broccoli and cauliflower), with diced/sliced fruit, and with vegetable and fruit purees, which can be used to replace egg or milk in baking, fruit purees to use on top of waffles(peach, pear, plum...) instead of syrup, and to add nutrition to stews(squash, sweet potato, broccoli).

Cheapest nutritious blend for me and yet satisfactory in drop cookies, quick breads, muffins:

50% Brown rice and 50% oat flour, + 2 T. tapioca starch or cornstarch per 2 cups flour.*

This I do not bother to mix ahead of time; I do have oat flour and rice flour ground at home ahead of time, and stored in gallon-size bags or containers in the freezer.

*Note: You can omit the starch if you don't mind a little more dense product than a regular wheat white flour recipe. The starch in theory is meant to lighten the product and hold it together. Without starch, the brown rice and oat product is about the density, I'd say, as a wholesome whole-wheat product, probably not quite as dense, really. Rice flour and oat flour complement each other very well; rice flour by itself tends to yield a dry and gritty product; oat flour alone produces a gummy, heavy product. Together the properties off-set each other for a good product. This mixture is the cheapest I can make because I buy brown rice and oats in bulk and then grind them at home! Talk about cheap compared to buying specialty bags in the store! I just bought brown rice at under .50/lb and oats at .30/lb! For those who need gluten-free oats, you can order them bulk to save money from the small package price. Bob's Mill, last I checked, had 25 lbs for about $2 a pound.

The mix I currently use the most, for muffins, quick breads, and drop cookies:

33% Brown rice flour; 33% oat flour, and 33% bean/starch mixture(1/3 of that is bean, 2/3 is starch)*
ie: 3 cups brown rice flour + 3 cups oat flour + 1 cup GarFava or Garbanzo + 1 cup potato starch + 1 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
*bean/starch mixture I often go with 1/2 of that bean, 1/2 of that starch-
ie: 1 1/2 c. lentil flour and 1 1/2 c. cornstarch for 3 c. brown rice and 3 c. oat flour

notes: I have tried this mixture for banana bread, waffles, and muffins. It yields an excellent texture and a great balance of flavor. It is more tender and a lighter-weight product than if you were to just use oat and rice flour. I do notice that without xanthan gum, the tender crumb is messy to eat, and there is a bit of starchiness in the product. I use xanthan gum when I have it available(as I presently do with all my flour combinations). I do think with how well rice and oat flour complement each other, you could decrease the amounts of bean flour and starch by half. This would yield not as light of a product; so this could be a matter of preference.
Oat and wheat free/ gluten free:

50% Brown Rice flour ; 25% millet flour; 25% starch combination(lately half of this is cornstarch and half is potato starch; but tapioca starch + potato starch is another very good option)
ie: 4 cups brown rice+ 2 cups millet + 1 cup cornstarch+ 1 cup potato starch(not potato flour)
Notes: have tried drop cookies(zucchini) and muffins- excellent texture for both, and good flavor. I did notice a slight bitter taste which was remedied by putting just a little drizzle of molasses in the recipe. Could also try using brown sugar for half the sugar called for.

4 1/2 c. brown rice flour + 1 1/2 cup bean flour + 1 cup millet flour + 1 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch + 1 cup potato starch
notes: have tried in zucchini bread; great taste and great texture. Crisp, slightly springy crust and moist inside.

50% brown rice flour; 25% bean flour(ie GarFava or Garbanzo); 25% starch combination
notes: This I actually haven't experimented with- but in theory should work well-although I wonder if you may want less bean flour- in books it says up to 25% flour can be bean.

From the Living Without magazine, a couple mixes I've experimented with just a bit:
Find this magazine online at http://www.livingwithout.com)

All-Purpose Flour Blend
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup cornstarch or potato starch

notes: I 've hardly used this mix because 1) nutrition is not nearly as good as what I use and not as wholesome as I prefer 2) this is more expensive for me then some of the other mixes. Where I might use this is for a nice white, yellow, or lemon cake. Something I want to be lightweight and delicate. Of course, use to your preference. This is meant to be interchange for white wheat-flour in any recipe.

Nutrition analysis as provided by Living Without magazine, based on data by the U.S. department of Agriculture and food companies:each cup: 436 calories, 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 99g carbohydrate, 3mg sodium, 2g fiber, 5g protein

High-Fiber Flour Blend

1 cup brown rice flour or sorghum flour
1/2 cup teff flour (preferably light)
1/2 cup millet flour or Montina® flour
2⁄3 cup tapioca starch/flour
1⁄3 cup cornstarch or potato starch

Notes: now this has potential for me. I did try it for my zucchini-oat cookies, and was disappointed that the flavor was a little too strong, a little bitter. But then it's recommended to use light teff flour, and mine was regular or dark. I'm interested in experimenting more with this flour combination. I did notice that some molasses in the recipe(ie 1 tsp or less) helped cut the bitter flavor. I think adding cinnamon might help, too. Living Without magazine does note that this mixture is not for delicate-tasting products. It is intended for breads, pancakes, snack bars, drop cookies that use warm spices, raisins, or chocolate.
Nutrition analysis as provided by living without, based on data by the U.S. department of Agriculture and food companies:
Each cup : 426 calories, 2g total fat, 0gsaturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 94gcarbohydrate, 9mg sodium, 6g fiber, 7g protein

High-Protein Flour Blend

1 1/4 cups bean flour (your choice), chickpea flour(garbanzo) or soy flour
1 cup arrowroot starch, cornstarch or potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 cup white or brown rice flour

Notes: I actually haven't experimented with this blend at this point. But I include it it here because of it's good protein content, and because living without states that it works well for products that require elasticity, such as wraps and pie crusts. This combination reminds me of another I have used a bit:
Nutrition analysis as provided by living without, based on data by the U.S. department of Agriculture and food companies:
Each cup : 88 calories, 3g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 128g carbohydrate, 24mg sodium, 6g fiber, 11g protein
Bette Hagman has an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend that compares to Living Without's, but would have a little more nutrition and be cheaper(provided that your rice flour is cheaper than the starch you buy):
2 cups white rice flour + 2/3 cup potato starch + 1/3 cup tapioca starch.
I would use brown rice flour instead of white, to boost nutrition, unless you're making something you want to be as fluffy/lightweight as possible(like yellow or white cake). Brown rice has flavor than white rice, has a slight nutty taste. So for any baked good other than a lightweight cake, i'd prefer the all-purpose mix to use brown rice flour.
For more gluten-free baking mixes, search your local library or online for books by Bette Hagman or Carol Fenster. Bette Hagman has a book "Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread," in which she utilizes sorghum and bean flours, really boosting nutrition from the traditional all-purpose gluten-free mixes. My favorite gluten-free yeast bread recipe so far comes from this book. I think it's called "Four Flour Bean Bread." I haven't made any yeast breads for probably a year or more. Have tried maybe three or four total. But this bean flour bread I'd give a check or check plus.
Carol Fenster is a gluten-free baking expert and also has books for baking without any of the eight major food allergens.

Whole Grain Zucchini-Coconut Cookies

I am so excited about these cookies! I've had a recent quest of making wholesome cookies without oats. These have an excellent texture and are flavorful. I think, "wow!" every time I eat them! They are my favorite gluten-free, oat-free cookie yet! They have a slightly crisp, springy outside, with a moist, tender inside. They freeze well. They do not stick together, and when thawed in the microwave for a few seconds, they still have an excellent texture.

I adapted these from my Mom's recipe for whole-wheat zucchini oat cookies. I love having a variety of whole grain wheat-free, egg-free, nut-free, non-dairy cookies on hand in the freezer- from pumpkin to zucchini to banana... fruit and vegetable purees really help make great cookies without needing wheat or eggs. Having these cookies in the freezer provides quick, nutritious snacks. These cookies are flexible to adaptations- try what I first list, or substitute other items you have on hand. Experiment with various gluten-free flour mixes.

Whole Grain Zucchini-Coconut Cookies

1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup coconut oil*
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce & 1 tsp. baking powder mixed with 1 1/2 T. oil and 1 1/2 T. water(mix just before adding to recipe) OR other egg substitute for 2 eggs**
1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon(optional- I forgot it in my recent experiments and they were great without it)

1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. millet
1/4 c. potato starch
1/4 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
0R 2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour mix

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup coconut, flaked
1/2 c. chocolate chips(I use Enjoy Life brand), and/or raisins

Beat oil and sugar until fluffy. In separate bowl, combine baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour. Set aside. Add vanilla and applesauce to oil and sugar. Mix baking powder, oil, and water in small container, then add to applesauce, sugar, and oil. Mix together. Add zucchini and coconut. Blend. Add dry ingredients from bowl and mix until well blended. Add chocolate chips or raisins last.
Bake 375. Check at 10 min.

*coconut oil is optional- I use it because it adds a delicious dimension to the cookies, and because I think it probably improves texture versus using only vegetable oil- it is more the consistency of margarine than most oil. You could alternately use 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup shortening, or 1/2 cup non-dairy margarine sticks or spread.

*other suggested egg substitutes: 1 T. flaxseed meal + water to equal 1/3 cup; mix with fork and allow to sit and "gel" for 10 min. before adding to recipe; this is a good binder to use alternatively to applesauce. Also add 1 tsp. baking powder mixed with 1 1/2 T. oil and 1 1/2 T. water(mix just before adding to recipe) This provides substitute for two eggs, applesauce is to bind and leavening is to lighten. Another suggested egg substitute: Ener-G Egg Replacer.

Whole Grain Zucchini-Oat Cookies

I adapted these from my Mom's recipe for whole-wheat zucchini oat cookies. I love having a variety of wheat-free, egg-free, nut-free, non-dairy cookies on hand in the freezer- from pumpkin to zucchini to banana... fruit and vegetable purees really help make great cookies without needing wheat or eggs. These are flavorful, moist, and nutritious enough for snacks.
These cookies are flexible to adaptations- try what I first list, or substitute other items you have on hand. What I list first is what I have made and know that I like. For example, for the margarine substitution, I do like the cookies best with some coconut oil substituted for margarine, but there are several other good alternatives.

Whole Grain Zucchini-Oat Cookies

1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup coconut oil*
3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup applesauce & 1 tsp. baking powder mixed with 1 1/2 T. oil and 1 1/2 T. water(mix just before adding to recipe) OR other egg substitute for 2 eggs**
1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon(optional- I forgot it in my recent experiments and they were great without it)
1 1/4 cup quick oats(use 1 c. gluten-free flour blend if not using oats)
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup oat flour(grind rolled oats in blender)
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup coconut, flaked
1/2 c. chocolate chips(I use Enjoy Life brand), and/or raisins

Beat oil and sugar until fluffy. In separate bowl, combine baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour. Set aside. Add vanilla and applesauce to oil and sugar. Mix baking powder, oil, and water in small container, then add to applesauce, sugar, and oil. Mix together. Add zucchini and coconut. Blend. Add dry ingredients from bowl and mix until well blended. Add chocolate chips or raisins last.

*coconut oil is optional- I use it because it adds a delicious dimension to the cookies, and because I think it probably improves texture- it is more solid than most oil, so could allow for more fluffiness. You could alternately use 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup shortening, or 1/2 cup non-dairy margarine sticks or spread.

*other suggested egg substitutes: 1 T. flaxseed meal + water to equal 1/3 cup; mix with fork and allow to sit and "gel" for 10 min. before adding to recipe; this is a good binder to use alternatively to applesauce. Also add 1 tsp. baking powder mixed with 1 1/2 T. oil and 1 1/2 T. water(mix just before adding to recipe) This provides substitute for two eggs, applesauce is to bind and leavening is to lighten. Another suggested egg substitute: Ener-G Egg Replacer.

Whole Grain Coconut-Zucchini Cookies, discussion

Last summer I adapted my mother's whole wheat zucchini-oat cookies recipe to be wheat, dairy, egg, and nut free, and my kids and I really enjoyed the result. These were a favorite while we had zucchini. However, I didn't get the recipe posted on this blog, and I lost my notes. So this summer, when I had zucchini once again, I experimented again with the recipe. This time, I tried four different adaptations- two options were made without oats. #1 made with rolled oats as called for in recipe, and oat and brown rice flour to substitute for the wheat. #2 Same as above, except 2 T. tapioca starch added in place of 2 T. of the oat flour. #3 wheat flour and rolled oats substituted with Living Without Magazine's High Fiber Blend gluten-free flour blend(with teff flour, millet flour, brown rice flour, and some starch) #4 wheat flour and rolled oats substituted with 50% brown rice flour, 25% millet flour, and 25% starch(half of that was potato starch and half was cornstarch).

I love both the oatmeal versions and the brown rice millet version! I am amazed at how good these cookies are for having no wheat, dairy, eggs, or nuts! #3 disappointed me, but my husband enjoyed them. I think they're okay, but a bit bitter. My girls love the zucchini-oat cookies. Experiment #1 and #2 seemed the same, except for the tapioca ones having a slight off taste(the tapioca starch I get from Bob's Mill, for some reason, tastes off to me each time, is it just me?) Experiment #3 is okay, but both the tapioca and teff are strong. Living Without does recommend light teff flour, and I used regular or dark. Experiment #4 is very invigorating to see the results, it's a great cookie with perfect texture, without oats, and wholesome! I know that some have issues with oats, so I am very happy to have a cookie that tastes great, is wholesome, and is wheat and oat-free! Choose a recipe and try it out!

If you can have oats, I do recommend #1- with the wheat flour being substituted by brown rice flour and oat flour. This is my personal favorite, and is also the cheapest option. Well, I know it is, anyway, by FAR, if you have a grain grinder and grind your own brown rice, and blend your own oats to make oat flour. (If you need gluten-free certified oats, perhaps this option isn't the cheapest?) If you are avoiding oats, I think the millet version ranks just barely behind the oat version overall...I think the oat version tastes more delightful("fabulous!" came to mind when I sampled the oat ones, and YUM!!! comes to mind with the millet ones), but the millet version boasts an excellent texture one step above the oat version(the oat version is a bit gummy, and the millet version is perfect in texture, I think). I am amazed each time I eat the millet version how good they are! You'll be happy with either recipe! I'll have individual posts for the oat and millet versions. On this post, however, I'm first copying my mom's recipe, so you can understand how the recipe was adapted. Then you can feel free to adapt the recipe for your needs- and share with me if you come up with another great option!

Whole Wheat Zucchini-Oat Cookies, with comments on how I adapted it:

1/2 cup margarine: substitute 1/4 cup (canola)oil and 1/4 cup coconut oil*
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs: 1/3 cup applesauce, and 1 tsp. baking powder mixed with 1 1/2 T. oil and 1 1/2 T. water(mix just before adding to recipe)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon(optional- I forgot it in my recent experiments and they were great without it)
1 1/4 cup quick oats(replace with 1 c. gluten-free flour blend if not using oats)
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour: choose a wheat-free or gluten-free blend
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum**
2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup coconut, flaked
1/2 c. chocolate chips(I use Enjoy Life brand), and/or raisins

Beat margarine(oil) and sugar until fluffy. In separate bowl, combine baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour. Set aside. Add vanilla and applesauce to oil and sugar. Mix baking powder, oil, and water in small container, then add to applesauce, sugar, and oil. Mix together. Add zucchini and coconut. Blend. Add dry ingredients from bowl and mix until well blended. Add chocolate chips or raisins last.

*coconut oil is optional. I like it because it adds a delicious dimension to the cookies, and because I think it probably improves texture- when it is solid room temperature it probably helps make fluffier cookier than oil. You could alternately use just vegetable oil(like canola), shortening, or non-dairy margarine sticks or spread.

**1/2 tsp. xanthan gum per cup of gluten-free flour is a common rule of thumb. I used 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum in the recipes that used oats and oat flour(because oats already have binding properties). I used 1 tsp. xanthan for the recipes that didn't have oats(the millet version and the high-fiber blend version). This is because I used 2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour in these recipes.

Millet, another great gluten free option!

I recently have tried a new grain that's gluten-free, and I like it! So does my three-year old, hooray!

I realize, once again, that if we look to various cultures, we can find lots of good, healthy alternatives to wheat. Millet has been cultivated in Asia for the last 10,000 years, I read in Wikipedia. It's nutritious, with its protein composition as good as whole wheat and rich in B vitamins(Wikipedia). For those who cannot have gluten, this is another nutritious whole grain that adds fiber to the diet! It can be cooked whole and served as a hot cereal(add sugar/honey), or can be served savoury(with meat and vegetable stews). Or it can be ground into flour and used for flat breads(as the only flour even), or used in baking, with up to 25% of the flour blend being millet(Living Without Magazine). In "Great Grains, an insider's guide to choosing and using gluten-free flours," (Living Without Magazine, Dec/Jan 2009), millet flour is described as having a "mildly sweet, nut-like flavor."

I had somehow thought that millet would be pretty much like cornmeal in flavor and in nutrition. Not so. Comparing it to other hot breakfast cereals, it's more flavorful than grits, and more nutritious. It's more delicate than cornmeal. It cooks up kind of fluffy. I like it better than quinoa for a breakfast cereal, not as strong of a flavor(though I eat quinoa alternately, too- it's good with sliced fresh plums or grapefruit).

In India they use millet flour(bajari) alone or with sorghum flour(jowar) to make flat bread(bhakri). I searched online and found a well-done tutorial on how to make bajari bhakri- and I was excited that these tortillas were very easy to pat out, and remained flexible when cooked! I learned a tip here that will aid in making any gluten-free tortillas, whether they are rice or millet or sorghum... another break through for me! I will publish a separate post for flatbread. Or go directly to the website with the tutorial: http://annaparabrahma.blogspot.com/2007/02/bajarichi-bhakari.html

Since I sampled millet a couple weeks ago, I have made it in three ways. First, I cooked it as a breakfast cereal. For this, rinse the grain and boil with a 3 1/2: 1 ratio of water to grain. (For 1 cup grain, use 3 1/2 cups water). I've read that before boiling millet, you first you toast the grain until there's a nice aroma. I haven't done this yet. Boil for at least 20 minutes; it may need 35. I haven't mastered how long it boils on my stove for perfect texture. If it's boiled too long, it does get a bit mushy, kind of like rice does when overcooked. When cooked and cool enough to eat, we serve it with non-dairy buttery spread and honey. Yum!

Second way I've tried using millet: flatbread, or tortillas. As I mentioned earlier, I found a website that has a very helpful tutorial. You'll be able to make gluten-free tortillas without messing with crumbly, hard to roll-out dough! There was a draw-back for these tortillas, they did have a slightly bitter taste, I thought. It was just fine for eating with honey and non-dairy spread, and would be great for a savoury wrap or fajita. However, my girls didn't eat them, and I don't know if they didn't like the taste or if it's just that tortillas are a food that they haven't had much of- they haven't eaten any tortillas very well at all- homemade oat ones that I liked, or purchase brown rice ones). I did read on one of the blogs I checked that millet flour doesn't have the bitter taste that sorghum does. I remember reading that when baking with sorghum, you can add some molasses to help cut out the bitter flavor.

Back to millet- the third way I've used it now is in cookies. And oh....they are the best gluten-free cookies I've had!!! Actually, they are some of the best cookies I've had, period...ranked among and above other wheat cookies. For the cookies, I adapted my mom's "Whole Wheat Zucchini-Oat Cookies." Instead of wheat flour and rolled oats, I used 50% brown rice flour, 25% millet flour, and 25% starch(half of that was potato starch and half was cornstarch). I added a couple drops of molasses to cut out the hint of bitterness that I tasted(I suspect that millet has saponins like quinoa does, I'll have to look this up). I made a big batch of these cookies and have them in the freezer. Every time I take them out and thaw a couple to eat, I am still amazed at how good these gluten-free cookies are! I'll post the cookie recipe hopefully this week.

I'm so happy to have another gluten-free grain to cook with that has good nutrition. I am very content with using oats/brown rice/tapioca starch for baking, but recently have been on a trial diet excluding oats. What a relief to find millet! For those who don't use oats, this can add so much to the basic gluten-free blends of rice, tapioca and potato starch. Actually, even for those who can have oats, if you have oatmeal frequently for breakfast, millet can be added for variety!