[NamastePlatypus]

SO we are going GFCF because ds1 is on the spectrum and we really feel it will make a big improvment in behaviour. We are weaning into right now and I am about to need to get some flour. I got the autism cookbook and a few others and I am really excited. But I am having a hard time with going from one or two flours to 7 or so. What do you have and what is not neccasary or could be substuted? Thank you so much!

Brown rice flour
white rice flour
sweet rice flour
tapioca starch? ( where in the world...)
potato starch?
chick pea flour
amaranth flour
gluten free flour

Where do I get xanthan gum?

Thank you for the help here, total newb!

 

[JaneSmith1010]

eesh, i never got into the cookbooks that use a mixture of 20 flours. It makes it so difficult to cook anything that I would end up not making food at all. I stick to Bob's Redmill mixes--and others. There is really nothing you need to make that you can't make with a pre-prepped mix. I buy Xanthum gum from out health food store, but you may be able to find it in the baking section of a grocery store.

 

[kjbrown92]

We use tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, sorghum flour, light buckwheat flour, and millet flour. We can't use rice flours because my DS can't do rice and my kids can't do quinoa (though it was actually a good flour) and I don't like the taste of the bean flours. I use just buckwheat in my buckwheat waffles.

We get our tapioca starch from Barry's Farm or our local Asian market (much cheaper). Rice flours and rice noodles are cheaper there too.

I get sweet potato starch from Barry's Farm as well (we can't do white potato because of DS). I find it the best thing in gravy and stews.

I get light buckwheat flour from Bouchard Family Farms (Maine, I believe). I like it much better than regular buckwheat flour.

Sorghum flour is from Bob's Red Mill.

Millet flour is similar in texture to cornmeal, sort of gritty. That's Arrowhead Mills and I get that from amazon.com. I also get creamy buckwheat cereal (Bob's Red Mill) from amazon, and puffed millet cereal, and crispy rice cereal. When you buy in bulk, it's free shipping.

On the allergy sub-forum of Health & Healing there's a recipes sticky with lots of ideas if you need them.

Xantham gum (or guar gum) can be found in health food stores. I'd watch out for corn (xanthan gum among other things). I read somewhere recently (and can't remember where) that some spectrum kids have a problem with corn as well as dairy/gluten.

 

[Barefoot~Baker]

Hi! My dh can't eat gluten and other foods, and I've been cooking gf for years and writing a cookbook, if you want to pm me feel free

My favorite gf flour mix is Bette's Gourmet Featherlight Rice Flour Blend. I use it with cakes and most cooking, and I'll add some white rice flour if I don't want whatever I'm making to be too light and fluffy.

Alternately, I used to do a mix myself of 2 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups white rice flour, 1 cup tapioca flour/starch, 1 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup cornstarch.

I always use xanthan gum when baking - 1 tsp per cup of flour for breads & biscuits, 1/4 tsp for cakes, brownies, pancakes, & cookies, and 2 tsps per cup of flour for pizza base.

Good luck, it will be easy in no time!

 

[lil_miss_understood]

Subbing.

 

[tanyalynn]

It takes some experimenting to get used to things. But the flours can be broken into a few categories:

1-starches, like tapioca, corn starch, potato starch (others?--sweet potato)
2-regular gluten-free flours (sorghum, rice, quinoa, teff, buckwheat, I know I'm forgetting several)
3-special-use flours that can't be substituted as easily like corn meal, sweet rice flour (just because it's so finely ground), I didn't realize millet was gritty so I'd put it here too

For most of categories 1 and 2, I have found I can substitute a fair amount (I run out of tapioca, I use cornstarch or potato starch, it seems to turn out well). And I'll mix-and-match the stuff in category 2 easily depending on the color and flavor I want.

If a recipe calls for says "gluten-free flour" it probably wants a pre-made mix of flours from categories 1 and 2. You can make a mix at home, there are recipes online.

Teff is strong in flavor (and very nutritious, high in iron).
Sorghum is mild, the rice flours are too (but I think the rices are less nutritious).
Quinoa is nutritious but it tastes a bit like like quinoa, so there's some bitterness.

It gets easier with time.

 

[NamastePlatypus]

wow thanks mamas!! You have no idea!!!! It is hard right now but I know as we work into it and he gets older it will be easier.

 

[Ruthla]

I made my own GF flour mixture, as it's so much cheaper than the ready-made mixes, plus this way I can easily avoid random ingredients (such as legume flours) that I may not tolerate well.

For each cup of flour I use:

(for breads and "all purpose baking") 3/4 cup of rice flour, 1/4 cup starch, and 1 tsp xanthan gum.

For lighter mixtures (in fluffy dessert-type baked goods) I use 1/2 cup rice flour and 1/2 cup starch, and the same teaspoon of xanthan gum.

You can use any flour or mixture of flours (white rice, brown rice, corn, etc) for the "rice flour' part of the above recipe, and any starch (corn starch, potato starch, arrowroot, etc) for the "starch" part of the recipe, and I suppose any gum could be used in place of the xanthan gum, but that's the ony gum I've personally used.

Sometimes I add the separate dry ingredients, as needed, in a recipe, and sometimes I mix up a big batch of flour mix and use it 1:1 in any recipe calling for wheat flour.

 

[desertpenguin]

i have a lot of flours, but i like variety.

the ones i use most are brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, and potato starch. lately i have been using teff and sorghum as well. i usually get all bob's red mill flours since here they are usually the cheapest for me to buy. you can also buy them in bulk from their website, which might save you more money. i don't care for the tapioca starch because to me it has an odd taste so i usually sub arrowroot or potato starch in recipes that call for it. i also use guar gum because we have corn intolerance over here so xanthan is off limits. i don't use mixes very often because they are more expensive and not always satisfactory, but we also don't have a whole foods or trader joe's here. most of the recipes i use i get from the internet. this french bread recipe makes good sandwich bread, especially if you put all of the dough into one 9 x 5 pan. i switch out organic shortening for the butter. if you google you can find a lot of gfcf blogs with recipes too.

 

[NamastePlatypus]

omg you guys rock! this is so what i needed!
Ruthla I am writing alot of this down and putting it on my pantry door.