Guide to Food Philosopher’s® Gluten-Free Flour Mixes
If you think about how most people bake with wheat, you’ll realize that they usually use two different kinds of flour: an all purpose flour for cakes, pies, muffins, and other pastries, and a bread flour for baking bread. I decided very early on that I wanted my gluten-free baking to mimic wheat baking.
As a result, my recipes are carefully calibrated to use just two flour mixes: the Brown Rice Flour Mix (my all purpose flour) makes cake, pie, muffins and cookies that look, feel and taste like those made with wheat, and the Bread Flour Mix (my bread flour) makes crusty, chewy artisan loaves and tender sandwich breads.
Few people I know have large amounts of time to bake, much less to grab for four or five different flours every time they do; even fewer have room to store multiple flour mixes in their cabinets. Once I became a gluten-free baker, I wanted to have only two big flour containers in my baking pantry, just like I did when I baked with wheat.
Brown Rice Flour Mix
Brown rice flour (extra finely ground) – 2 cups
Potato starch (not potato flour) – 2/3 cup
Tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) – 1/3 cup
Total = 3 cups
It is very important that you use an extra finely ground brown rice flour (and not just any grind) or your baked goods will be gritty and heavy. Authentic Foods in California sells the only powdery-like-wheat brown rice flour I can find on the market (other than in Asian grocery stores). Authentic Foods brown rice flour is stabilized to increase shelf life and sealed in a high quality bag that is light and air resistant. For me, it has proven to be the “hands down” winner in repeated blind taste tests. It may look pricey, but not when compared to the price of buying ready-made gluten-free cakes, muffins and cookies that are often of a lesser quality than those you could make at home. I strongly believe that the high quality rice and very fine grind of Authentic Foods will make a big difference in your finished product.
Authentic Food’s (e-mail and phone below) flour can be ordered online or purchased at select grocery and natural food stores. Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur brown rice flour tie in second place for grind size, and King Arthur is also stabilized. Arrowhead Mills brown rice flour has a big grind and is gritty (although I use their millet flour all the time.).
The potato starch and tapioca starch in the flour mix above can be found in grocery and natural food stores and online. In my opinion, the brands are fairly interchangeable. If you use potato flour in my recipes by mistake, you will be able to make a muffin that you can throw against the wall —and it will stick there for eternity (well, a few days, at least).
Authentic Foods also makes the above Brown Rice Flour Mix already made up under the name GF Classic Blend. Although I do not financially benefit from the sale of GF Classic Blend, it sure is nice to just be able to open a bag of flour and bake.
Some of my recipes occasionally call for “sweet rice flour” which helps give certain baked goods a softer, more delicate texture. Only a small amount is ever used at a time because too much results in a denser, tighter, gummy product. I recommend Authentic Foods sweet rice flour because it is finely ground.
Bread Flour Mix
Millet flour - 2 cups
Sorghum flour – 1 cup
Corn starch – 1 cup
Potato starch (not potato flour) – 1 cup
Tapioca starch (als0 called tapioca flour) – 1 cup
Total = 6 cups
My bread flour mix is made up of whole grain flours and starch flours in a ratio of half to half; a combination of millet, sorghum, corn starch, potato starch and tapioca flour. Millet and sorghum (both whole grain) are used to help vary the taste, improve nutrition and provide structure to the dough and help keep the loaves fresher than gluten-free breads made of all starchy flours. When it comes to bread, a large grind makes a good loaf. I typically use Bob’s Red Mill and Authentic Food’s sorghum and Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills millet. The starches help lighten the texture and improve mouth feel. Together they make a sandwich bread that is much like homemade wheat bread in terms of texture and density.
How to Purchase and Store Gluten-Free Flours
Brown rice flour, millet flour, sorghum are whole grain flours and must be stored carefully. The mixes (above) can be stored at room temperature for about four months. If your house is hot and humid, or if you will not be baking for long periods of time, store them in the refrigerator. Store open packages of brown rice flour, millet flour, sorghum, in the refrigerator.
Purchase all these flours from local natural food stores, some grocery stores, online sellers that have a lot of turnover so you can be sure you are getting fresh packages. And do not purchase them too far in advance of when you make the flour mixes (more than four months for millet and sorghum; Authentic Foods is so well packaged that it is shelf stable for longer periods). When you open a new bag, make sure it does not have a strong odor, an indication that it is rancid or old.
These flours should have a pleasant grainy, nutty smell. Millet flour in particular, tends to get rancid if it is old or not stored properly by the distributor, at the store or in your home (just like whole-wheat flour).
Both open and unopened packages of potato starch, tapioca flour, and corn starch should be almost scent free when opened. They can be stored at room temperature for about a year. They can be purchased in advance of when you will be using them to make the flour mixes.
Very infrequently, there have been reports of “sour” tapioca flour being mistakenly packaged in regular tapioca flour packages. Be aware that tapioca flour does not have a sour taste or smell. Also infrequently, there have been reports of off-smelling, stale potato starch. Potato starch is almost tasteless and doesn’t really have a strong smell. If it tastes moldy or sour, take it back to the store.
How to Measure and Mix Gluten-Free Flours
- To measure flour for making flour mix: use a soup spoon to spoon flour from package into the measuring cup, or pour flour or from the package into the measuring cup, then use a knife (or even the handle of the spoon) to level the top. Do not scoop gluten-free flours out of the package with the measuring cup. Empty measured flours into a plastic container large enough to leave four to five inches from top. Shake container vigorously to mix flours. I usually make 12 cups of brown rice flour mix at a time and store and shake it in a 21 cup Rubbermaid container.
- To measure flour for use in recipes: Shake container vigorously to mix and aerate flours. Use soup spoon to spoon flour from container into the measuring cup, then use a knife to level the top. Do not scoop gluten-free flours out of the package with the measuring cup.
Authentic Foods
800-806-4737
http://www.authenticfoods.com
Bob Red Mill
800-349-2173
http://www.bobsredmill.com
King Arthur Flour Company
800.827.6836
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/
What can I use in place of potato starch in your Brown Rice Flour Mix? I have an intolerance for potato.
hi!
Some people simply sub. the potato starch with more tapioca and call it a day. That will give you a light baked good but without that certain something in the way of richer mouth-feel that the potato starch gives. It will also be a little softer, mushier in texture. If it were me, for 1 cup potato starch, I’d try substituting 1/2 cup more tapioca and 1/2 cup corn starch first. Then I’d try 1/2 cup more tapioca, 1/4 corn starch and 1/4 cup sweet rice four and see which I like best.
One enterprising baker on the west coast created his own concoction for his son with my mix: he divides the total amount of potato starch in half and uses 1/2 arrowroot and 1/2 sweet rice flour (Authentic Foods makes this extra fine as well). So when the mix calls for 1 cup potato starch use 1/2 cup arrowroot and 1/2 sweet rice.
But I think that arrowroot is expensive (at least where I live). If you want to try the arrowroot/sweet rice four option, I would probably try 3/4 cup tapioca (which is much like arrowroot) and 1/4 sweet rice and adjust from there – more or less on the sweet rice (it will add that chew back).
So give it some thought, do a few tests on easier recipes – like the rustic flat bread (recipe here on this blog) and a cupcake or muffin (if you don’t have my book, see recipes on my website http://www.foodphilosopher.com). If you need more help or have questions, I’m here to help. You can post here, or email me.
I have a couple of your books. Your Gluten-Free Baking Classics has been such a blessing to my family since my daughters diagnosis of celiac in 2009. What we have just realized is that the is also allergic to corn. What would work well as a substitute for cornstarch? I was curious if in the bread flour mix A & B what to use. Also in a general recipe – can just straight potato starch work? Thank you for your time spent developing and publishing the recipes. It has meant so much to our family. Sincerely, Cheryl
What I usually recommend is that you FIRST replace the corn starch with half potato starch and half tapioca starch and see if you like it in an easy recipe (like the rustic flat bread). Then try 1/3 potato starch and 2/3 tapioca and THEN try 2/3 potato and 1/3 tapioca see which version you prefer in terms of texture and taste and stick with that! If you still aren’t happy, let me know and I will work with you until we find somehitng you like. And please let me know how you make out!
I’m not able to get millet or millet flour in my area (even amazon is not delivering these items here). What can I use instead of millet? Or is there any other good flour mix for bread?
hi!
Not sure where you live that Amazon doesn’t deliver, but can you get sorghum flour and gluten-free oat flour? Also, did you try ordering the Millet directly from Bob’s Red Mill? He has a very nice millet flour.
Very best,
Annalise
Hi
I live in Slovakia, so I guess delivering any food from such a distance will be problem
Sorghum flour is not problem but I haven’t seen gluten free oat flour in our shops. Common are rice and brown rice, corn, potato, soy, chickpea, buckwheat, amaranth, pea, bean, hemp, chestnut and coconut flours. It’s a lot of flours to choose from, but since I’m new to gluten free diet I don’t know which ones are the best for breads. I was looking for inspiration on web, and every bread that looked very good and like regular gluten bread was made from mix that contained millet flour… any advice will be very helpful to me. Thanks 
Ah! You living in Slovakia explains the whole no shipping thing! But no worries. We will work this out. Millet does make a wonderful, more wheat-like bread than rice, which is why it has grown in popularity here.
So to make up the bread flour mix, let’s will start with a TOTAL OF 3 CUPS flour in case it doesn’t work as well as you’d like.
Try using
1/2 cup of corn starch
1/2 cup of potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1/2 cup of tapioca. (if you don’t have tapioca- use 1/4 cup more potato starch and 1/4 cup more corn starch to make up for it).
1 cups sorghum flour
1/2 cup of some combination of amaranth and/or buckwheat and/or soy.
Stay away from the rice flour- makes a weird textured bread. Also, I’d stay away from the bean flours because in my opinion, they give a weird taste to bread (and everything else they’re in). I’d also avoid the chestnut flour (very dark, weird color in bread), the coconut flour (bad texture for bread and coconut flavor). Hemp and pea – can’t say anything about these because I haven’t bothered to try them. So many other good choices here.
You might need a little less water/milk because the millet absorbs more liquid than the sorghum. Start with a really easy recipe- like my Rustic Flat Bread which is on this blog
http://mygluten-freetable.com/2011/08/gadgets-pesto-and-gluten-free-panini/
Ok! Let me know how it works please. We can adjust if we need to!
Very best,
annalise
Is there any possibility you could share your original recipes that were changed for gluten free ones? I am asking in hopes I could figure out how to make my recipes for cinnamon rolls and potica (Croatian Nut Roll bread) into gluten free ones.
also, please accept my sincere thanks for your bread book- the recipes are fantastic and have made life so much more enjoyable! God bless you and all of your efforts!
Marlene
Hi!
For the most part, my yeast based recipes were reconfigured from more than one recipe- so it would be impossible for me to give you just one (unlike cakes, cookies). So sorry I don’t have just one original for you. But all you have to do is scale your wheat recipe to my version, and reconfigure from there. It is not a one step process and can take multiple tests to get the right combination. At least it does for me.
I might be able to give you some input if you send the recipe (you can post here or send it to my email). And then after you get some first round results, I might be able to offer further suggestions.
I am glad you are enjoying my recipes.
Very best regards,
Annalise
I have found a really good white rice flour that I’ve used instead of the brown rice flour in the brown rice flour mix. The reason is that for the cost of the Authentic brown rice flour I can get about 10 times as much of the white rice flour. Should I be able to compensate for the lack of flavor in white rice flour by using some millet or sorghum flour in the mix?
Short uncomplicated answer: Yes.
But you won’t necessary get the same kind of “classic” taste and texture that the recipe is capable of producing. You might also have to fiddle with the amount of liquid in each recipe. I’ve worked with people who are actually intolerant to rice and have use sorghum in my recipes- but liquid and baking times have to be adjusted. The baked goods will look a little different and since most sorghums aren’t finely ground (except Authentic Food’s), you’ll be adding grit to you cake, muffins and cookies.
The lack of the extra whole grain will impact the flavor and the shelf life -because now your baked goods will be completely starch instead of just 1/3 starch). I have found millet imparts a stronger “unclassic” kind of flavor to my recipes. Sorghum has a less strong flavor, but unless you find an extra finely ground one, you might have to adjust the liquid in the recipes (the sorghum flours I’ve tested EACH absorb a different amount of liquid for an equal amount of flour). So sorghum over millet for sure. Brown rice over sorghum. And if you give it go, let me know if you have any questions. I’d be happy to give you input.
Very best regards,
Annalise
Can you further explain why one shouldn’t scoop gluten free flours out of the container? Is it a contamination worry, a volume thing? I can’t figure it out. I scoop GF flour out of the container sometimes, shake it into the scoop other times, and when i need to be precise go by weight. Haven’t noticed much of a difference b/t scooping and shaking (and never even though to try spooning). Also, do you have any suggestions re: brands of Asian rice flours to try? I have access to a huge Asian market and they carry many rice flours, but I never know how one can be reassured that the manufacturer/miller is paying attention to cross-contamination / gluten free issues. Thanks!
hi!
Because everyone measures flour a difference way- some people scoop, some sift, some spoon, some dump it into the cup; but the amount of flour varies depending on the method you use and it can vary a lot – by one (more or less) tablespoon. I want everyone who uses my recipe to have the same chance to be successful. So I try to narrow the variables that can go wrong. By specifying a specific method and describing it to the best of my abilities, I am trying to make sure that your cupcake or muffin comes out as well as mine. If you scoop your flour, you may inadvertently add 1 tablespoon or more flour and make a heavier, denser cupcake. Perhaps you might not notice it unless you test side my side– as I always do. But along with great taste, texture and appearance, my goal is also includes consistency – it should be the best possible cupcake every time you make it.
So it has nothing to do with contamination – just a striving to help people make the best gluten-free baked goods possible.
I am so sorry to say that I cannot recommend good asian flours because I do not have a great asian market near enough me with English speakers so I can ask about contamination issues. I do know that many people who use my recipes on the west coast in the US and Canada are able to find really good, safe ones. Time to go exploring depending on where you live.
Very best regards,
Annalise
Annalise, from you cookbook, Gluten-Free Baking Classics I tried twice today to make the Basic Sandwich Bread pg 158. Both dropped so bad after removing from the oven. What’s wrong?? First loaf I thought maybe its overbeat, oven too hot,used SAF yeast. So for the
second loaf I made changes, used Fleshman’s grocery yeast, baked 10 min @375, then 35 @350, didn’t beat on as high a speed. Both looked great cooking and they taste terrific but
they are sunk in deeply in middle. I’m a very confident baker so really don’t think its my
technique, Can you please help. Thanks Trish p.s I ordered from Authentic Foods to follow your bread recipe (A) to a tee, measured as explained etc..
hi!
First, the bread won’t sink from overbeating (a cake will). SAF yeast isn’t good in my recipes. But Fleischmann’s will work, although not as well as Red Star.
Next, some questions:
Which flours did you buy from Authentic Foods (they don’t sell millet)?
What kind of xanthan gum did you use and how old is it?
What kind of pan did you use (was it dark)?
Why did you think your oven was too hot (do you have an oven thermometer)?
What is the temperature of your house and what is your altitude?
What temperature was the milk when you put it into the flour?
Could you have inadvertently spooned in the flour a little too lightly in to the measuring cup?
OK! That’s enough questions for now!
Very best,
Annalise
Just wanted to thank you for your careful recipes and lovely GF baking book. The Multigrain Artisan Bread made me so happy. Actual bread – and delicious. It’s empowering to know that I can make that happen for myself when I need to.
Hi!
You are very welcome!
Hope you get a chance to try them all.
Very best,
Annalise
Hi Annalise,
your babka recipe sounds intriguing, but I can’t find sorghum flour where I live. What would you suggest as a substitute?
hi!
Well, if I were going to try replace sorghum in this particular recipe, I might use gluten-free oat flour because it is will add a nice flavor, won’t add too much color (since it is a light colored bread) and it won’t weigh it down. I think amaranth would be good for the color, but it would add a slightly stronger flavor. Can you find wither of these?
very best,
Annalise
My Hungarian grandmother’s old family recipes listed ingredients grams. Results were hit or miss because I had converted her measurements to cups. After reading about how most European bakers measure by weight, I bought a food scale and revisited my grandmother’s original recipes. Since then, my baking results have always been consistently wonderful. Have you ever considered providing your measurements by weight rather than volume – there is much less margin for error. Another thing I love about using the scale is how easy it is to add ingredients straight from their containers – just tare or “zero” the scale for every new item.
hi!
I have been using volume measurement for my recipes because that is what most people use in this country to date, and I didn’t want to create recipes that would require people to buy a scale, in addition to all the gluten-free flours, when they got started. I wanted my recipes to be consistent and familiar. However, I do provide the weight equivalents for my flour mixes on my website, Foodphilosopher.com in the column Frequently Asked Questions under the Gluten-Free Baking category. I plan to offer weight equivalents for all the flours in my next book. I will also caution readers that I do not agree with a casually tossed around conception found in many gluten-free cookbooks and blogs that 4 ounces or grams of millet can be replaced with 4 ounces of brown rice flour or 4 ounces of oat flour in a recipe. You’ll get totally different results with each flour for the same recipe. But, I do agree that weighing ingredients can make it simple for people!
Very best,
Annalise
Hi,
I bake a lot of breads from your delicious book, and recently bought a scale to try to measure your recipes by weight (to save time). I got measurements for each flour from Bob’s Red Mill, but the total comes to 1 cup = 4.8oz, vs. the 4.25-4.5oz that your book says in each. Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong? I get a slight chalky aftertaste using these measurements, and would really appreciate any ideas you have as to how to fix it.
Bread Flour Mix A (18c)
Millet: 6c = 720g
Sorghum: 3c = 408g
Potato starch: 3c = 576g
Tapioca starch: 3c = 360g
Corn starch: 3c = 384g
Total: 18c = 2448g
so 1c Bread Flour Mix A = 408g which is 4.8oz
Thank you very much!
hi!
Ah yes, you have hit on the great dilemma of weighing ingredients for gluten-free baking. Welcome to my world.
The trouble occurs because all purpose wheat flour is all purpose wheat flour is all purpose wheat flour is all purpose wheat flour. And many GF bakers think they can take the very sound weighing/ratio methodology of wheat baking and apply it to gluten-free baking. I say no, that isn’t going to give you the best results. Bob’s Red Mill millet and sorghum are both different than Arrowhead Mills and Authentic Foods and any of the other brands on the market. They are different in terms of texture and dryness and grind and how they are compressed in the packaging (and they are also not at all like teff or quinoa or Montina or amaranth or brown rice or oatmeal flours in terms of how they perform in a baked good; so the whole just use XX ounces or grams and this specific baking ratio for your gluten-free baking isn’t a good application of this otherwise sound methodology.)
And don’t get me started on potato starch weights; they drive me to distraction. So here is what I did.I realized that weights work best if you using the weights of the baker whose recipes you are using. Many years ago I asked about 15 of my regular testers to weigh the flours the we using to make up my flour mixes. Then I took them all (most were identical, but I dollar averaged when necessary, like on the potato starch- which has to do with the way it is compressed in the packaging) and came up with this:
Millet Flour 1 cup = 4.75 ounces
Sorghum Flour 1 cup = 4.5 ounces
Potato starch 1 cup = 6 ounces
Tapioca Flour 1 cup = 4 ounces
Corn Starch 1 cup = 4.75 ounces
Added together and divided they come out to 4.79 ounces per cup. But you forgot, perhaps that you are supposed to shake the flour before spooning it into the measuring cup to aerate it. If you do that, you should come up with a cup of flour that weighs 4.25 to 4.5 (about 1 tablespoon difference between them).
I do hope this helps. Please let me know. And I’d be interested in your questions and thoughts about it.
very best regards,
Annalise
Hi Annalise,
What can I substitute for sweet rice flour in your recipes? I can’t get hold of any in the UK…
Thanks,
Julie
hi!
I would substitute half plain rice flour and half potato starch. The sweet rice adds a bit of softness to the dough that is hard to duplicate exactly, but a combination of these two flours should work, mostly because I only use a tiny bit of sweet rice flour in recipes that call for it. Please let me know how it works for you!
very best.
Annalise
Thanks – planning to make your challah which calls for it. Tried the babka today and it worked perfectly so well worth stocking up on flours which are tricky to get hold of! English muffins are next once the kids go to bed… I am like a kid in a candy store!
I am so glad you like the babka. The English muffin recipe is really easy and delicious. Hope you enjoy that one, too!
I have an old bread machine from before gluten free. Can I use it? If you think not, is there any other solution,besides buying another new ‘gadget’? Maybe having it cleaned with some sort of air pressure machine?
hi!
I would assume that if your machine was well used that it has a some wheat residue in it. The baking pan can certainly be cleaned no question there. And I guess you could somehow clean the inside of the whole machine so that you won’t make yourself sick, I’m just not 100% sure. Sadly, I think if it were me and I planned on making GF bread machine bread a lot, I’d get a new machine and give this one to my wheat eating friends who bake. If you are in the market and can swing it money wise, I really do think the Zojirushi makes a great GF bread.
Sorry I can’t give you a clean bill of health on using the old one. I try not to take chances with contamination when I can help it because there are so many other times when I just can’t be sure.
Very best,
Annalise