Newbie With Limited Flour Availability - Need Recipe Help

[BigDogz]

I live in a very rural area where the stores don't carry much in the way of "exotic" foods and even less in the way of "specialty" or health-food type foods. I would have to drive nearly 60 miles, one way, to get to a health food store! The only gluten-free flours that I've found in grocery stores here are corn meal, soy flour and ground flax.

I love to have a fruit muffin or banana bread for breakfast but I'm so frustrated and dejected by the gluten-free recipes I've found on the Internet. Every recipe calls for ingredients that I can't possibly find here, things like millet flour, tapioca flour, white rice flour, sweet rice flour (whatever THAT is) and xanthan gum.

I've successfully adapted a cornbread recipe of mine by using the same amount of cornmeal as before but substituting 3/4 cup soy flour for the 1 cup "regular" flour I used in the past. Unfortunately, I haven't been as successful adapting recipes that normally call for "regular" flour as its only flour.

I know that there are internet stores out there where I can order the "specialized" flours like those listed above, but I was really hoping to keep my gluten-free experience as uncomplicated as possible, adapting to what I can get locally. Does anyone out there have bread/muffin/cake recipes that use only corn meal, soy and/or flax flours?

[missy'smom]

If you are adventuresome, you could do a search through lowcarb recipes. Those who are very lowcarb use flax as a flour-sometimes only flour in recipes. These are sometimes gluten-free and use a high proportion of eggs to mimic the gluten-as does some gluten-free baking, giving the product a moist, spongy texture. I do something similar with almond flour/meal and have had them come out very successful. They often call for sugar substitutes but you could use the real deal. Just another avenue to pursue/ resource to check. Soy flour is often used in lowcarb recipes too. Sometimes these other diets can give us useful alternatives. Try googling lowcarb flax muffin for example.

[minniejack]

Even though my local Kroger store is fantastic, I'm still like you and missing some of the special flours. I've resorted to ordering everything through Amazon, Kinnikinnick or maybe you could find out if there is a United Foods Co-op that would deliver your needed flour.

[daphniela]

You can make your own rice flours with a coffee grinder and a flour sifter. I believe it has to be sweet flour for it to work. Just make as much as you need at a time. As for the xanthan gum, you can substitute it with knox plain gelatin.

[daphniela]

If you google flourless muffins, a ton of recipes pop up. Some of them call for almond flor or chopped up almonds. I'm sure you could substitute the almond flour for soy flour. There is a flourless banana bread recipe online also.

[Takala]

In your circumstances, mail order is your friend. Especially with xanthan gum, as you use such a tiny amount in each batch, a bag lasts a long time.

You may also want to look into getting either a grain mill, or a big stand mixer with a grain mill attachment. I've tried grinding in a coffee grinder and had no luck. I do have a blender dedicated to grinding almonds, but my guess is that your stores don't carry bulk nuts, either. I buy almonds in bulk several times a year from a big farmer's outlet type tourist store maybe 45 miles from where I live, yes, it costs $, but that way by making my own nut meal I save a lot of money.

Almost all normal groceries carry plain corn starch, which can be used for baking, as about a third of a gluten free flour mixture. Most normal groceries also carry tapioca starch in small boxes in the baking aisle, you must live in a real "no- pancakes" zone. (my spouse's phrase for a rural area so economically backwards in support services, it even lacks small diner restaurants for breakfast besides lacking gas stations.) You may want to speak to the grocery store manager and try to convince them to stock rice flour for you.

I don't think you want to use soy flour as a big regular staple because of its tendency to depress thyroid function, as a lot of gluten intolerant people are also soy intolerant and end up taking it out of their gluten-free flour repetoire.

If you do end up buying larger amounts of flours, be sure to store them in the refrigerator or freezer so they don't spoil or get buggy.

[HiDee]

As missy'smom said, the low-carb recipe suggestion is a good one for your situation. Open Original Shared Link's a flax bread recipe that I LOVE, and make quite frequently. It is a little better with golden flax meal but still good with regular. I also make Open Original Shared Linkmuffins a lot using mashed bananas in place of the water and sweetener. Here's a Open Original Shared Linkrecipe that uses just flax meal though I haven't tried it yet. All of these recipes and many more by Laura Dolson are really quite easy and use ingredients pretty easily available and I have not found a recipe of hers that isn't gluten free. Sometimes I use honey as the "artificial sweetener" in her recipes and that always works well. Good luck and Happy baking!

[missy'smom]

As missy'smom said, the low-carb recipe suggestion is a good one for your situation. Open Original Shared Link's a flax bread recipe that I LOVE, and make quite frequently. It is a little better with golden flax meal but still good with regular. I also make Open Original Shared Linkmuffins a lot using mashed bananas in place of the water and sweetener. Here's a Open Original Shared Linkrecipe that uses just flax meal though I haven't tried it yet. All of these recipes and many more by Laura Dolson are really quite easy and use ingredients pretty easily available and I have not found a recipe of hers that isn't gluten free. Sometimes I use honey as the "artificial sweetener" in her recipes and that always works well. Good luck and Happy baking!

I'll have to give that bread a try. Thanks for posting. I make the first of the 2 muffin recipes you linked to. They are a staple as well as a pumpkin version of it.

[minniejack]

In your circumstances, mail order is your friend. Especially with xanthan gum, as you use such a tiny amount in each batch, a bag lasts a long time.

You may also want to look into getting either a grain mill, or a big stand mixer with a grain mill attachment. I've tried grinding in a coffee grinder and had no luck. I do have a blender dedicated to grinding almonds, but my guess is that your stores don't carry bulk nuts, either. I buy almonds in bulk several times a year from a big farmer's outlet type tourist store maybe 45 miles from where I live, yes, it costs $, but that way by making my own nut meal I save a lot of money.

Almost all normal groceries carry plain corn starch, which can be used for baking, as about a third of a gluten free flour mixture. Most normal groceries also carry tapioca starch in small boxes in the baking aisle, you must live in a real "no- pancakes" zone. (my spouse's phrase for a rural area so economically backwards in support services, it even lacks small diner restaurants for breakfast besides lacking gas stations.) You may want to speak to the grocery store manager and try to convince them to stock rice flour for you.

I don't think you want to use soy flour as a big regular staple because of its tendency to depress thyroid function, as a lot of gluten intolerant people are also soy intolerant and end up taking it out of their gluten-free flour repetoire.

If you do end up buying larger amounts of flours, be sure to store them in the refrigerator or freezer so they don't spoil or get buggy.

There really wasn't any need for that insult.

My local grocer has a huge gluten-free area. People who live close to a Whole Foods store in Pittsburgh travel to my area because my local Kroger has such a fantastic gluten-free section. However, there are still flours and things that are not availble. The grocery manager does order for you. He already had frozen Kinnikinnick, but no one had ever asked him to carry the mixes until me. He started this section over 20 yrs ago and the gluten-free section takes up about 2 full aisles. Fantastic for me and for all in my area.

Our area even has a restaurant that started carrying gluten-free rolls and brownies. They have about 30 different menu items and we have never been "poisoned". They really go the extra mile to ensure safety. So, maybe rethink your attitude about rural areas.

[Takala]

There really wasn't any need for that insult.

My local grocer has a huge gluten-free area. People who live close to a Whole Foods store in Pittsburgh travel to my area because my local Kroger has such a fantastic gluten-free section. However, there are still flours and things that are not availble. The grocery manager does order for you. He already had frozen Kinnikinnick, but no one had ever asked him to carry the mixes until me. He started this section over 20 yrs ago and the gluten-free section takes up about 2 full aisles. Fantastic for me and for all in my area.

Our area even has a restaurant that started carrying gluten-free rolls and brownies. They have about 30 different menu items and we have never been "poisoned". They really go the extra mile to ensure safety. So, maybe rethink your attitude about rural areas.

_____________

I live in a rural area. I have lived in rural areas my entire adult life. Until the developers overan the town to the south, driving the decent small supermarket I used to shop at out of business, and replacing it with an even larger one that still had nothing I wanted or needed, but cost more, I was then driving twice a month a 70 mile roundtrip to find a grocery that stocked gluten free items.

And your point, is ?

The closest town to me has no gas station and no restaurant. It does have an elementary school that they are trying to close because of budget malfeasance on the part of the school board, and a liquor store that carries a few other dime store items. It had a tiny bar that served dinner burgers. It closed. The post office may close. The nearest very small store with food is 3 miles farther up the highway in the next town. They are good for basics but wouldn't know a gluten free specialty item if it bit them on the nose. There is a gas station, one of the best little non chain ones in the state. We all love the gas station.

Before that, the "no pancakes" phrase came from when we were living in the middle of the country and had to be careful with making sure the gas tank was full on the vehicle before driving to activities, and that food was packed, because there were 50 mile stretches of highway with the same conditions I described above- no fuel and no food. Just farm or pasture or prairie. You'd finally come to a little crossroads town and everything had closed at noon on Saturday or at 4pm on the weekdays, and the people wouldn't be acting very hospitable.

Everybody else I've used that phrase with who is familiar with the area I was referring to, which was a certain jurisdiction in a horse show association where they made participants drive miles to several different arenas in NoWheresville to compete on the circuit, thought it was quite hilarious. Get up at 4am, leave at 6am, arrive at 8am, compete at 9am, and then try to find road food on the way back. Not going to happen. Where I lived then, the small grocery store to the south was about 12 miles away off the next highway exit. I was not gluten free then, but I know that their selection of items was very limited compared to the smaller nearest grocery now. This state has much better variety and access to food, and overall much better customer service in retail.

[wheatlessAK]

You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free by Robin Ryberg has pretty straightforward recipes with ingredients that aren't too hard to find. Xanthan gum is an essential ingredient in gluten free baking, but a little bag goes a long way! Good Luck & Happy Baking

[ChemistMama]

gateau au mais. Fancy name for rich cornbread.

Open Original Shared Link

Contains sugar, salt, cornmeal, eggs, and butter. That's all! Very rich but super yummy. Lots of raves for this one at the local celiac meet-up.

[ChemistMama]

I live in a very rural area where the stores don't carry much in the way of "exotic" foods and even less in the way of "specialty" or health-food type foods. I would have to drive nearly 60 miles, one way, to get to a health food store! The only gluten-free flours that I've found in grocery stores here are corn meal, soy flour and ground flax.

Have you thought of asking your store to order something for you? Arrowhead Mills sells a gluten-free baking mix, and if your store already stocks items of that brand, you could have them order you a case or ask if they could stock it. It's worth a shot!

[RiceGuy]

I used to recommend Arrowhead Mills, but not any longer, as I found I was getting glutened by their stuff.

I think the suggestion to grind your own is a good one, if you don't want to order over the Internet. One thing I know grinds easily is buckwheat. This grinds quickly in a coffee grinder. It can also be ground up in a blender, along with some water or milk, to make a pancake batter. It may still need a few additional ingredients, but it gets you a batter without starting with flour. Buckwheat is great in muffins IMO. Nuts can also make good muffins and such, and some are soft enough that a coffee grinder should work ok I think.

However, as was mentioned, you'll need a binder. Xanthan is the most favored one, and gluten-free baking can be tricky enough, so I'd suggest buying that on line.

[daphniela]

In addition to knox plain gelatin, you can also use eggs whites for a binder. Double the knox in what it calls foor xanthan gum.

[minniejack]

In addition to knox plain gelatin, you can also use eggs whites for a binder. Double the knox in what it calls foor xanthan gum.

Guar gum is a good binder and elsewhere on another thread someone mentioned using Chia seed gel as a binder, too for those of you who have trouble with the gums.

Also, Domata Living Flour is a good cup for cup flour, it already has Xantham in it. I just ordered the Gluten Free Mama's Almond Flour blend, only because I am having problems with xantham--it's a four flour blend.

I saw this flour on another post yesterday and it had some easily found flours and the reviews on it sounded good.

All Purpose Flour

[BigDogz]

Thank you, everyone, for the tips, recipes and all-around "keep your chin up" pep talks. I'm most definitely eager to try out some of the goodies you've provided links for.

As for the "insult" about living in a "no-pancake rural area"...I thought it was VERY funny and I intend to incorporate that term into my usual decription of the area! I live in a village of 300 people and I often joke that the only reason we have a census that high is because we include 149 of the cattle and 67 of the deer in the count! And, yes, we really are a no-pancake town...there's only one chow stop in town and they don't serve breakfasts! We're so small that there are no stop lights on Main Street. Come to think of it, there aren't any stop signs, either. They're all reserved for the whopping 5 side streets that connect directly with Main. We have no gym, no library, no school, no grocery store, no video store, no gas station, no Sheetz/7-11/Stop-n-Go or other convenience store, no eat-in restaurants, etc. We did manage to have a Post Office, which is closed from noon to 1:30 PM so the Postmaster can run home for lunch and piddle his dog, a hair stylist and a take-out pizza shop that also carries a few basics like a couple loaves of bread, a can or so of corn, peas, tomato sauce, hair spray, a box of cake mix and a couple flavors of ice cream. If you're looking for eggs or milk, you're outta luck! So, yeah, can't be an insult when it's true!!!

No-pancake rural and proud of it!!!

[Takala]

:lol:

[minniejack]

Thank you, everyone, for the tips, recipes and all-around "keep your chin up" pep talks. I'm most definitely eager to try out some of the goodies you've provided links for.

As for the "insult" about living in a "no-pancake rural area"...I thought it was VERY funny and I intend to incorporate that term into my usual decription of the area! I live in a village of 300 people and I often joke that the only reason we have a census that high is because we include 149 of the cattle and 67 of the deer in the count! And, yes, we really are a no-pancake town...there's only one chow stop in town and they don't serve breakfasts! We're so small that there are no stop lights on Main Street. Come to think of it, there aren't any stop signs, either. They're all reserved for the whopping 5 side streets that connect directly with Main. We have no gym, no library, no school, no grocery store, no video store, no gas station, no Sheetz/7-11/Stop-n-Go or other convenience store, no eat-in restaurants, etc. We did manage to have a Post Office, which is closed from noon to 1:30 PM so the Postmaster can run home for lunch and piddle his dog, a hair stylist and a take-out pizza shop that also carries a few basics like a couple loaves of bread, a can or so of corn, peas, tomato sauce, hair spray, a box of cake mix and a couple flavors of ice cream. If you're looking for eggs or milk, you're outta luck! So, yeah, can't be an insult when it's true!!!

No-pancake rural and proud of it!!!

The only reason I called her comment into question was the fact that she did NOT say that she herself was from a rural area. From the original posting, it looked as if she was only slamming, ridiculing those of us who are using this forum for informational purposes who DO live in rural areas.

This forum is not intended for put downs; it is for information.

Thank you second poster for further clarifying that you were not just being "city" on those of us who are not.

When words are in print, they do not always come out as one might have intended without the necessary background info.

And I guess I'm not in a no pancake zone.

[BigDogz]

No problem, I just wanted the "no pancake" poster to know that, since I was the originator of this thread, that I wasn't offended by her comments.

I've been "city" and I've been "no pancake", and for everything that I've given up in convenience like big shopping malls, over-stocked grocery stores, gyms, movie theaters, etc. I've gained an infinitesimal amount of personal peace, joy and appreciation for the simpler things in life. There's just nothing like seeing the sun rise or set over miles of peaceful fields, the smell of new-mown hay, the call of a hawk as it floats effortlessly on the air currents of a cloudless blue sky, the taste of home-grown vegetables, the sight of a doe and her young fawn on an early morning, watching the birth of a calf, foal, lamb, etc., the bazillion blazing stars of a summer night that aren't obliterated by the harsh glare of streetlights, the rhythmic chirping of crickets as the lightning bugs bless you with your own private "fireworks" show or the graceful sway of oat stalks on a warm summer breeze. Yeah, I didn't give up a thing.

[SUZIN]

Rice Guy.....where do you get your Buckwheat?....I would like to find a source.....