Flour Mixes

[rv girl]

Hi, I'm new to all of this, but my husband and I have been trying to find out what all these different flours and starches are supposed to do. Here's some questions:

Why do I have to use 2 different starches (i.e., tapioca and potato starch); why not just use one such as tapioca.

Can I substitute brown rice flour for white rice flour? Any consequences in doing so. I need all the fiber I can get.

I'm currently using Mary frances' all purpose flour mixture (3 parts brown rice flour, 3 parts cornstarch, 2 parts soy flour and 1 part corn flour). These ingredients seem to be in the local wal-marts and since I am a full time rver, Walmart is my store of choice as they are all across the U.S. But I'm finding so many other "flour mixtures". Can I just use this one mixture for everything.

Can I just substitute brown rice flour for whole wheat or white flour and just add some xanthan gum?

So, I'm back to my beginning question, what is the purpose of all these different flours/starches and why do we have to use so many different ones?

I've bought several different books and am more confused than ever.

Thanks for all the help.

[CeliacMom2008]

I'm a year into the gluten-free cooking and am just starting to get a handle on the flours, so I'm sure others will have much better answers but I'll give it a start...and please someone correct me if I lead her astray!

You need a mix to get a good taste and texture. No one flour will give you a result. Rice flours are a good base, but they don't give you enough fiber and protein to be all that healthy. They're better than the starches though (corn, tapioca, potato). To up the nutrition and fiber, a lot of people add bean flours. But alone a bean flour is going to give you way too strong of a flavor. Hence the need to mix.

Everyone seems to have their own favorite mixes. If you can get a copy of the latest issue of Living Without, it has a whole section on flours and mixes that I found very helpful. Check out their website as well because they frequently post their articles there as well.

Can you sub brown and white? I don't think so. I've been told white is pretty gritty, but can't attest to that myself. We use brown most of the time with white on occasion. And I use sweet rice flour with pie crusts. For whatever that's worth.

Can you just sub brown rice for wheat? Nope. I don't think you'd like the results of that one bit!

You mentioned Wal-mart, I also use amazon for a lot of staples (like brown rice flour that we go through quickly). It's pretty cheap, no tax, and free shipping if you sign up for subscription or have $25 or more in your order.

Good luck!!

[RiceGuy]

To add to what has been said, you can add more fiber and nutrients with flours such as buckwheat, teff, amaranth, and others such as fava/garbanzo bean flours. Sorghum and millet flours make a good substitute for rice flours, without any apparent grittiness.

I've found that some items can be made with only one flour, but in most cases, a mixture does work better. I find that protein helps the browning of breads, so if your baked items look "ghostly", try adding a high protein flour. Soy seems to get baked goods to brown very easily, but it does result in a noticeably softer, more moist consistency. Therefore, in general, only a small amount is used, like 1/5 or less of the total amount.

I've made cookies with only buckwheat, and pie crust can work with one flour too, depending on your preferences. But when the dough needs to rise, a mix will probably always be better.

I recommend avoiding Bob's Red Mill, as their flours are rancid, due to the fact that they stone grind them. This is especially noticeable with their bean flours, which smell and taste awful. Bean flours don't taste or smell offensive when fresh, and made properly. That's not to say there isn't a smell, as they do have a more prominent smell than most other flours.

I like the aroma which amaranth adds to breads, but it also tends to add moistness. So too much of it can weigh down the dough, resulting in a somewhat dense, almost soggy lump.

Lastly, consider that I don't use any starches in my baking, so it may be possible that soy and amaranth can be used in higher proportions with a predominantly starchy blend. One way to find out is to try it.

When I first started experimenting with gluten-free baking, I made small lumps of dough - just enough for a biscuit or muffin. That way, there wouldn't be a lot of something awful to eat if it flopped. Cookies are usually pretty easy to make gluten-free, probably because they don't have to rise. That's a good place to start IMO.