When you first go gluten-free, it’s usually your baking that takes the hardest hit. How can you convert a beautiful layer cake recipe to gluten-free and still expect it to be good? Believe it or not, there are some easy recipe hacks that allow you to nix the gluten — and still keep your baked goods delicious.
Almost all recipes can be altered to be gluten-free. Give these tips and swaps a try.
1. Swap the flour
Substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose regular flour at a ratio of 1:1. Try Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour. If you are baking items such as cakes and/or breads, add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
2. Eliminate the flour
Try omitting the flour altogether. If you are craving peanut butter cookies, for example, try this simple recipe without the flour.
Simple gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe
Yields 6 – 8
Ingredients:
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 – 2 eggs (depending on how moist you want them to be)
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Blend the ingredients, and place the dough on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes.
3. Create a gluten-free flour mixture
In place of flour in a recipe, try this combination.
- 3 parts white or brown rice flour
- 2 parts potato starch
- 1 part tapioca flour/starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum for every 1-1/2 cups flour mixture
4. Consider arrowroot powder
Arrowroot powder can be used in place of xanthan gum if you are having a hard time finding the latter. As a general rule, use 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder for each cup of wheat flour called for in any recipe. Note: Round up if the recipe calls for a partial cup.
5. Experiment with ingredients
Other ingredients in the recipe may need to be adjusted when trying new flours and flour combinations. For example, use 2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder for every cup of flour used in a recipe. Some flours may be a bit drier, so you may have to add additional liquid ingredients, such as water or oil, depending on what the recipe calls for.
