I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday: the first time I stepped into the baking aisle of our local health food store in search of gluten free flour. I became immediately confused as I stared at the shelves, for there before me stood an abundance of flours. There was almond meal flour, garbanzo flour, potato starch flour, sorghum flour (I had no clue what sorghum even was), white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour…what the heck were all these flours for? And why were they so expensive?
Did I buy any flour that day, you might wonder? No. I ran screaming from the health food store. But I had a very unhappy gluten free kid who wanted cookies? What was I to do?
I went back the next day, determined to figure this thing out. Back at the dreaded baking aisle, armed with a decent gluten free cookbook, I took a second look. Deciding on a recipe, I picked out a few flours to experiment with, including Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour.
Since then I have made a lot of mistakes, but learned which are my favorites, Bob’s Red Mill being one of them. I’ve substituted his mix in several recipes and it has worked out great. Some of the flours tend to have a grainy consistency, but Bob’s is pretty smooth. Another favorite is white rice flour. It also has a smooth consistency and works well as a thickener.
I could go on about different flours for days, and I will return to this topic, but for now…steady yourself. If you’re new to this lifestyle, take comfort. You will get to know all these flours. They will become your friends. And look at is this way…at least we have a choice.
For more on gluten free flours and their uses check out this article: http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/cookingglutenfree/a/FlourBasics.htm
What’s your favorite flour? Let the gluten free community know.
Nov 24, 2010 @ 01:24:40
Love it! And love the photo!
Dec 01, 2010 @ 07:02:38
Crazy flour lady!!!