A Gluten-free Flour Blend Success!

I've tried many gluten-free flour blends over the past few years, and they have left me largely unimpressed. Some are too gritty (blame the most commonly used rice flours, which are not finely ground). Others try to be the most healthy flour blend on the market, at the expense of flavor (Does anyone really like garbanzo bean flavored cookies?) I really wanted to like the gluten-free flour blends that are very high in fiber, but my baked goods were too dense and heavy. I simply wanted a gluten-free flour that behaved just like all-purpose wheat flour, without having to modify the recipe.


This recipe fits the bill. My gluten-free flour recipe calls for superfine brown and white rice flours; and this is an important distinction, as it really improves the texture and mouth feel of your baked goods. Sweet rice flour imparts a stickiness that helps to bind ingredients together, much like the behavior of gluten. I use tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) in this recipe; but other starches, such as potato starch, corn starch, or arrowroot flour, can be used as well. Vitacost sells all the flours that you will need for this recipe, and I provided links to them below.

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• Printable Recipe
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• Gluten-free Flour Blend
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• 24 oz (or 4.25 Cups) Superfine Brown Rice Flour
• 24 oz (or 4.25 Cups) Superfine White Rice Four
• 24 oz (or 4.25 Cups) Sweet Rice Flour
• 20 oz (or 4.5 Cups)Tapioca Flour
• 0.8 oz (2½ Tablespoons) Xanthan Gum* (optional; see note below) 

If you have a kitchen scale, weighing the ingredients is the more accurate option. You will need a very large bowl and will need to whisk the flours together for several minutes to achieve a homogeneous mixture. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag.


*Xanthan gum is not necessary for successful quick breads, waffles, and brownies, but it does act as a binder for leavened breads (both yeast breads and those that are chemically leavened), giving them a more springy, chewy texture. For every cup of gluten-free flour blend used in leavened breadmaking, you'll need about 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum.