Monday, May 5, 2014

Flour Substitutions for HGGF

It seems the more events I do, the better feel I get for what different people can and can't eat. In the spirit of ultimate accessibility, here are some of the possible substitutions that should yeild the best possible results.

Please note that I have not tested all of these and those I have, I probably haven't tested in every case, so while it is the best information I currently have to offer, it likely will not be flawless. Also, I will update this page periodically as I gain more insight into each possible substitution.

Flours/Ground Nuts & Seeds
Can't eat              Use instead
Almond Flour        Cashew Flour or Ground Sunflower Seed
Amaranth Flour     Millet Flour possibly cut with a little starch, say 1-2 Tb out of each cup
Buckwheat Flour   Oat Flour (reduce or omit lemon juice added to soften buckwheat, but ONLY if leavened with baking powder)
Oat Flour              Buckwheat (be sure to add a little lemon juice to soften it, up to 1 Tb)
Quinoa Flour         Oat Flour or Buckwheat Flour (add up to 1Tb lemon juice to soften buckwheat)
Potato Starch       Arrowroot Starch
Flaxseed               Chia Seed
Fats
Grapeseed Oil      High Oelic Sunflower Oil (perfect and healthier substitute, same weight as olive oil)
Binders
Egg                      1Tb ground flax or chia mixed into about 3 Tb water, allow to sit 10 min
  (Remember, egg substitutes work best in small, contained items like muffins and rolls)
Xanthan Gum       Guar gum (use about twice as much, you will loose some rise)

About Xanthan Gum: If you find yourself reacting badly to Xanthan, and use the one sold by Bob's Red Mill, consider trying another brand before giving up on it entirely. Bob's, for some unfathomable reason, ferments theirs by feeding it WHEAT STARCH. I personally react very badly to their brand. But Xanthan performs so very well in baking, it seems a shame to discard it entirely if you don't have to. Hodgeson Mills is my new favorite for Xanthan. It performs consistently well, doesn't hurt me, and they sell it in little, inexpensive pouches, so it won't cost you a fortune to try it out, and it's always fresh.

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