Gluten-Free Baking Tips & Tricks | BeyondCeliac.org (2024)

Gluten-free baking is a chemical experimentation and therefore, it’s recommended that recipes are followed as closely as possible. Below you will find some extra tips and tricks for gluten-free baking. These give advice on additional ways to improve recipes, and suggestions for substitutions for bakers who have an additional allergy, intolerance or autoimmune condition.

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Baking Times

Baking times can vary depending on the type of pan you use. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s advice of the pan you’re using and use the pan that for which your particular recipe is calling. Oven temperatures can also vary from kitchen to kitchen, so it is important to tune or test. Essential to this is purchasing an oven thermometer and adjusting the temperature accordingly. Lastly, placing your baked goods in the center of a pre-heated oven will help with even baking. Remember, baking times for gluten-free foods vary greatly, and it’s important to keep a constant eye on your creation to monitor for the colors and textures that indicate doneness. These recipes often call for longer baking times at a lower temperature compared to traditional recipes.

Flavor

New bakers should try adding extra vanilla and/or spices to recipes. Gluten-free flours often have unique tastes, and adding additional flavoring to recipes will help cover up these unfamiliar flavors.

Freshness

Gluten-free grains and starches have a shelf-life, so it’s recommended to buy them in smaller quantities and store in the refrigerator or freezer to prolong the essential properties of your ingredients. Some flours can even be made at home buy purchasing the whole grain and then processing with a coffee grinder.

To avoid baked goods becoming soggy, transfer to a wire rack as soon as possible after baking to ensure that they cool properly. Left-overs can then be frozen to preserve freshness, just make sure to thaw them completely before eating.

Leavening & High Altitude

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used. Dissolving leaveners in liquid prior to adding to dough will give a better rise to the product.

Gluten-free baking at high altitude requires less liquid and either a higher oven temperature or a longer baking time. Start with omitting 2 tablespoons of liquid and increasing the oven temperature by 25° F.

Moisture

There are many ways to increase moisture in a recipe. In general, recipes that call for pureed fruit, sour cream or yogurt are ones you can rely on for a moist product. In case your recipe does not call for these things, using brown sugar instead of white sugar to add moisture. Honey and agave as a sugar substitute can enhance moisture as well, but be aware that you should cut down slightly on the other liquids you are using in the recipe, as honey and agave are not solid ingredients. Adding an extra egg or oil can also help, but use caution.

Nutrition

Substituting 1/4 cup ground flaxseed in 1/4 cup water for 1/4 cup flour will increase nutrition in any recipe.

Structure

As you probably know, gluten is the ingredient most responsible for the structure of baked goods in traditional recipes. Using dry milk solids or cottage cheese in a recipe can help mimic glutenous structure. Sometimes using the moisture tricks listed above will also solve structure problems with products that come out too dense and crumbly. It’s important to avoid over-kneading or -beating gluten-free dough, as there is no gluten to develop with kneading.

Substitutions

Butter

Try to use butter substitutes that come as a stick, rather than in a tub as these will contain a similar amount of moisture than regular butter. Shortening, coconut oil, olive oil and silken tofu are all suitable substitutes. Using combinations of these ingredients will work best.

Eggs

Store bought egg replacer is a good option for substitution. Alternative ingredients include milled flax seeds, silken tofu, mashed bananas or figs. Milk can also work if boosting with additional baking powder. If using flax seed, it must be milled and combined with hot water before using.

Milk

Coconut, soy, rice and nut milks can be substituted for regular milk.

Sugar

3/4 cup honey can be substituted for 1 cup of granulated or brown sugar, if liquid in the recipe is reduced by 1/4 cup. Maple syrup, brown rice syrup and agave can also be used instead of honey.

Gluten-Free Baking Tips & Tricks | BeyondCeliac.org (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to gluten-free baking? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture. The best way to do this? Longer baking times.

How much longer do you bake with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free goods tend to brown faster and take longer to cook through. So they need to be baked at a slightly lower temperature, for a slightly longer time. Every recipe is different, but in general, try lowering the temperature by 25 degrees and baking the item for 15 minutes longer.

What is the hardest thing to make gluten-free? ›

What was the hardest thing for you to make gluten-free? Sandwich bread. I tried unsuccessfully for years to make one that was light and chewy and had the right texture and taste.

What is the biggest challenge of making gluten free bread? ›

One of the challenges is that when gluten-free dough is thickened with additives like starches and gums, it becomes sticky. Some bakers dust sticky dough with flour, but that's problematic with gluten-free formulations.

What do eggs do in gluten-free baking? ›

The most common binder in gluten-free baking is eggs. Eggs can replace many of the functions that gluten provides, such as binding, enhancing texture and helping set the structure of the final product.

What is the best flour for gluten-free cookies? ›

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

What adjustments should you do when baking with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Do you need to do anything different when baking with gluten-free flour? ›

If the original recipe calls for 260 grams of all-purpose flour, substitute with 260 grams of your blend. Beat the batter more. Because gluten-free flours provide less structure than all-purpose, the batter or dough you make with them may require more beating than that which you are accustomed.

Should gluten free cake batter rest before baking? ›

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour.

What things are surprisingly gluten-free? ›

Treats that are surprisingly gluten-free
  • Plain tortilla or potato chips: Keep in mind that seasoned chips may contain wheat starch.
  • Plain chocolate: Read ingredients as some chocolate bars contain wheat-based wafers.
  • Ice cream: Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are safe bets. ...
  • French fries: Potatoes are gluten free.
Apr 13, 2023

What cannot be made gluten-free? ›

Processed foods that often contain gluten
  • Beer, ale, porter, stout (usually contain barley)
  • Breads.
  • Bulgur wheat.
  • Cakes and pies.
  • Candies.
  • Cereals.
  • Communion wafers.
  • Cookies and crackers.

Why is gluten free baking so difficult? ›

Gluten-free baking is a lot harder than traditional baking because gluten protein is what gives baked goods their structure. Bread without gluten or any gluten substitute will be thick and crumbly when it comes out of the oven.

Which yeast is best for gluten free bread? ›

What type of yeast should be used to bake Gluten Free Bread? Active dry yeast and instant yeast both work well and are often interchangeable. Be on the lookout for any Rapid Rise yeast that is best for one rise. For most of us that's the way gluten free bread is baked, a single rise in the tin.

What is the secret to making good gluten free bread? ›

Use Psyllium Husk Powder as a binder for better Gluten Free Bread. Without gluten, bread dough lacks elasticity and the "stickiness" needed to hold together. Binders like xanthan gum, psyllium husk, guar gum and to some extent flaxmeal and chia seeds are used to perform the function of gluten.

What temperature do you bake gluten free bread at? ›

Once preheated, bake at 425 F (218 C) for 45 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 F (190 C) for 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into it.

What are the challenges of gluten free baking? ›

Gluten-free doughs are much less cohesive and elastic than wheat dough. They are extremely smooth, too sticky, less pasty, and difficult to handle. According to Houben et al. (2012) most gluten-free doughs have higher water content and have a more fluid-like structure comparable to the batter of a cake.

Can you just replace flour with gluten-free flour? ›

Simply total up the amount of flour called for in the recipe and use that amount of the all purpose gluten free flour instead.

Does gluten-free flour rise the same as regular flour? ›

Something that is often added to gluten free products is xanthan gum. This ingredient has an ability to trap air which allows gluten free cakes and breads to rise properly and have a light and airy texture. It is also added to doughs such as pastry doughs so that they can be rolled and stretched without breaking.

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