The gluten free item that I most often reach for is my homemade all-purpose flour mix. When I first started cooking gluten free foods I bought Gluten Free 101
After almost four years of cooking gluten free, I am amazed at how well this mix works in so many different recipes. When I make biscuits with this mix, they taste like biscuits. When I make pancakes, they taste like pancakes. I’ve even made onion rings with this! I know I’m a geek, but this really is exciting!
Since I use this mix so often, I usually make up a big batch and store it in a large canister so that it’s ready whenever I decide to bake. If you don’t think that you will use the flour often, then I suggest that you store it in the freezer so that the soy and brown rice flours do not spoil. Just be sure to let it come to room temperature if you’re going to make yeast bread.
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3 parts brown rice flour
3 parts corn starch
2 parts soy flour
1 part masa harina
I’ve given you this recipe in “parts” so that you can make as much or as little as you want. I usually use a 1 cup measure, so I end up with 3 c. brown rice, 3 c. cornstarch, 2 c. soy flour and 1. c. masa harina. However, I’ve also used a teaspoon measure when I needed just a little bit.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. (If you’re new to mixing flours, then you want to make sure that you don’t see any clumps or streaks of indiviual flours. By the time you’re done it should be one homogeneous bowl of flour.) Transfer the flour to a canister or other storage container. You’re done!
Be sure to check back in a couple of days for a lesson on making biscuits!
P.S. I’ve added some links to the recipe so that you can purchase the ingredients online if you cannot find them locally. Masa harina is a flour made from corn that has been boiled with lime and then ground and dried. I can usually find it in local grocery stores in the Hispanic food section .
Hi,
We are limited in the types of flours we can have – amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, arrowroot, tapioca, sorghum & corn. Both my husband & I can’t have yeast.
It’s tough finding GF bread/cracker because they all have
rice or soy that we can’t have.
Do you have suggestion for a flour mix that doesn’t have rice flour?
Thanks
Pei
Hi All
I cannot get the MASA HARINA ingredient for the all purpose flour here in nz.
What does this ingredient do? Can I miss it out?
Can I substitute something? If so what?
I would welcome the help
Kind regards J
I can completely sympathize with rfaulkner06…I assume you’re the “Rita” people have replied to? I had years and years of being half sick all the time. I would eat and have to run to the bathroom, not eat and still go to the bathroom. It got to where I didn’t want to make any plans unless I knew there was a private bathroom where I was going. I was diagnosed with IBS, which seems to me to be a kind of “we don’t know exactly what’s wrong, so here’s a label” diagnosis. Anyway, about 5 years ago I went to a nutritionist for some guidance on controlling my blood sugar, and she caught the gluten intolerance. We did an elimination diet, except all I eliminated was gluten, and within 2 weeks I felt better than I had felt since I was 9 years old! Well worth the time, effort, and money. Do I have Celiac’s? I don’t know, I’ve never had a biopsy done. But I do know that most days I feel good, which is enough for me. Stick with your efforts, be patient, be diligent (watch out for hidden gluten, modified food starch, etc., not to mention cross contamination) and you and your husband will feel better. And I agree about maybe being lactose intolerant. I’m not, but I call it “lactose annoyed”. If I have too much milk product over a couple days, my body lets me know it’s annoyed with me. Anyway, good luck!
hi
I want to thank you for all your hard work and for sharing.
My question is why do some people on a gluten free diet also go on a soy free diet? What is the deal with soy free. I eat soy yogurt due to the fact that it helps relieve my hot flashes.
Also what is casein free (did I spell that right)?
@Gloria: Great questions! Soy is actually one of the top 9 allergens in the U.S, so a lot of the requests for gluten and soy free recipes are from people that have issues with both foods. Other people do not eat soy because they don’t like the taste, or because they have read that is harmful.
Casein is a protein in cow milk,so all casein-free recipes do not contain any dairy products. Some people with autism respond favorable to a gluten free, casein-free diet. Milk is also one of the top 9 allergens, so a lot of people that are gluten free also have issues with dairy products, and so are on a gluten free, casein free diet.
Hi. I am new to this website and like it very much. I would like to know if you have a recipe for Cinnamon Breakfast Bread using Mary’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour blend? Thanks. Keep up the good work!!
My food sensitivities run rampant, and it is so hard to find recipes that omit things I can’t eat!
This recipe is very flexible; I have used rice, amaranth, spelt, and wheat flour. I have also used a variety of oils, as they are important, too. Here is the original recipe. (Be sure to follow directions.) My favorites are brown rice flour and olive oil. I don’t have the touch to make it really pretty, as it is kind of fragile and breaks. (Some of you talented cooks, help me with this.) However, I love the taste with my egg free, sugar free, soy free, mgm free, milk free, pumpkin pie! I haven’t tried it will my apple pie recipe, but will this week.
I like a 9.5″ pie pan, but you have more crust to work with in an 8″ pan. For pumpkin or apple pie, put filling in unbaked shell.
Pie Crust
1 c plus 2 T flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 c salad oil
2-3 T cold water
Shape dough into flattened ball. Place flattened dough between two 15 inch strips of waxed paper. (tape two together if needed. I have also used plastic wrap.)
Wipe table with wet cloth to prevent paper from slipping. Roll pastry 3″ larger than inverted pie pan. Peel off top paper. Place pastry, paper-side up, in pan. Peel off top paper. Ease pastry loosely into pan.
Trim 1″ from the rim of pan and fold excess under – even with pan. Flute edges.
Bake 12-15 minutes at 475 degrees.
@Kristen: IFor a cinnamon bread recipe, check Comment #105 on the Finally Good Sandwich Bread post – you can find a link to it in the right sidebar
How long can you store these type of flours in a airtight container?
I bought some tupperware ones at a garage sale thinking they might work! But, someone suggested putting it in the freezer if you don’t use it fast enough>? So, what is the rule of thumb,,,,,,,,,use it or freeze it by?
@Chelle: My rule of thumb is a couple of weeks in the pantry, a month in the refrigerator and 6 months in the freezer. I don’t know that there’s any science behind that though =)
Pei,
I have a cook book that would be a help to you. It lists many recipes with different kinds of flour in the same recipe! It also teaches on oils, egg replacement, and other problem issues. It is not hard to use, and has been very helpful to me. The book is “Allergy and Candida Cooking.” It is by Sondra Lewis with Dorie Fink. She discusses many health issues other than allergy and candida. My allergy clinic recommended it.
Sondra has allergies herself and is a scientist and a doctor. She has done a lot of research. He web site is http://www.canaryconnect.com. 319-338-3827 I have received personal emails from her.
About my pie recipe in #157, I discoverd something. This week I made it with Amaranth flour, rolled it between parchment paper, added a little more olive oil, until less crumbley, and baked it in an aluminum pan instead of glass. It worked super well!
About my pie recipe in #157, I discovered something. This week I made it with Amaranth flour, rolled it between parchment paper, added a little more olive oil, until less crumbley, and baked it in an aluminum pan instead of glass. It worked super well!
Rita,
Am thinking about your husband’s problem. Elemination diets may help, but not always, because sometimes it takes up to 48 hours for allergies to show up that way! Somethings are obvious, some are not.
When I was tested, they found 22 food sensitivities, many of which I had no idea.
One thing that is helpful is to leave out “anything you can’t pronounce” on the ingredients label. In other words, mixes are out, unless they are from the health food store, and then you have to read it carefully! These things don’t show up on a test, but are very real threats.
Praying for you, girl. There are answers, but sometimes it takes awhile to find them.
This chat room is an excellent place to start! Thanks to Mary Frances and many others, I have recently found solutions to problems that I had not found other places.
I close out now to prepare for my husbands birthday: Enchilladas and chocolate sour cream cake are on the menu. They are a lot of trouble and I cannot eat a bit of them! Girls, this is the hardest part of the whole situation for me. I will take out some meat and spices before I add the tomato sauce and then I will make mine with a rice tortilla with white cheese instead of colby. (I even like it now, but it took some getting used to!) There is no substitute for the cake, except that I made a banana bread recipe yesterday, so will at least have some dessert. Every meal that I fix is like this one; eating out or at pot luck dinners are are hard, too, and it really got to me at first. Then there are the “loving” doubters who think there is nothing to it, and I am just a fanatic.
I am so refreshed to read of all of your interest in hitting the problems head on and having a cheerful, thankful attitude that there can be solutions to the problems!
God bless you every one!
Alice #108
For yeast free recipes, see #161. Yeast is one of my big problems, both as an allergy and in Candida! There IS help, but lots of adjustments to make!
I just ordered a book called Gluten-Free Baking with The Culinary Institute of America by Richard J. Coppedge & Chookazian, George. I graduated from the CIA in 1977. I have wanted to take one of their gluten free baking courses for a few years now but they are always at an inopportune time and very expensive when you take into consideration lodging and food. I’ll let you know how the recipes work!
I have problems with all corn and potato products, as well as gluten and wheat, so I am looking for a bread recipe or all purpose flour recipe without corn or potato starch. Is there such a recipe?
Michelle,
Try 2 parts white rice, 2/3 part Sorghum flour, and 1/3 part tapioca flour.
I cannot use corn or wheat, either, so do know how hard it is to use a lot of GF recipes.
Gloria,
My problem with soy is that it puts me in the bed for about three days at a time. I also had an experience once thinking soy was good and was delighted to find a meal substitute. I was soooo sick, and called my doctor. He said to get off the soy immediately!
If you can do soy, count your blessings, as there are a lot more gluten free recipes with soy than without. Each of us has different things that we can tolerate or can’t.
May you find the foods that give you optimal health!
Someone was asking about sweetners, but am not finding the post right now. I use honey, sorghum, and agave for sweetners, for the same reasons you listed for not use other sweeteners.
I can not say I do not still miss sugar once in awhile. I do use Xylitol, but it must be the kind that does not have corn in it. I found that in Smart Sweet Xylitol on the net. It tastes a whole lot like sugar and can be used the same way, but I can get too much of it, so I just add a couple tablespoons. I often mix a couple tablespoons of Maple Syrup and a 1/4 cup of agave for sweetening. I am not sure these can activate yeast, but if I could eat yeast, I would sure give it a try!
Alice, have you checked out Mary Francis’s bread recipes on this site? She has a number of them, and they are a big help. Click on recipes, and you will find them.
Go to http://www.mercola.com and do a search on agave syrup. It’s high fructose corn syrup and should be avoided. I use xylitol, but your body has to build up to larger amounts, so have a bit each time and gradually increase, or you may have gastrointestinal discomfort. It’s alkaline, as well, for those who follow those guidelines and good for your teeth.
Oh, you scare me! I have his book on sweeteners and have paid alot of attention to what he says about them. I do not find agave on his site, so must be missing it. I see corn syrup.
The agave that I get at the health food store is organic made purely form salmiana variety of agave with no additives or preservatives in it. I am very sensitive to corn syrup, and have no problems with this agave.
Can you give more info on where to find the article? I want to know more about it, as do not want to play with fire! Thanks.
Pamela’s Pancake mix makes marvelous dumplings. I made the biscuit recipe on the bag, which is really simple. When my broth was boiling, I dropped the biscuit dough into it by spoonful and used the same time for biscuits, with lid on the pot. I Added the cooked chicken and then I took it off for a few minutes and served it.
I also put stuffing spices in one batch and doubled the liquid. I baked it in a small baking pan. It was tasty with chicken!
Anyone who has no problems with almonds or rice will love this mix, esp if you have tried other gluton free. Mary Frances has a link on this site for it.
Lori, please report on that book when you can. It sounds good.
What can be substituted for the soy flour? We use Bob’s Red Mil floursl, since it is local and they have a great gluten free facility – but their soy flour is not processed in their gluten free facility. When we asked them they noted that it is not used much in gluten baking and they don’t have the demand for it. Also, I would prefer to avoid soy with teenage girls in puberty.
[...] 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten free flour mix 1 Tbsp. baking powder 1 Tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. [...]
I cannot thank you all enough for the wonderful comments and experiments. We have been gluten free for all of less than a week and I have been feeling a little overwhelmed at all of the baking that has changed! I love to cook and bake and my girls do as well, but since both my daughter and I (and possibly my dh and other daughter) have gluten issues (just the 4 days and my daughter in particular has shown improvement. Today was the first day in 4 years that she has not had digestive issues) I was afraid we may have to use prepackaged mixes after all the years I tried to learn from scratch! THANK YOU!!!!!
I am new to gluten free, and while I have found much of this useful, I remain a little confused. What determines the ratios of the flours? Are there sets that are interchangeable, but others that are not? (As in, sorghum can sub for soy, but not for rice?) On hand already I have rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, coconut flour and fine corn meal. Is there a usable blend somewhere in there?
Thanks!
First time here….love it!!! All posts where very helpful. I’m looking for a flour blend for dumplings (w/a Chicken & Dumplings receipt
. Not the ‘drop dumpling’ type,
roll-out the dough and cut into squares type. Some people call it ‘Chicken & Pastry’. My mother & grandmother made the best. Both have passed away and I never learned to make it.
Just for info purposes, my son has eczema that is GREATLY worsened if he has rice. However, we have found that he has NO problem what so ever eating ORGANIC rice. I have also discovered that he is gluten intolerant, and have had great success with a gluten free diet. Searching for gluten free products with organic rice flour in them has been a difficult journey, though. Someone sent me instructions online about how to make my own rice flour today, and I’m definitely going to give it a try!
http://hubpages.com/hub/An-illustrated-Guide-to-Making-Rice-Flour
I’m curious about his flour mix. I am trying to do the sugar cookie recipe. How much Xanthan gum should I use?
Hola from Mexico,
I am an expat (just found out I am lactose and gluten intolerant) that is looking for a gluten free sour dough bread recipe ………. I thought I saw a comment a couple days ago that someone made this and without using sour dough starter…. ??? I went through the comments again today and I obviously missed it.
I would really appreciate having this and making it for myself.
By the way this is a great site and have gotten so much help from this place.
Just wanted to encourage everyone to consider using a nutrimill grain mill. I love mine and it has been extremely useful in making my own bean and rice flours. I’ve noticed that my fresh ground bean flour (navy bean) began to get “beany” tasting about 4 days after being ground. But using 1/2 bean flour and 1/2 rice flour in place of all purpose flour and then just following a regular pancake recipe–oh my, the results were incredible. Looking forward to trying your tortills recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
i would like to make my gluten free sister the same dessert as for everyone else. 1 inch dense white cake, chocolate ganache, white chocolate raspberry mousse, chocolate ganache. will this flour work? also there are 2 tsp cornstarch in the mousse. will that be a problem?
Hello Mary! Love your site =)
To anyone that cannot eat soy or other foods:
I would recommend almond, oat or quinoa to substitute the soy flour in Marys Mix. If you are have problems with soy, potato, rice, corn, etc you should also try and see if organic helps. Me and my son have celiac’s disease and an intolerance to soy, so even organic soy doesn’t make it better for us :/ But I have a friend who can only eat organic soy, if the soy isn’t organic she has a ton of problems.
Eliminating soy and gluten worked wonders for us but we did continue to have problems with eczema and bouts of upset stomach. So I tried buying organic veggies and fruits especially potatoes and now we are eczema and tummy ache free.
Through the years I have realized that pesticides, chemicals, fungicides, etc are the main culprit of me and my sons intestinal problems and eczema. Organic can be pricey but some foods carry more toxins then others. Here is a list of foods that is on my top list of organic foods. http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods
Jay in NZ: If you would like me to mail you some Masa Harina, please say. I am a Texan of Kiwi descent, so I do sympathise very much! Here in Texas, Masa Harina is a very, very common food item.
Let me know. I too, have coeliac, and I know it’s challenging enough without being able to find some food items!! Cheers, mate.
Kind regards,
xo
Jude
Random Question… I have noticed that most recipes for call for Rice Flour, Soy Flour or Corn Flour. Unfortunately, I am allergic to those items. I try to avoid them as much as possible. Any ideas for substituting them in your recipes would be a welcome relief.
Thanks for all of your hard work!
Hi,
I have been working on a wonderful GF flatbread using ancient grains for a long time and am now starting my own company calle Zema’s Madhouse Foods, inc. I have a line of GF flatbreads(soft and chewy) and will be coming out with baking mizes in a few months. My breads are yeast free, soy free, dairy free, rice free, and are a great source of protein, omega’s and complez carbs. I started this business due to my kids(I have 5) adhd, as well as my husband. They love them. You can contact me at jill@zemasflatbread.com and I can try to help you with some options.
[...] letter. To make the bread, you need to make up a batch of their all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, here, and then add basic bread ingredients that go in most breads. The one item that’s a little [...]
I reside in Canberra, Australia and there’s a bakery right near me that is entirely grain-free (they use no grains/grain derivatives in any products on premises). I’m allergic to soy as well as coeliac, and finding alternatives has been hard. The aforementioned bakery, however, sells a few items that are soy free as well including rolls which contain water, quinoa, tapioca, sugar, canola oil, salt, sesame seeds and guar gum. Their products are delicious!
From here, there has been greater awareness now for individuals with multiple allergies and additional requirements as well as coeliac disease.
I guess this is no help to you, I’m sorry. Haven’t been to the States for a while but I’d hope things are steadily getting easier over there, too.