Overview: Gluten-free flours for baking

Gluten-free baking in a wood-fired oven

Anyone who wants or needs to get involved in the world of gluten-free baking will quickly discover that there is an enormous variety of options and that personal preferences also play a major role. You certainly don't have to do without delicious pizza, bread, cakes & co. In combination with an original Italian wood-fired oven, new recipes become pure pleasure. The Valoriani Baby Holz has proven to be a special professional for gluten-free baking.

Overview of flours

The range of alternatives to conventional flours is huge. We have compiled a small overview of gluten-free flours and their applications.

Very important: Gluten-free flours do not have the sticking and binding properties of conventional wheat or spelt flours. These must therefore be replaced, which can be done by adding starch and binding agents.

Popular gluten-free flours for baking:

Corn flour (slightly sweet/nutty) - pizza, bread, cakes
Buckwheat flour (nutty/spicy) - bread, savoury baked goods
Millet flour (sweet mild) - muffins, sponge cakes, light quick breads
Chickpea flour (nutty) - pizza, cakes
Sweet potato flour (nutty/sweet, pumpkin/ chestnut flavour) - sponge cakes, muffins
Quinoa flour (nutty/slightly bitter) - pizza, bread
Amaranth flour (nutty) - pizza, bread, biscuits
Almond flour (nutty) - cakes, muffins

Starch flours:

Corn starch & potato starch & rice flour are very mild and can be used for savoury as well as sweet dishes
Coconut flour (sweet) - sponge cakes, muffins
Lupine flour (slightly nutty) - breads, pastries
Rice starch (mild/slightly nutty) - sponge cakes
Soy flour (nutty flavour) - breads, cakes
Teff flour (sweet/nutty) - biscuits, cakes
Tapioca flour (relatively neutral) - biscuits

Suitable binders:

Psyllium seed flour/hulls
Locust bean gum
Xanthan gum
Glutinous pulp flour
Chia seed
Arrowroot starch
Guar gum
Egg white

Adding a little yoghurt or curd can increase the moisture in the dough. This makes cakes juicier.

Differences in baking:

The one-to-one conversion of gluten-containing recipes with gluten-free flour should be absolutely avoided
Ingredients should all be at room temperature
The dough should definitely be kneaded for longer, at least 5 minutes. Our tip: Our dough kneader Bernardi My Miss Baker
Allow enough time for the dough to rise
Top/bottom heat instead of convection + put 1 bowl of water in the oven