Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I'm new to xgfx. I don't have Celiac, but I do have an intolerence and I've realized that eliminating gluten radically improves my IBS life. So I'm trying to stick to no gluten and have been very successful since I started this exploration at the end of July.

One thing I have not at all mastered is baking/cooking with xgfx flours. I've scoured the six pages of threads here, and am trying to understand how xgfx flour works. Can someone explain this to me? Why do I need a mix? Is there a good store bought one? I mostly want it to make fruit crisp topping, muffins, pancakes, etc.... But also as an add in to some savoury things.

This whole question stems from yesterday, when I made Julie's Diner Mac using brown rice shells, and I used 2 Tbsp of Bob's Red Mill xgfx baking flour for the flour in the recipe, and it left the whole batch with a really gross off taste and I was very sad.

when i'm making mac 'n cheezes, gravies, or thickening soups, stews, etc. i like to use brown rice, oat flour, or sometimes just arrowroot powder.

the store bought ones are up to you - i like to make my own and vary it per recipe. the most recent ppk discussion on what gluten-free mixes we like the best: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=14910

in order to get gluten-free flours to kind of behave like wheat flours you've got to combine them. you can play around with your basic "all purpose" mix and then once you have one you love the most make big batches of it and store it in your freezer! :) here's a rock'n guide to the different gluten-free flours http://xgfx.org/the-big-cupboard/xgfx-pantry/

I can't be much help as I'm just figuring it out myself. I did just come across this guide which looks quite helpful http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2 ... luten.html

this is really helpful. thank you!

I'm not GF, so I preface this with this:

I'm wondering - in Julie Hasson's diner mac, would some extra nutritional yeast combined with some oat flour work? I know the nutritional yeast seems to be quite thickening on its own, and I've seen some good gravies made with oat flour - now that cheesy sauce is kind of like a smooth creamy gravy.

My understanding of the reasons for combining different flours is because they all have different properties, flavours, textures, and behave different in baking. White wheat flour is bland, smooth and does what you want it to, while other flours tend to have quite strong properties to them - rice flour is quite gritty, quinoa and chickpea flours seem to have a taste, etc. So depending on the recipe, whatever individual properties will work well, and in what quantities, will change. It's a matter of finding what things are most tolerable and will most suit themselves to the recipe - is it something that's crunchy, smooth, etc, etc..

It definitely works with gf oat flour. Nooch would definitely help thicken it further, but I wonder if it might be too noochy then. I think a cornstarch and gf oat flour combo would work too. I tried rice flour, but didn't love the texture.

Julie

Thanks for that, Julie!

the bob's red mill tends to be beany, and i'm betting that's what you were tasting. for any sort of dish with a roux, like mac n cheeze or nola style stuff, i like to use a combination of gf oat flour and chickpea flour. for cookies and pancakes i like authentic foods superfine brown rice flour mixed with sorghum or with a little oat flour. oat flour works great, but if you don't combine it with stuff, it is too crumbly. sorghum has a nice nuetral flavor and brown rice flour is great, but a little grainy. that's why the authentic foods flour works so well. i also love adding a bit of teff to stuff i want to have a whole wheat look or flavor, although it is a bit heavy, so needs to be lightened up.

all the gf flours need to be lightened up with a little starch, so that's why so many recipes call for tapioca and potato starch. flax powder helps to bind stuff, too. mochiko is great for a little binding, too--but it can gum things up.

xo
kittee

I'd like to learn more about mochiko. What do you usually do with it?

besides mochi, i use it in my sausage recipes.

xo
kittee

Mochiko flour is also recommended as a gluten free option by Bryanna Clark Grogan for thickening her delicious bechamel/white sauce from Nonna's Italian Kitchen.

I add it to bagels, too.

Thank you for the responses! I'm going to have to get some mochiko. There's nothing like a new food adventure!

Do you have a mochi recipe to share? I haven't had mochi since my kids were little. (That was a long time ago!) I used to get blocks of it and cut it into squares before baking it to puff it up. I don't see it in stores anymore. Is it time consuming to make?