What gluten-free flours do you use?

[YinYang]

I've been searching through the pages - maybe just not the right way.

I've been slowly converting to gluten-free... especially in my own cooking at home (limited at best).

What flours are you using for what types of things?

I don't make my own bread but I guess I'd like to know what flours you use for sweets (muffins, cookies) and what you use for more savory dishes (non-sweet waffles, "breading", etc).

I've been using oat flour for sweeter stuff - though I know it isn't alway gluten-free. I've got millet and spelt flours but I'm not sure where to use them.

Thanks for helping me out!

[ColoradoMama]

Spelt is not gluten free. I use amaranth flour and rice flour quite a bit. I've got a great pancake recipe using amaranth flour that a friend gave me if you're interested.

[Chinese Pistache]

I use sorghum, millet and gf oat quite a bit, for both sweet and savory. I also have an "all purpose" gf flour that contains a couple rice flours, tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch.

[PaulaJoAnne]

Do not use Spelt!!! It is not gluten free.

What I have done for simplicity, is I grind brown rice and use it to replace gluten flours.
I do not add any of the processed stuff that many gf recipes call for.
I make muffins, waffles and banana bread this way, with great success.

[Li27]

Rice flour, quinoa flour, coconut flour, buckwheat flour

Usually, I use a combo of these.

[crunchy_mama]

Ya- the oat flour is NOT gf unless it is specifically GF oat flour. Don't listen to any claim that Irish oats or steel cut oats are ok- they are not.


I use almond and coconut- they make great muffins and such. I like these the most as they are grain free as well and I find them easier to digest. I try to not eat a lot made w/ brown rice- sorghum etc as I find it much harder to digest.

If I am using a GF baked good recipe I will use brown rice- sorghum- tapioca- potato.

I tried to start with using ones that are most likely liked- ie bean flours have a reputation of being either loved or hated. I have used them in the past and not liked them- so I don't use them(plus seems they would be hard to digest).

[YinYang]

Oh my gosh, thanks for the responses (that didn't hit my email hmph!)....

OK I try to stay away from coconut (just don't like it and it doesn't seem to like me) and I do not like white potato products - I'm not sure if any of these other flours use other potatoes? (I know I sound ignorant, I'm learning ) I never use white potatoes at home - anything that calls for it gets sweet potato anyhow. It is for no other reason other than a gut feeling that white potato just isn't good for me.

I love the idea of using non-grain (nut) flours - are you incorporating anything else to make it simulate 'standard' flour or not? I try to keep things as simple as possible but it still has to work

Hmm is there a grain-free section here? I'd love to read up on that (so little time). What other flours are made that are grain-free?

That said, PaulaJoAnne, are you literally just grinding store-bought brown rice?

I love this website - every time I ask a "simple" question, it leads to a new thesis it seems!

[kjbrown92]

I use sweet potato flour since DS can't have white potato. It's a great thickener for gravies and such. We also use tapioca flour/starch, sorghum flour, light buckwheat flour, millet flour, almond flour/meal (though not much since we recently figured out that DS can't have that either). We don't do rice flour because of DS either. I've used coconut flour in the past and wasn't that thrilled with it. Same with gar-fava (garbanzo-fava) flour (too bean-y for me).

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by YinYang

I love the idea of using non-grain (nut) flours - are you incorporating anything else to make it simulate 'standard' flour or not? I try to keep things as simple as possible but it still has to work

Hmm is there a grain-free section here? I'd love to read up on that (so little time). What other flours are made that are grain-free?

With almond flour recipes generally you will be using eggs- they really help w/ non-gluten baking although there are gf eggfree recipes- just harder to find. Also- another note on making it like wheat flour- no it does not taste just like it- but it is good and rich in another way.

I cannot currently think of other grainfree flours beside almonds(or other nuts- like hazelnuts- awesome for desserts- pecan flour) and coconut flour, but perhaps it is slipping my mind. It also depends on how you categorize thing- things like SCD only allows things like nut flours(bean flours are perhaps allowed in later stages- my memory is faulty though). Strictly speaking something like buckwheat is not a grain it is a flower. Look for things like paleo recipes or SCD recipes.

I don't think there are currently any grainfree threads going but there are at different times. I *try * to be grainfree as I think it is best but since becoming pregnant again I find it harder. I have figured out that I tolerated things like rice cooked but making things out of rice flour just doesn't sit as well.

[Devaskyla]

Where are you ladies finding these flours? Dh is trying gluten free to see if it helps with some problems he's been having. The store near us (Safeway) only has rice flour & it's 2.50 for about 2 cups worth.

[YinYang]

Local HFS, Whole Foods.... or, better prices at Vitacost.com or amazon.com

At least that's where I get variety....

[Devaskyla]

I don't think I have any of those as options, since I'm in Canada.

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by Devaskyla

I don't think I have any of those as options, since I'm in Canada.

I order from Amazon.com I'm pretty sure they ship anywhere.

[PaulaJoAnne]

YinYang,
Any brown rice will work.
I buy organic brown rice through Azure Standard right now.
I send it through my Family Mill on the fine setting, same as if I was doing wheat.
One note on the waffles, is that I use slightly less liquid when I am using rice flour. Seems to work best this way.
Paula

[Devaskyla]

I order from Amazon.com I'm pretty sure they ship anywhere.

Sadly, they'll only ship dvds, cds & books to Canada. Guess I'll have to try Superstore next time I'm near there. Hopefully they'll have something.

[dlm194]

Have you tried Kingarthurflour.com?

[Pookietooth]

Sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour/starch, arrowroot flour, some quinoa and amaranth flour (only minimally). I also have some chestnut flour that I use a bit of.

[Kimchee]

You folks in the States are SO lucky with your online ordering options!! Shipping (if companies will even ship to Canada - many won't, like Amazon grocer) is often prohibitively expensive to Canada. Devaskayla, look around for small asian stores where you live -- they often have asian rice flour, tapioca flour, and corn or bean starches for a fraction of what they cost in supermarkets.

[PaulaJoAnne]

Originally Posted by Kimchee

You folks in the States are SO lucky with your online ordering options!! Shipping (if companies will even ship to Canada - many won't, like Amazon grocer) is often prohibitively expensive to Canada. Devaskayla, look around for small asian stores where you live -- they often have asian rice flour, tapioca flour, and corn or bean starches for a fraction of what they cost in supermarkets.

Those of us in Alaska have very similiar issues with shipping.
Most companies prefer to treat us as International when it comes to the price, and so if we must order online, we have to do a fair amount of searching to get a good deal.
And thats if they will actually ship to Alaska.
And if they will ship to PO boxes.
And if you live on an island, and they will work around their policy of only shipping ground UPS

Asian Markets do come in very handy, and since Azure ships to Alaska, if we use a co-op, shipping is only 30 cents per pound.

[akmeg]

Originally Posted by Devaskyla

I don't think I have any of those as options, since I'm in Canada.

I'm in Canada and I get my rice and tapioca flour from Superstore in the ethnic food aisle. (It's super cheap!) From the health food store I occasionally get potato starch and sorghum flour. If you have the chance to invest in a grain mill, you can make other flours very cheaply. I buy my millet, buckwheat, and quinoa and Superstore and my brown rice at Costco and I grind those myself. HTH.