Baking Flour?

[Electra]

I have an apple crisp recipe that I absolutely LOVE and miss with a passion. The other night I bought brown rice flour to make it with because brown rice pasta is my favorite and doesn't seem to be gritty like white rice pasta. I was disappointed when my apple crisp came out gritty YUK!! Does anyone know what is a good flour to use that has little to no taste and is not gritty?

My topping recipe calls for butter, flour and sugar and they are all crumbled together. Is there a flour similar to wheat flour but doesn't have the grit or a funky taste?

Thanks everyone.

~~Angie~~

[mamaw]

Super fine brown or white rice flour should do it. I use betterbatter flour mix & love it. I also use the blend from Annalise Roberts.....

[celiac-mommy]

I replace all the flours in ALL my recipes with 1/2 Bobs Redmill gluten-free flour mix and 1/2 brown rice flour=no brown rice grit and no bean flour aftertaste. My relatives at Christmas couldn't believe that all the desserts and pastries I made were all gluten-free. I've also made a peach crisp with it that was TDF! Good luck!

[missy'smom]

I have successfully used a basic mix of white rice, tapioca and potato starch as well as that plus some sweet sorghum flour.

[Electra]

Thanks for the tips everyone!!

Mamaw-Can you buy betterbatter locally, or do you have to order it on line? I just looked it up and it's super expensive and when you add shipping it's even worse. It will cost me $21 for 2.5lbs. If I knew I would like it the money wouldn't be an issue, but I've spent tons of money buying things I absolutely HATE, and that gets really frustrating.

I swear I have not bought any flour or flour mix that makes a pizza crust that's anything remotely close to "normal" pizza crust GRRRRRRRRRR!! I have bought a french bread & pizza mix made by Gluten-Free PANTRY, and that one is the best I've used so far. I wonder if I try to use that mix to make my apple crisp if it will come out ok. I wasted two bags of apples, a ton of sugar and butter trying to make something that keeps getting thrown in the trash. Man this really stinks.

I'm not fond of cooking by the way, and I would also love to find a cake that is super moist like the boxed cakes and tastes just as fabulous so that I could actually eat birthday cake again. My kids love my cakes and now when I make them I have to make extra frosting so I can eat plain frosting :-(!! It's not fun at all.

My best friend actually sent me cookies made by a lady who has a gluten-free shop locally to her, she lives in a different state then me. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't like the cookies at all. She sent me tons of them and it was such a sweet thing to do, but the cookies are harder then a rock and not very tasty. If you put them in the microwave for about 20 seconds they soften up, but still they don't taste good enough for me to want to eat them very often. I swear I have not found one thing that taste like the original (where I can't tell it's not gluten free) except brown rice pasta and Amy's gluten-free Frozen Mac & Cheese.

If I could find a flour that made recipes come out exactly like they do when they are made with wheat flour then I would probably cry ;-)!! I have heard a bunch of people tell me that if I use this flour or that flour my recipes will come out just like the original, but I have always been more then disappointed when I tried them :-(.

[Electra]

I replace all the flours in ALL my recipes with 1/2 Bobs Redmill gluten-free flour mix and 1/2 brown rice flour=no brown rice grit and no bean flour aftertaste. My relatives at Christmas couldn't believe that all the desserts and pastries I made were all gluten-free. I've also made a peach crisp with it that was TDF! Good luck!

The flour I bought was sweet brown rice flour, but It is very gritty. I knew from the second I opened the package that it was going to leave my apple crisp gritty but I was hoping that the fluid would absorb into it like it does with rice and eliminate the grit, but no such luck. We have very few options here for flours and that was the only brown rice flour I could find. The aftertaste I worry about the most is from (I'm guessing) potato flour. I bought pasta made from potato flour, rice flour, and some other flours, but it had the most repulsive aftertaste ever, even after covered with velveeta cheese so the entire box ended up in the trash. I have eaten pasta's with potato flour that have tasted fine though, so maybe it was that particular company.

[Ursa Major]

I made apple crisp the other day and just replaced the flour it called for with light buckwheat flour. Everybody loved it, even the people who are not gluten-free, it was gone in a flash.

It is a Mennonite recipe (out of my Mennonite cook book). Here is the recipe:

Filling

8 apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup white or brown sugar (I used raw sugar)

1 tablespoon flour (I used light buckwheat flour)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping

3/4 cup flour or rolled oats (I used half buckwheat flour and half gluten-free oats)

1 cup brown sugar (I used less, don't like things too sweet)

1/4 cup melted butter (I used non-hydrogenated lard because of dairy intolerance)

Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and mix with the sliced apples. Put all in a greased baking dish and cover with the topping mixture which you have rubbed into crumbs. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes - or until the top is nicely browned and the apples are soft. Serve with sweet or whipped cream (I served it with gluten-free/cf sorbet as well as with whipped cream for the people who can tolerate it).

I have used the Glutino cake mix, and the cake was moist and delicious. I made Black Forest cake with it, and everybody said it was the best I've ever made (and I used to make fabulous Black Forest cake before eliminating gluten).

[jerseyangel]

Ursa,

Your crisp looks so good. I wish I could eat oats

Electra,

I use Ener-g rice Pure Rice Flour in my baking, and in my apple crisp topping. It works well, and is not gritty.

[celiac-mommy]

The flour I bought was sweet brown rice flour, but It is very gritty. I knew from the second I opened the package that it was going to leave my apple crisp gritty but I was hoping that the fluid would absorb into it like it does with rice and eliminate the grit, but no such luck. We have very few options here for flours and that was the only brown rice flour I could find. The aftertaste I worry about the most is from (I'm guessing) potato flour. I bought pasta made from potato flour, rice flour, and some other flours, but it had the most repulsive aftertaste ever, even after covered with velveeta cheese so the entire box ended up in the trash. I have eaten pasta's with potato flour that have tasted fine though, so maybe it was that particular company.

I agree, if you just use the brown rice flour, it will be gritty. The addition of the other flours in the Bob's mix takes the grit away, but if you just use the Bob's flour mix straight, you get the bean aftertaste. The combo of the 2 fixes both problems for me. I use the Bob's Redmill brown rice flour as well--We live near the factory so it's pretty cheap...

[Ursa Major]

Ursa,

Your crisp looks so good. I wish I could eat oats

Patti, in that case, omit the oats, and just use the buckwheat flour! I think I reacted to the oats, and will use a mixture of buckwheat flour, ground almonds and ground hazelnuts next time for my crumbs myself.

My daughter (who lives in Ottawa) was able to get buckwheat flakes in a bulk food store (Bulk Barn) once, and used it instead of oats, and said it was delicious. So, if you can get buckwheat flakes, that is another option.

[Electra]

The thing is that I absolutely LOVE my apple crisp recipe and I do not like apple crisp with an oat topping. I like it with a very crispy buttery cookie like topping. I'd rather not change recipes at this point, but I would LOVE to get the one I have to come out like it used to before I had to make it gluten free.

On another note, I just can't stand grit and I'm afraid that I will still be able to detect it even if it's in smaller amounts. Maybe something in the other flour you use is the key to neuralizing the grit. I'm not sure, but I'm so tiered of trying to get things to come out like they used to and being dissappointed.

[celiac-mommy]

Maybe something in the other flour you use is the key to neuralizing the grit. I'm not sure, but I'm so tiered of trying to get things to come out like they used to and being dissappointed.

I hear ya! I discovered this by accident actually. I had gone and purchased 6-7 different types of flours to create different mixes from. I tried the featherlight mixture and didn't like that one either--I know a lot of people here do though, so if you haven't tried that one... I had almost given up when I thought of mixing the 2 I had left, I was amazed how it turned out. If you have the stuff already, I would try it. If not and you're wary about it, then don't bother, I know how expensive it can get trying all these new flours!

[Ursa Major]

Light buckwheat flour is NOT gritty (the whole buckwheat flour on the other hand is, and I don't like it at all). I have made many crumb crusts with light buckwheat flour, and everybody likes them. You don't have to use oats at all.

[Offthegrid]

I swear I have not bought any flour or flour mix that makes a pizza crust that's anything remotely close to "normal" pizza crust GRRRRRRRRRR!! I have bought a french bread & pizza mix made by Gluten-Free PANTRY, and that one is the best I've used so far. I wonder if I try to use that mix to make my apple crisp if it will come out ok. I wasted two bags of apples, a ton of sugar and butter trying to make something that keeps getting thrown in the trash. Man this really stinks.

Use Bette Hagmann's recipe (spelling might not be right) from her cookbook. It's delicious! (I don't do it because of the cheese. You'll need a heavy duty mixer, however.

I generally use a sweet white rice flour and tapioca starch. I generally do 1 cup of one, and 1/2 cup of the other.

Pamela's cake mix is delicious.

If you can't do dairy and a recipe calls for buttermilk, use rice milk with some lemon in it. DELICIOUS!

[jerseyangel]

Patti, in that case, omit the oats, and just use the buckwheat flour! I think I reacted to the oats, and will use a mixture of buckwheat flour, ground almonds and ground hazelnuts next time for my crumbs myself.

My daughter (who lives in Ottawa) was able to get buckwheat flakes in a bulk food store (Bulk Barn) once, and used it instead of oats, and said it was delicious. So, if you can get buckwheat flakes, that is another option.

That sounds like a great idea! I love the thought of using the ground nuts, too

[Electra]

Use Bette Hagmann's recipe (spelling might not be right) from her cookbook. It's delicious! (I don't do it because of the cheese. You'll need a heavy duty mixer, however.

I generally use a sweet white rice flour and tapioca starch. I generally do 1 cup of one, and 1/2 cup of the other.

Pamela's cake mix is delicious.

If you can't do dairy and a recipe calls for buttermilk, use rice milk with some lemon in it. DELICIOUS!

Now see I have Pamala's Baking and pancake mix right in my cupboard, and when I used it for pancakes I nearly barfed, so I haven't used it since. It seems more like cornmeal to me and I don't like cornmeal at all.

[Electra]

Now see I have Pamala's Baking and pancake mix right in my cupboard, and when I used it for pancakes I nearly barfed, so I haven't used it since. It seems more like cornmeal to me and I don't like cornmeal at all.

Ok I just went and grabbed the Pamala's out of my cupboard just to be sure, and It is not the cornmeal like texture that I thought it was, so I may be thinking of something else. I felt it and it feels lighter and fluffier then wheat flour and I also tasted it and there seems to be no taste, so this stuff might just work. Now do I use the same amount that I would if I were using wheat flour, or do I have to measure differently to get it to come out right?

It's Pamala's Baking & Pancake Mix

[celiac-mommy]

Ok I just went and grabbed the Pamala's out of my cupboard just to be sure, and It is not the cornmeal like texture that I thought it was, so I may be thinking of something else. I felt it and it feels lighter and fluffier then wheat flour and I also tasted it and there seems to be no taste, so this stuff might just work. Now do I use the same amount that I would if I were using wheat flour, or do I have to measure differently to get it to come out right?

It's Pamala's Baking & Pancake Mix

I have found that I can't use the Pamela's straight across for flour in recipes because of all the other stuff in it--baking powder, soda, xanthan gum, etc... I do use it (and LOVE it) for pancakes, muffins, etc... Their website has some fantastic recipes on it--biscotti YUMMMMM!!! The chocolate chip recipe on the side of the package did not turn out right for me though...

[Electra]

Ok so I ran out of apples but I cut the recipe for the topping into 3rds and I mixed it all together and before it was cooked I sampled it and it tasted perfect. Then I baked it with no apples (I know it probably won't give me the same affect, but I wanted to know if the taste would change any, and it's soooooooooooooo good. I hope it does just as well baking on the apples as it did off. It seemed to bake really fast though, so I may have to bake the apples for a while and put the topping on towards the end. Oh I can't wait until I'm done work so I can get up to the store and get me some apples LOL!!

[kygirlatheart2002]

I use Pamela's Baking & Pancake mix for everything too - in fact I just made apple crisp 2 weeks ago and used it instead of regular flour to mix with the butter and brown sugar and it was wonderful! I didn't have to modify the recipe at all, just made like I normally would and substituted the Pamela's for the regular flour. If you don't like corn meal at all, you might not like it as it has almond flour in it and it can be a little grainy and who remembers the first 3 months after you were diagnosed and everything you ate tasted gritty like sawdust - ha ha!

I use Pamela's for homemade pizza crust (be sure to bake until really brown), banana bread, corn bread, cookies, etc. Just don't use salt if the recipe calls for it, as the mix is salty enough by itself.

Good Luck!

[Jenakom]

Try Bob's Red Mill gluten-free All Purpose Flour. I used it the other day to make gluten-free Buttermilk Waffles and could not tell the difference! Excellent! However, it didn't seem to work too well with thickening a sauce the other night, but you can always use corn starch for thickening.

[Electra]

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone. I'm going to look for some of the other brands that were mentioned in this post and if I can find some I may experiment a little. I'm picking up apples today, but I already ate all the topping that I cooked (by itself-without apples) yesterday and it was soooooooooooooooo YUMMY and there wasn't even a hint of grit. This morning it was even crunchier then last night (which is what I absolutely love about this recipe). I can't wait to make it with the apples.

I'm so excited, yet worried that I may start gaining weight again if I keep finding comperable substitutes for baking LOL!!

~~Angie~~