Families make the move away from wheat for many reasons. One may be digestive problems and other symptoms due to intolerance or allergies. Another is coeliac disease, a dangerous and often painful condition caused by serious intolerance to gluten. Though wheat is not its only source, gluten free recipes will necessarily be wheat free.
They will not feature barley, spelt or kamut either. All of these contain gluten, but they would be safe for people avoiding just wheat. When baking or cooking for sensitive individuals, check all ingredients. Stock cupboards with gluten free baking powder, and watch out for baking mixes.
The safest option is to stock your own cupboards from scratch. One of the first things a gluten free baker needs is some kind of gel to hold ingredients together in place of gluten. Options include guar gum, xanthum gum and pre-gel starch, all of which can be found at health food stores or even on-line. Check with your local grocery store where you may locate some of these, or even ask for them to be brought in. Wheat allergies are on the rise so look for supermarkets to become more sensitive to this trend in the products they stock.
Your choice of safe flours is actually quite long. Amaranth, tapioca and potato are just some. Compare them with all-purpose flour and see the difference. Regular wheat flour has a lighter, less grainy texture than rice flour for example.
Because of this density, recipes will come out heavier than with traditional ingredients. Rice flour, for example, will also feature a grainy quality that takes some getting used to. Lightening the result requires some experimentation.
Certain tricks help give rise to bread products. One of these is especially popular with kids. Make sure you use a large bowl when combining yogurt with baking powder. The acid in yogurt reacts with baking powder, causing the mixture to bubble and rise. After a few minutes, transfer this brew to your muffins and fold in gently to see a tall, light result. In place of yogurt consumers can try using sour cream, buttermilk or soured milk in the same way.
Thankfully, many of your favorite recipes will require little or no adjustment. Just be careful when thickening sauces or puddings. Another potential for trouble arises when coating chicken pieces or making hamburger dishes such as meatloaf or meat balls. Instead of bread crumbs, be sure to substitute either special bread or corn and rice-based cereals. When dredging your meat prior to cooking, select from your many gluten free flours.
Some gluten free recipes can taste horrible as I’m sure you’ll know if you have a gluten intolerance. Allergydiet.co.uk provide a range of gluten free recipes, including gluten free bread recipes that have become extremely popular, purely on the strength of the recipes themselves.
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I have been hearing about coconut flour. Could that be used as a gluten free substitute?