Best-Tasting, Closest-To-Wheat gluten-free Flour?

[Justscared]

I would appreciate any tip for a really fine gluten-free flour that tastes and performs as close to wheat flower as possible.

 

I am trying to rule out a possible gluten sensitivity by embarking on a 2 months gluten-free journey. MY GI recently ruled our Celiac with 1 biopsy of the small intestine he took during an endoscopy I had done for acid reflux.

 

He said a blood panel is unnecessary and that I do not have Celiac.

Given some persistent symptoms I have had over the years and for which I had various tests that came out fine, including muscle/bone pain all over the back, occasionally flairing cheilitis, chronic rhinitis, etc - I am still not ready to think my relationship with gluten is 100% fine. 

 

So I thought I would check it myself with a completely gluten-free period.

Trouble is I am discovering I was using flour for quite a few things in cooking, including French crepes, thickening of sauces, etc. 

 

Yesterday I made some beef stew using some fine corn meal instead of flower (that's what I happened to have in the house) and it kinda sucked.

 

Do you know anything about this supposedly awesome gluten-free flour?

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Any other recs that perhaps wold not break the bank?

 

Thank you so much,

[bartfull]

For thickening use corn STARCH, not flour. For baking, a lot of folks here like King Arthur gluten-free flour. I made some pancakes with it and although they aren't exactly like gluten pancakes, they aren't bad. The thing that bothered me most is that they don't brown like regular pancakes.

 

Pamela's makes a gluten-free flour too that I've heard is good.

[BridgetteIMcleod]

My go to gluten-free flour is Trader Joes. 3.99 for 1 lb. I use this everyday, to thicken sauces, stews, etc. It also works really good for muffins, pancakes, quick breads(like banana). If I am making something nice to share, I use King Arthur, a little more expensive 7.99 for 20 oz.

I do get it on sale through the King Arthur website every now and then, but not often. Corn starch is a good thing to thicken stews, but

it can clump up if you just try to mix it in. I put the amount of corn starch I am going to use in a little jar and add a little water(or Stock) and shack it up then stir it into the sauce so it doesn't clump up.

[Adalaide]

I mostly don't buy the pre-made mixes because I frankly think it's a waste of money. Most of the ones I can find on the shelves here are $10 and up a pound, and buying online doesn't get any better after you add shipping. I can buy individual flours at $3-6 per 1 pound bag and just make my own. Then I have something appropriate to each recipe also.

 

My exception to this rule is Premium Gold flour, which I buy at Costco. I don't think I'd buy it if I couldn't get it there because the price is phenomenal.

 

I also use cornstarch for thickening. I use rice or sorghum flour for a roux. Beyond that, I tailor my flour blend to my recipe.

[Justscared]

I mostly don't buy the pre-made mixes because I frankly think it's a waste of money. Most of the ones I can find on the shelves here are $10 and up a pound, and buying online doesn't get any better after you add shipping. I can buy individual flours at $3-6 per 1 pound bag and just make my own. Then I have something appropriate to each recipe also.

 

My exception to this rule is Premium Gold flour, which I buy at Costco. I don't think I'd buy it if I couldn't get it there because the price is phenomenal.

 

I also use cornstarch for thickening. I use rice or sorghum flour for a roux. Beyond that, I tailor my flour blend to my recipe.

 

Thanks so much, everyone - this really helps. I will check both TJ and Costco for the pre-made options.

 

As for making my own, what kind of flowers should I buy and from where?

I know it is usually a mixture of corn, rice, potatoe and taopica flower with some xanthan gum in it.

Am I correct?

 

Where could I buy all these separate flowers at decent prices - so I can make my own recipe?

 

I remember trying to make some French crepes with buckwheat a while ago. They were so bad I never tried them again and kept that buckwheat flower in the cabinet for years until I tossed it in the garbage.

 

My goal is to put something together that would get as close to wheat as humanly possible.

I am a general carb addict and I love fresh bread out of the oven more than any food item on Earth. When I go to those Indian restaurants where they come with that crunchy thin bread with sesame on it, I literally go insane with pleasure eating that thing.

To me, this must feel like what heavy drugs feel for some (I said "must" because I never tried any kind of drugs :-)).

 

Today I made my children some egg noodles with carraway seed and cheese and I thought I was going to faint from craving it.

 

For me, giving up gluten means giving up the best tasting foods in the world.

I keep hoping that at the end of my 2 months gluten-free period, I will still have my symptoms so that I can at least conclude it has nothing to do with gluten. :-(

 

At the same time, I hear so many wide-eyed non-Celiacs going on and on about how amazing they felt once they gave up gluten - that I feel compelled to try and face the truth.

 

Thank you again!

[BridgetteIMcleod]

I like you, lived off a loaf of french bread, cheese and avocado a day. That was 16 years age. Back then It was impossible to find any gluten-free flour at all. I started with making my own rice flour from brown rice. Luckily I stared to find gluten-free flours at health food stores. Sprouts and Jimbo's are the one's I have available to me. Grocery Stores are getting better about stocking these items. Sometimes you can ask at the service desk they might order it for you.

When you mix the flours don't but the xanthum gum in until you are ready to use the flour. And only put it in what you are using. Xanthum gum is a little pricey. I can get it two ways, 1 is a 8 oz. bag  which lastes quite a while(I keep it in the freezer)but it is 14.00 a bag. The other is at the health food store and I just buy what I need.(in the bulk section).

Best story about going gluten free, A friend's daughter has a little boy 7 years old, and he had terrible constipation. So I suggested she try removing gluten from his diet, that was about 6 months ago, and they all say he is like a different kid now. He can sit still , is calmer and he even more respectful. He is a joy to be around.

Hope this helps.

[bartfull]

I don't think it is a good idea to buy anything in the bulk section. Someone might have used the same scoop on something that had gluten, or they might have put the xanthan gum in a bin the had a gluten item in it previously. If they didn't THOROUGHLY clean that bin, it might be CC'd.

 

Also, a warning. Bob's Red Mill makes an all purpose flour that many of us have tried and don't care for. It has garbanzo bean flour (among others) in it, and things come out tasting "beany".

[mamaw]

I'm  one  who  wishes  not to re-invent  the  wheel!!  I'm not  a  chemist  nor  do I  care  to be.... lack of  time!!!! there  are many  flours  blends  available  now  that are  excellent.....I use  several  & yes  do  make  one of my own ... Being  gluten-free  requires  a lot  of  pre-planning....  so  for  me  to  have   a  couple  of  blends  I  enjoy  makes life  a  tad  easier......quicker... I love  to bake  but  time  isn't  always  my friend....

The  blend  you mentioned  I think  is  fairly  new  so I  have not  tried  it  yet.. The ones  I  enjoy  are: Cup for  Cup,  King  Arthur,  Betterbatter ( good  prices)  tom  sawyer, jules   to name  a  few. they all put  out  a  great  flour  blend....so  when I  find  one of those  brands  on  sale  I stock up   or  buy in bulk....

 

As  long as  you don't  have a corn allergy ,  corn  starch  is your  friend  for  a thickener......

 

Lots  of  recipes  for  gluten-free  noodle recipes.....  several  good  ready made  ones  as  well........

[LauraTX]

King Arthur flour has a flour blend and a baking mix that work great.  If you really want to go cheaper, gluten-free bisquick works for sweet things, but its sweet taste can make it odd for use in some savory things.

 

Also, not to derail the topic, but can you clarify that your doctor only took one singular biopsy to test for celiac?  If that is so, he could have missed finding any damage, as it tends to be spotty.  If that is the case, I would go back and insist on getting the blood panels done before going gluten-free as you need to be eating gluten for them to be accurate.

 

University of Chicago Celiac Disease Research Center recommends 5-6 different biopsies.  Open Original Shared Link  You can bring this info to your doctor when asking for the bloodwork.

[answerseeker]

For thickening use corn STARCH, not flour. For baking, a lot of folks here like King Arthur gluten-free flour. I made some pancakes with it and although they aren't exactly like gluten pancakes, they aren't bad. The thing that bothered me most is that they don't brown like regular pancakes.

Pamela's makes a gluten-free flour too that I've heard is good.

Use the King Arthur gluten-free pancake mix and put coconut oil on the griddle. They brown like that for me and they taste really good!

[answerseeker]

I make my own. I have a huge glass jar of it in my pantry. I use a mix of rice flour, potato starch , tapioca, and xanthum gum

I even made soft pretzels with this blend and they were yummy.

[bartfull]

Thanks. I used sunflower oil the first time and butter the second time. Tomorrow I'll try the coconut oil and make another batch.

[Cara in Boston]

I keep a canister of Pamela's baking mix in my pantry for everyday use (thickening sauces, pancakes, etc.) 

 

If I want to make a long-time family favorite taste (and behave) like it did before we went gluten free, I use the ridiculously expensive C4C flour blend available at Williams Sonoma.  I get almost the exact results when I use that and non-gluten-free people can't tell the difference.  I've even made an angel food cake with it and it was perfect.  I ONLY use it for special occasions because of the cost.

 

I mix my own blend for use in the bread machine.  It just works best for some reason.

 

I have a bag of Trader Joe's right now but haven't tried it yet.

[mbrookes]

I use William Sonoma's Cup4Cup, and since I don't do a lot of baking the expense is not awful. I have made just about everything I used to cook with Cup4Cup with great results. I have not tried yeast breads with it.

 

I use buckwheat for pancakes, and we (even the grand children) like them better than the old wheaty ones.

[artemis]

I don't mind the bean taste in Bob red mills all purpose flour, I personally think it's the closes to wheat. It gives baked goods that wheat texture. It is great as a thickner and it it wonderful for breading chicken tenders.  I only have access to Bob red mills brown rice flour and most of the time I try to use it in cakes and cookies they comes out crispy. I don't mind it in bread or pizza crust. I have used the Thai rice flour by Erawan and it does make wonderful cakes and cookies but I have to drive close to an hour to get it so I don't bother most of the time.

I get the best price on xanthan gum or guar gum at Open Original Shared Link They offer free shipping too and are fairly prompt with delivery and processing.

[cmc811]

I had a friend recommend the Premium Gold from Costco. For now my plan is to get that for more savory dishes that I would have used a whole wheat flour for before (breading for chicken nuggets, sauces and such) and buy Better Batter for baking, since I don't care for the whole wheat taste in baked goods. A while back we cut out "white" products mostly and started eating all whole wheat/whole grains and I found I loved White Whole Wheat flour. Tastes like white flour but has the nutrition of whole wheat flour. That was multipurpose for me in savory and baked goods. Does anyone know of a similar gluten-free product?

 

I've worked so hard to transition to whole grains and so I am on a mission not to fully revert back to processed stuff because I can't have wheat/gluten.