March 6, 2025 • 18 mins
Have you ever tried baking gluten-free bread, only to have it turn out dense and dry? Or made cookies that crumbled apart the second you picked them up? If you’ve struggled with gluten-free baking, you’re not alone!
Baking without gluten is completely different from traditional baking, but the good news? With the right ingredients, techniques, and a few simple tricks, you can make delicious, soft, and fluffy gluten-free bread, cakes, and cookies—without frustration.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing my best gluten-free baking tips to help you avoid the common pitfalls and achieve bakery-worthy results at home. Whether you’re brand new to gluten-free baking or just looking to improve your recipes, this episode is packed with game-changing advice!
Save money, and no more guessing for dinner! Use code GFE to get 20% off annual membership at thedinnerdaily.com. Plan meals for less than $4/month and save money at the grocery store!
Come join us in our free Facebook Community, The Gluten Free Engineer.
It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carrie Saunders (00:00):
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode this podcast is based onmy personal experiences and
isn't medical advice.
Have you ever tried bakinggluten-free bread, only to have
it turn out dense and dry, ormade cookies that crumbled apart
the second you picked them up?
If you've struggled withgluten-free baking, you're not
alone.
Baking without gluten iscompletely different from
(00:22):
traditional baking.
But the good news With theright ingredients, techniques
and a few simple tricks, you canmake delicious, soft and fluffy
gluten-free bread, cakes andcookies without frustration and,
many times, without yourfriends even knowing it's
gluten-free.
In today's episode, I'm sharingsome of my best you know first
steps and simple tips atgluten-free baking to help you
(00:43):
avoid the common pitfalls whenyou're making those common
things that you want to make,like breads and cookies and
cakes, to make bake-worthyresults.
Whether you're brand new togluten-free baking or just
looking to improve your recipes,these tips are going to help
you avoid those common pitfallsthat many of us, including
myself, have fallen into in thefirst experimentations of their
(01:04):
gluten-free baking.
Welcome to the Gluten-FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, k Saunders.
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything, but I wasdetermined not to let it hold me
back.
With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer
the gluten-free lifestyle,breaking down recipes, safety
(01:25):
tips, travel hacks andeverything in between to rebuild
a life I love.
Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply
choose to live gluten-free, thispodcast is for you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
lifestyle, make it fun and provethat you don't have to miss out
on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
(01:45):
Today we are talking Baking 101.
We're talking some of thesimplest tips that you will need
to make sure that you are doinga successful job at baking
without gluten.
So why is gluten-free baking sodifferent?
Gluten is a structure builderin traditional baking.
It gives bread its elasticityand helps cakes stay soft and
(02:06):
fluffy.
Without gluten, baking tends tobe denser, drier and more
crumbly, but the right flourblends and techniques can make
all the difference.
So, first off, we want tochoose the right gluten-free
flour blend.
Single gluten-free flours don'twork the same way as wheat
flour, so you will need to use ablend.
(02:28):
There are a couple main optionsand if you're just starting out
baking gluten-free or you wantto make it just simpler, simply
stated, really, you can getstore-bought gluten-free flour
blends such as Bob's Red Mill 1to 1.
King Arthur also has a 1 to 1.
Cup for Cup is also a great 1for 1, etc.
(02:49):
So as long as it's a 1 for 1,arrow Mills is also here we have
that one here.
That's another great 1 for 1blend.
I believe Pamela's brand has a1 for 1 too.
Those are easy and reliable formost recipes.
So what does it mean to have agluten-free flour blend that's
one-to-one?
The intention of theseone-to-one pre-made blends is to
(03:12):
have that binder in it, thatreplacement gluten in it, to
make sure that your bread, yourcakes and your cookies turn out
similarly to what a glutenversion of the recipe would turn
out.
They have something in it likeeither xanthan gum or psyllium
husk and that replaces thatgluten binder and helps build
(03:35):
the structure behind the flour.
Now if you want to do ityourself and do your own flour
blend, you want to have acombination of several flours.
First you want to pick about50% of your flour base should be
a whole grain flour, somethinglike brown rice flour, sorghum
flour or oat flour.
(03:56):
This gives it flavor andstructure.
And then 25% of your blendshould be a starchy flour, such
as tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot.
That helps give it the softnessthat you're going to want in
your produced result.
And then about 25% needs to bebinding agencies, so something
(04:17):
like xanthan gum, psyllium husk,ground flaxseed.
This replaces gluten'selasticity in the flour blend,
so we'll put that in our shownotes in case you can't remember
.
But it's 50% whole grain, 25%starchy flour and 25% binding
agency.
Now, personally for me, when Iam doing gluten-free baking I've
(04:37):
done years and years and yearsof gluten-free baking I have
found generally that theone-to-one flour blend is going
to work in almost all cases thatyou need.
When I don't use one-to-oneflour blends is when I'm doing
sourdough baking and sourdoughwork.
That's the one time I will makethe exception and go buy all
(04:59):
the different types of floursand blend them together and you
know produce what I'm trying tointend for the sourdough recipe
and I trying to intend for thesourdough recipe, and I'll come
up with some sourdough recipesthat we will have either in the
podcast, on the YouTube channelor on our website,
theglutenfreeengineercom.
So look for those.
They will be coming soon.
So just note, most of the time,if you want it simple, use that
(05:21):
one-to-one flour blend.
Pick the one that's yourfavorite.
I personally use Bob's red mealthe most.
Um, I do like the other onestoo.
They're also good.
And one little tip here too ifyou're wanting to make like egg
noodles, bob's red meal is finefor that.
But if you like a bit more of achewier, um egg noodle and I'll
put up my egg noodle recipe tooon our website um, I like the
(05:45):
arrow meal one of that onebetter, because it produced a
bit more of a chewy texture toit, had a little bit more bite
to it.
So just note they all are goingto act a little bit differently
, so experiment with it and havefun.
Now there is a secret to softand moist gluten-free cakes, and
on our YouTube channel we havea delicious lemon curd cake and
(06:06):
coming very soon I have itproduced, but we're getting
ready to release.
It is my best ever chocolatecake.
I mean, I have people who arenot celiac, not gluten-free,
coming back for more bites ofthis chocolate cake.
It is so divine, but there'ssome secrets to it, and one of
them is hydration.
Hydration is the key, becausegluten-free flour blends absorb
(06:29):
more liquid than wheat flour.
So many times the recipes.
If you're looking at a specificgluten-free recipe, you're
going to see more liquid in itthan if you looked at a similar
recipe that was not forgluten-free baking.
You can also add extra eggs,milk, yogurt or applesauce to
help prevent dryness when you'rebaking, and some suggest
(06:51):
letting the batter rest for 15to 30 minutes before baking,
allowing the flour to fullyabsorb the liquid and creating a
better texture.
In the recipes that I use, Idon't find this part necessary,
but it is definitely a great tipto consider.
If you're turning a glutenrecipe into a gluten-free one
and you're finding that it's notquite the results you want,
(07:13):
maybe let it rest for 15 to 30minutes before you start baking
it.
Now, when we're makinggluten-free cookies, we want to
use a mix of flours.
Too much starch makes brittlecookies, so a blend of flours is
great.
Some like to use a blend withalmond flour in it or oat flour
to add chewiness.
I find that the Bob's Red Mill1-to-1 makes great chocolate
(07:38):
chip cookies, but the tip here,though, is to make sure you
chill your dough for at least 30minutes for baking.
That helps improve texture, andyou may want to bake at a
slightly lower temperature, andone thing I have found,
particularly with Bob's Red Milland baking cookies is that it's
not going to get that goldenbrown that you would expect with
(08:00):
a normal wheat floured cookie.
I find that they're done beforeyou realize they're done.
So make sure you're checking theedges of the cookies when
you're baking cookies likechocolate chip cookies, because
they may not brown.
It's going to depend upon theflour blends you use as to how
much they're going to brown.
Some are going to brown morethan others.
(08:20):
The Bob's Red Mill, in myexperience, doesn't brown very
much and actually one time myyoungest son and his girlfriend
made gluten-free chocolate chipcookies and they over browned
the bottoms because she was usedto baking with regular flour
and was waiting to see thembrown some and he didn't know
the tip that I had there.
So they made them a little bitcrunchier than usual because
(08:41):
they were a little bit overbaked.
So just note that.
Experiment with it, you know.
Just write notes on yourrecipes.
I do this all the time.
I did this the other day when Imade focaccia bread.
I wrote on it it needs moresalt.
I had a great recipe.
I don't even think it was agluten-free recipe.
I converted it to gluten-free.
And just make some notes onyour recipes when you're doing
(09:01):
them, when something doesn't goquite right.
Now, gluten free bread that's abit of a different horse that
we're talking about here.
Don't expect the dough on glutenfree bread to look like regular
bread dough.
I have an excellent pull apartroll recipe that we will be
putting on the website, and whenyou are making that dough and
(09:27):
I'm actually going to make aYouTube video on it as well at
some point it's going to be morelike batter.
It's going to be so much wetterit looks really odd.
If you're used to gluten bakingbefore you realize you had to
go gluten free, it's going tolook really odd.
It's pasty, it's more batter,it's like a really thick pancake
batter almost.
(09:47):
But trust me, it'll work.
And you want to use a highprotein flour mix when you're
baking with bread many timessomething with psyllium husk or
xanthan gum to add that stretchto it, and some recipes you're
going to want to let the doughrise a little bit longer than
usual.
Gluten-free dough sometimesneeds a little extra time to
develop the structure.
(10:08):
Now I will caution you.
If you want to use a breadmachine to make gluten-free
sandwich bread, for example,make sure your bread machine has
a gluten-free setting on it.
I know sometimes people think,oh, that's just, you know a
sales tactic to have agluten-free setting on it.
I know sometimes people think,oh, that's just, you know a
sales tactic to have agluten-free setting on something
.
But it's actually there onpurpose for bread machines.
(10:28):
So when you're baking withtraditional bread you're going
to need it typically twice.
With gluten-free bread, if youneed it more than once then it's
going to get tough and just notbe good.
So the gluten-free breadsetting on a bread machine knows
well it knows that because it'sbeen programmed to do that, but
it knows to only need it once.
(10:50):
So it's only going to need yourbread once in your bread
machine.
And this is talking abouttraditional bread, not like
dessert breads.
Dessert breads fall more intothe cake category.
So just note that when you'reusing dough for bread, when
you're gluten-free baking, it isjust looks totally different.
(11:10):
Now I do find that sourdoughbread and I'm going to have a
bunch of resources on thiseventually it looks a little bit
more traditional than, say,what I made with the focaccia
bread the other day and um, thepull apart rolls, where it looks
more battery and paste like um,but the gluten-free sourdough
(11:30):
baking looks a bit more normal,but you're also using all kinds
of different flour blends andthings like that.
It's.
It's definitely another episodein and of itself because sour,
and maybe multiple episodesbecause sourdough baking.
Well, it's not impossible withgluten-free baking.
It is definitely a lot moresteps and a lot more things to
consider.
(11:51):
So Some of the common things weneed to avoid, some common
mistakes we need to avoid whengluten-free baking is, don't use
only one type of flour, so youcan't just go out and get you
know sweet rice flour or whiterice flour for that matter and
use it to bake and replace it.
You need a blend for a bettertexture, as well as that gluten
(12:13):
binding agent in it.
You need to have that bindingagent in it, and skipping that
binding agent definitely don'tdo that.
We need to make sure we havexanthan gum or psyllium husk.
It's essential for structure.
Now, one other tip that I justthought of too, speaking about
white rice flour.
There are two different typesof white rice flours and this is
a little bit more of anadvanced tip, but I want to
(12:34):
throw this in here because it'simportant.
If you are following a recipeand it says sweet rice flour,
make sure you do not use justwhite rice flour.
The sweet rice flour has beenprocessed a bit more and
differently and it is stickierand more gluten-like, honestly.
(12:54):
So whenever it calls for sweetrice flour, make sure you find a
bag of sweet rice flour,because they have both in the
store.
What I do here's a money-savingtip too.
Say I'm making noodles orsomething like that, I'll use a
plain white rice flour as thedusting agent.
Say you're making a pie, youknow crust or something like
(13:16):
that, use the cheaper flour,like the white rice flour, not
the sweet rice flour that's moreexpensive.
Use a plain white rice flour asyour dusting agent whenever you
want to make sure something'snot sticking.
So there's a little saving tipthere.
Okay, let's go back to ourcommon mistakes we want to avoid
.
First, we said, using only onetype of flour.
Make sure you use a blend veryimportant, don't skip the
(13:37):
binding agency.
And of flour, make sure you usea blend Very important, don't
skip the binding agency.
And then next, make sure you'remeasuring your flour correctly.
Spoon and level instead ofscooping to avoid dryness.
You'll get a lot more flour ifyou scoop it.
You also can measure by weightinstead, which also can be a
better tip, better way to dobaking, a better tip to do if
(13:58):
possible, if you have thatavailable as far as the recipe
goes, and then make sure youadjust the baking time to what
you and your instinct says.
So sometimes you need to bakeit a little longer, sometimes
you need to bake it a littleshorter.
Sometimes you need it, like, ifyou're in US measurements, 25
degrees lower.
I can't do that conversion forCelsius in my head, but 25
(14:23):
degrees Fahrenheit a bit lowersometimes we want.
So those of you across theocean can hopefully convert that
to Celsius.
I think that's about 10 or12-ish degrees difference.
So make sure that you areplaying with the temperature too
.
I usually always try a recipethe way it's written the first
time and then I adjust basedupon my experience, whether it
(14:45):
needs a little bit lowertemperature, a little bit longer
bake.
So don't be discouraged andjust try again.
I couldn't tell you how manytimes I tried to make
gluten-free rolls.
I think it was five times orsix times.
I kept making hockey pucks, soI will definitely give you guys
the recipe to that, but I didn'tgive up.
I finally found a recipe thatworked and, oh my goodness,
(15:07):
people come back for seconds andnon-gluten-free people.
They absolutely love it.
So that's another tip thereDon't give up.
Always retry If you mess up.
Feel free to join our freefacebook group.
Just search for the gluten-freeengineer on facebook and we'll
have a link to it on our thegluten-free engineercom website.
You're always welcome to jumpin there and ask questions, say
(15:28):
hey, here's my recipe and thisis how it turned out.
I don't know what I did wrong.
You know we'll all jump inthere and help you out.
There's a lot ofgluten-freefree people in there
who've been gluten-free for avery long time and have lots of
experience.
So make sure you jump into ourcommunity and get all the help
you need there.
So some key takeawaysGluten-free baking doesn't have
(15:48):
to be complicated.
With the right flour blends,extra moisture and a few simple
tricks and really listening toyour instinct, you can create
delicious bakery quality bread,cakes and cookies at home.
I know my friends and familyjoke and say I need to open up
my own restaurant, but that'snot something that's in my heart
.
I'd rather help and teach otherpeople to do their own
(16:11):
wonderful baking and experiment.
Don't be afraid to try newblends or new brands and, most
importantly, have fun with it.
This is a life, is just aprocess and a journey, and we
don't want to get discouraged,even though sometimes
gluten-free baking can befrustrating.
We don't want to getdiscouraged and we want to just
have hope and faith that we'regoing to figure this out,
(16:33):
because I know I had to havethat in the early years and I
certainly did so.
Hopefully all of my tips willhelp you out to be successful in
your gluten-free baking.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten-Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
someone who might needencouragement on their own
(16:55):
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineercom.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an
episode and we will see you nextweek.
(17:15):
The Gluten-Free Engineerpodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten-free lifestyle.
This podcast does not provide amedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
medical questions, concerns oradvice specific to your health.
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode this podcast is based onmy personal experiences and
isn't medical advice.
Have you ever tried bakinggluten-free bread, only to have
it turn out dense and dry, ormade cookies that crumbled apart
the second you picked them up?
If you've struggled withgluten-free baking, you're not
alone.
Baking without gluten iscompletely different from
(00:22):
traditional baking.
But the good news With theright ingredients, techniques
and a few simple tricks, you canmake delicious, soft and fluffy
gluten-free bread, cakes andcookies without frustration and,
many times, without yourfriends even knowing it's
gluten-free.
In today's episode, I'm sharingsome of my best you know first
steps and simple tips atgluten-free baking to help you
(00:43):
avoid the common pitfalls whenyou're making those common
things that you want to make,like breads and cookies and
cakes, to make bake-worthyresults.
Whether you're brand new togluten-free baking or just
looking to improve your recipes,these tips are going to help
you avoid those common pitfallsthat many of us, including
myself, have fallen into in thefirst experimentations of their
(01:04):
gluten-free baking.
Welcome to the Gluten-FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, k Saunders.
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything, but I wasdetermined not to let it hold me
back.
With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer
the gluten-free lifestyle,breaking down recipes, safety
(01:25):
tips, travel hacks andeverything in between to rebuild
a life I love.
Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply
choose to live gluten-free, thispodcast is for you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
lifestyle, make it fun and provethat you don't have to miss out
on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
(01:45):
Today we are talking Baking 101.
We're talking some of thesimplest tips that you will need
to make sure that you are doinga successful job at baking
without gluten.
So why is gluten-free baking sodifferent?
Gluten is a structure builderin traditional baking.
It gives bread its elasticityand helps cakes stay soft and
(02:06):
fluffy.
Without gluten, baking tends tobe denser, drier and more
crumbly, but the right flourblends and techniques can make
all the difference.
So, first off, we want tochoose the right gluten-free
flour blend.
Single gluten-free flours don'twork the same way as wheat
flour, so you will need to use ablend.
(02:28):
There are a couple main optionsand if you're just starting out
baking gluten-free or you wantto make it just simpler, simply
stated, really, you can getstore-bought gluten-free flour
blends such as Bob's Red Mill 1to 1.
King Arthur also has a 1 to 1.
Cup for Cup is also a great 1for 1, etc.
(02:49):
So as long as it's a 1 for 1,arrow Mills is also here we have
that one here.
That's another great 1 for 1blend.
I believe Pamela's brand has a1 for 1 too.
Those are easy and reliable formost recipes.
So what does it mean to have agluten-free flour blend that's
one-to-one?
The intention of theseone-to-one pre-made blends is to
(03:12):
have that binder in it, thatreplacement gluten in it, to
make sure that your bread, yourcakes and your cookies turn out
similarly to what a glutenversion of the recipe would turn
out.
They have something in it likeeither xanthan gum or psyllium
husk and that replaces thatgluten binder and helps build
(03:35):
the structure behind the flour.
Now if you want to do ityourself and do your own flour
blend, you want to have acombination of several flours.
First you want to pick about50% of your flour base should be
a whole grain flour, somethinglike brown rice flour, sorghum
flour or oat flour.
(03:56):
This gives it flavor andstructure.
And then 25% of your blendshould be a starchy flour, such
as tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot.
That helps give it the softnessthat you're going to want in
your produced result.
And then about 25% needs to bebinding agencies, so something
(04:17):
like xanthan gum, psyllium husk,ground flaxseed.
This replaces gluten'selasticity in the flour blend,
so we'll put that in our shownotes in case you can't remember
.
But it's 50% whole grain, 25%starchy flour and 25% binding
agency.
Now, personally for me, when Iam doing gluten-free baking I've
(04:37):
done years and years and yearsof gluten-free baking I have
found generally that theone-to-one flour blend is going
to work in almost all cases thatyou need.
When I don't use one-to-oneflour blends is when I'm doing
sourdough baking and sourdoughwork.
That's the one time I will makethe exception and go buy all
(04:59):
the different types of floursand blend them together and you
know produce what I'm trying tointend for the sourdough recipe
and I trying to intend for thesourdough recipe, and I'll come
up with some sourdough recipesthat we will have either in the
podcast, on the YouTube channelor on our website,
theglutenfreeengineercom.
So look for those.
They will be coming soon.
So just note, most of the time,if you want it simple, use that
(05:21):
one-to-one flour blend.
Pick the one that's yourfavorite.
I personally use Bob's red mealthe most.
Um, I do like the other onestoo.
They're also good.
And one little tip here too ifyou're wanting to make like egg
noodles, bob's red meal is finefor that.
But if you like a bit more of achewier, um egg noodle and I'll
put up my egg noodle recipe tooon our website um, I like the
(05:45):
arrow meal one of that onebetter, because it produced a
bit more of a chewy texture toit, had a little bit more bite
to it.
So just note they all are goingto act a little bit differently
, so experiment with it and havefun.
Now there is a secret to softand moist gluten-free cakes, and
on our YouTube channel we havea delicious lemon curd cake and
(06:06):
coming very soon I have itproduced, but we're getting
ready to release.
It is my best ever chocolatecake.
I mean, I have people who arenot celiac, not gluten-free,
coming back for more bites ofthis chocolate cake.
It is so divine, but there'ssome secrets to it, and one of
them is hydration.
Hydration is the key, becausegluten-free flour blends absorb
(06:29):
more liquid than wheat flour.
So many times the recipes.
If you're looking at a specificgluten-free recipe, you're
going to see more liquid in itthan if you looked at a similar
recipe that was not forgluten-free baking.
You can also add extra eggs,milk, yogurt or applesauce to
help prevent dryness when you'rebaking, and some suggest
(06:51):
letting the batter rest for 15to 30 minutes before baking,
allowing the flour to fullyabsorb the liquid and creating a
better texture.
In the recipes that I use, Idon't find this part necessary,
but it is definitely a great tipto consider.
If you're turning a glutenrecipe into a gluten-free one
and you're finding that it's notquite the results you want,
(07:13):
maybe let it rest for 15 to 30minutes before you start baking
it.
Now, when we're makinggluten-free cookies, we want to
use a mix of flours.
Too much starch makes brittlecookies, so a blend of flours is
great.
Some like to use a blend withalmond flour in it or oat flour
to add chewiness.
I find that the Bob's Red Mill1-to-1 makes great chocolate
(07:38):
chip cookies, but the tip here,though, is to make sure you
chill your dough for at least 30minutes for baking.
That helps improve texture, andyou may want to bake at a
slightly lower temperature, andone thing I have found,
particularly with Bob's Red Milland baking cookies is that it's
not going to get that goldenbrown that you would expect with
(08:00):
a normal wheat floured cookie.
I find that they're done beforeyou realize they're done.
So make sure you're checking theedges of the cookies when
you're baking cookies likechocolate chip cookies, because
they may not brown.
It's going to depend upon theflour blends you use as to how
much they're going to brown.
Some are going to brown morethan others.
(08:20):
The Bob's Red Mill, in myexperience, doesn't brown very
much and actually one time myyoungest son and his girlfriend
made gluten-free chocolate chipcookies and they over browned
the bottoms because she was usedto baking with regular flour
and was waiting to see thembrown some and he didn't know
the tip that I had there.
So they made them a little bitcrunchier than usual because
(08:41):
they were a little bit overbaked.
So just note that.
Experiment with it, you know.
Just write notes on yourrecipes.
I do this all the time.
I did this the other day when Imade focaccia bread.
I wrote on it it needs moresalt.
I had a great recipe.
I don't even think it was agluten-free recipe.
I converted it to gluten-free.
And just make some notes onyour recipes when you're doing
(09:01):
them, when something doesn't goquite right.
Now, gluten free bread that's abit of a different horse that
we're talking about here.
Don't expect the dough on glutenfree bread to look like regular
bread dough.
I have an excellent pull apartroll recipe that we will be
putting on the website, and whenyou are making that dough and
(09:27):
I'm actually going to make aYouTube video on it as well at
some point it's going to be morelike batter.
It's going to be so much wetterit looks really odd.
If you're used to gluten bakingbefore you realize you had to
go gluten free, it's going tolook really odd.
It's pasty, it's more batter,it's like a really thick pancake
batter almost.
(09:47):
But trust me, it'll work.
And you want to use a highprotein flour mix when you're
baking with bread many timessomething with psyllium husk or
xanthan gum to add that stretchto it, and some recipes you're
going to want to let the doughrise a little bit longer than
usual.
Gluten-free dough sometimesneeds a little extra time to
develop the structure.
(10:08):
Now I will caution you.
If you want to use a breadmachine to make gluten-free
sandwich bread, for example,make sure your bread machine has
a gluten-free setting on it.
I know sometimes people think,oh, that's just, you know a
sales tactic to have agluten-free setting on it.
I know sometimes people think,oh, that's just, you know a
sales tactic to have agluten-free setting on something
.
But it's actually there onpurpose for bread machines.
(10:28):
So when you're baking withtraditional bread you're going
to need it typically twice.
With gluten-free bread, if youneed it more than once then it's
going to get tough and just notbe good.
So the gluten-free breadsetting on a bread machine knows
well it knows that because it'sbeen programmed to do that, but
it knows to only need it once.
(10:50):
So it's only going to need yourbread once in your bread
machine.
And this is talking abouttraditional bread, not like
dessert breads.
Dessert breads fall more intothe cake category.
So just note that when you'reusing dough for bread, when
you're gluten-free baking, it isjust looks totally different.
(11:10):
Now I do find that sourdoughbread and I'm going to have a
bunch of resources on thiseventually it looks a little bit
more traditional than, say,what I made with the focaccia
bread the other day and um, thepull apart rolls, where it looks
more battery and paste like um,but the gluten-free sourdough
(11:30):
baking looks a bit more normal,but you're also using all kinds
of different flour blends andthings like that.
It's.
It's definitely another episodein and of itself because sour,
and maybe multiple episodesbecause sourdough baking.
Well, it's not impossible withgluten-free baking.
It is definitely a lot moresteps and a lot more things to
consider.
(11:51):
So Some of the common things weneed to avoid, some common
mistakes we need to avoid whengluten-free baking is, don't use
only one type of flour, so youcan't just go out and get you
know sweet rice flour or whiterice flour for that matter and
use it to bake and replace it.
You need a blend for a bettertexture, as well as that gluten
(12:13):
binding agent in it.
You need to have that bindingagent in it, and skipping that
binding agent definitely don'tdo that.
We need to make sure we havexanthan gum or psyllium husk.
It's essential for structure.
Now, one other tip that I justthought of too, speaking about
white rice flour.
There are two different typesof white rice flours and this is
a little bit more of anadvanced tip, but I want to
(12:34):
throw this in here because it'simportant.
If you are following a recipeand it says sweet rice flour,
make sure you do not use justwhite rice flour.
The sweet rice flour has beenprocessed a bit more and
differently and it is stickierand more gluten-like, honestly.
(12:54):
So whenever it calls for sweetrice flour, make sure you find a
bag of sweet rice flour,because they have both in the
store.
What I do here's a money-savingtip too.
Say I'm making noodles orsomething like that, I'll use a
plain white rice flour as thedusting agent.
Say you're making a pie, youknow crust or something like
(13:16):
that, use the cheaper flour,like the white rice flour, not
the sweet rice flour that's moreexpensive.
Use a plain white rice flour asyour dusting agent whenever you
want to make sure something'snot sticking.
So there's a little saving tipthere.
Okay, let's go back to ourcommon mistakes we want to avoid
.
First, we said, using only onetype of flour.
Make sure you use a blend veryimportant, don't skip the
(13:37):
binding agency.
And of flour, make sure you usea blend Very important, don't
skip the binding agency.
And then next, make sure you'remeasuring your flour correctly.
Spoon and level instead ofscooping to avoid dryness.
You'll get a lot more flour ifyou scoop it.
You also can measure by weightinstead, which also can be a
better tip, better way to dobaking, a better tip to do if
(13:58):
possible, if you have thatavailable as far as the recipe
goes, and then make sure youadjust the baking time to what
you and your instinct says.
So sometimes you need to bakeit a little longer, sometimes
you need to bake it a littleshorter.
Sometimes you need it, like, ifyou're in US measurements, 25
degrees lower.
I can't do that conversion forCelsius in my head, but 25
(14:23):
degrees Fahrenheit a bit lowersometimes we want.
So those of you across theocean can hopefully convert that
to Celsius.
I think that's about 10 or12-ish degrees difference.
So make sure that you areplaying with the temperature too
.
I usually always try a recipethe way it's written the first
time and then I adjust basedupon my experience, whether it
(14:45):
needs a little bit lowertemperature, a little bit longer
bake.
So don't be discouraged andjust try again.
I couldn't tell you how manytimes I tried to make
gluten-free rolls.
I think it was five times orsix times.
I kept making hockey pucks, soI will definitely give you guys
the recipe to that, but I didn'tgive up.
I finally found a recipe thatworked and, oh my goodness,
(15:07):
people come back for seconds andnon-gluten-free people.
They absolutely love it.
So that's another tip thereDon't give up.
Always retry If you mess up.
Feel free to join our freefacebook group.
Just search for the gluten-freeengineer on facebook and we'll
have a link to it on our thegluten-free engineercom website.
You're always welcome to jumpin there and ask questions, say
(15:28):
hey, here's my recipe and thisis how it turned out.
I don't know what I did wrong.
You know we'll all jump inthere and help you out.
There's a lot ofgluten-freefree people in there
who've been gluten-free for avery long time and have lots of
experience.
So make sure you jump into ourcommunity and get all the help
you need there.
So some key takeawaysGluten-free baking doesn't have
(15:48):
to be complicated.
With the right flour blends,extra moisture and a few simple
tricks and really listening toyour instinct, you can create
delicious bakery quality bread,cakes and cookies at home.
I know my friends and familyjoke and say I need to open up
my own restaurant, but that'snot something that's in my heart
.
I'd rather help and teach otherpeople to do their own
(16:11):
wonderful baking and experiment.
Don't be afraid to try newblends or new brands and, most
importantly, have fun with it.
This is a life, is just aprocess and a journey, and we
don't want to get discouraged,even though sometimes
gluten-free baking can befrustrating.
We don't want to getdiscouraged and we want to just
have hope and faith that we'regoing to figure this out,
(16:33):
because I know I had to havethat in the early years and I
certainly did so.
Hopefully all of my tips willhelp you out to be successful in
your gluten-free baking.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten-Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
someone who might needencouragement on their own
(16:55):
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineercom.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an
episode and we will see you nextweek.
(17:15):
The Gluten-Free Engineerpodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten-free lifestyle.
This podcast does not provide amedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
medical questions, concerns oradvice specific to your health.
Popular Podcasts
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com