Need An All Purpose Flour Blend Without Xanthan Gum

[Roda]

I need a good all purpose gluten free blend recipe that is corn free also. I have a friend who's husband is allergic to corn. I have read that xanthan gum is a bacteria that is fed corn. What do you use in place of the xanthan gum? Thanks!

[bakingbarb]

In any flour blend that calls for cornstarch use potato starch instead, in equal amounts.

For the xanthan gum use guar gum.

[dilettantesteph]

Gluten free pantry bread mix uses guar gum and not xanthan. You could use it without the yeast packet as a flour mix.

[Dylan's Mom]

All the research I have done on gluten-free mixed say you can interchange guar and xanthan. The only difference is you are supposed to use 1/2 the guar. I used guar when I first started trying to make gluten-free products...big mistake...

If you are making bread, I have tried countless times to use guar gum and the bread/biscuits were more like a dense cake texture and didn't stay risen when cooled. They were great if a burglar broke in (I would have something to throw at him!!). I would research other gums and try them before I would use guar.

Sorry I know that wasn't much help but it was very frustrating when I was trying different recipes substituting guar for Xantan and they all turned out horribly inedible. Then I changed to Xantan gum and it was a night and day difference.

doing some quick research: Gelatin and agar agar are alternatives

Found this in my research as well:

For one loaf of bread, use 1 pkt of gelatin soaked in 1/4 cup cool water for 5 minutes. Also add about 1/2 C flaxseed meal (freshly ground is best). It can be soaked in boiling water (abt 1/2 C) until the water is cool enough to add to the bread.

Another trick I learned: Take about 1/2 cup of your rice flour for the recipe. Mix it with equal parts of water and boil --stirring constantly-- until it forms a nice gooey ball. All of these things combined should eliminate your need for any gums. And make a pretty decent loaf of bread too!

[bakingbarb]

Oh, some people use flax seed made into a gel and another seed, I want to say chia but that doesn't sound right. Hopefully someone else will be able to answer this.

Edit, I found this online:

CHIA SEED GEL

1 Heaping TBSP Chia seeds, pulverized in a coffee grinder to (fine grind)

1 cup hot water

1) Heat 1 cup of water until its hot (not boiling). Grind the seeds in a coffee grinder and place in a 1 quart mixing bowl.

2) Pour 1 cup hot water over the ground seeds and whisk. Let set for 5 minutes to thicken.

Breads---Use 2-3 TBSP per loaf of bread whenever baking. May be added to any Basic bread recipe, including sourdough breads or baking soft breads & cinnamon rolls.

Rolls---Use about 3 TBSP.

[RiceGuy]

All the research I have done on gluten-free mixed say you can interchange guar and xanthan. The only difference is you are supposed to use 1/2 the guar. I used guar when I first started trying to make gluten-free products...big mistake...

Actually, it is a 1/1 ratio. At least it is for me. I've used both, and they are for the most part interchangeable. The most notable difference is that guar gum has a better texture for cakes. I've used it a lot, and it works ok, just not quite as bread-like as xanthan.

[Roda]

Thanks everyone for the help. I gave this information to my friend. She told me she looked over his paper yesterday and she was mistaken that he is not allergic to corn. This makes things a lot easier for him. If anything this is good info for others and who knows, I may experiment myself. I was able to give them some of my Tom Sawyer flour to try, but he still can not have the Better Batter that I have since the pectin is made from lemons. He has a citrus allergy.