? about gluten free substitutions...

[Jojo F.]

To make this simple, can I substitute cornstarch whenever I see a small amount of flour being used like in a pie filling recipe?

For example- I'm searching for apple pie filling recipes and it would be much easier to just substitute the flour with cornstartch and call it a day. Yes, I am also looking up gluten free but they always have so many more ingredients that I don't have and none of them are very appealing to me (not a good time to be picky, right?)

Thanks!

[annekh23]

I'm wheat free, not gluten free and that is what I would do. If you are gluten free due to celiac disease you have to be a lot more careful and I haven't researched manufacture of cornstarch to check if it's definitely ok. Another alternative is potato starch, but you need to use a bit less, I haven't figured out a reliable conversion factor yet though.

[kjbrown92]

Is your pie crust gluten free too?

I'd say yes on the cornstarch (or tapioca starch or sweet potato starch). It just needs to be one of the "smooth" gluten substitutes, as opposed to a grainier "flour" like millet or sorghum. It's just used as a thickener in a filling. Just make sure it's evenly distributed so you don't get glumps.

[blueridgewoman]

You can use cornstarch or if there's no dairy, you can use arrowroot (which I prefer, but milk makes it slimy). Rice flour would also work as well.

[Satori]

You can use the corn but a better choice for pie would be Sweet Rice Flour which you can often find with the Asian section at the regular grocery store for about $1, comes in white box.

[Jojo F.]

Thank you ladies!!

The pie crust is a gluten free mix. While I have not been "tested" I notice I do much better without gluten.

Cornstartch it is, next time I'll use the sweet rice flour