Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Question About Flour And How To Manage It

ciavyn

By ciavyn
in Gluten-Free Recipes & Cooking Tips

Recommended Posts

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted

I made chocolate chip cookies with Tom Sawyers flour mix, and they came out quite yummy...a little gritty, but I didn't notice it once they were cool. However, there are some other cookies I would like to make: like sugar cookies, that would probably be noticeably gritty with just Tom Sawyers. Several people have recommended cutting it with Sorghum flour, but I don't know ANYTHING about this whole process, having only baked one thing so far. How do you do this? Would it make a significant different? Do I need to add xantham gum? I have 10 lbs of the Tom Sawyers to use up, so I need to figure out how to add or subtract something, not buy a completely different kind.

Thank you for any and all suggestions.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

I liked making pancakes with this flour. Cakes and such I thought were to gritty and dense. I did eventually use it up. Then I went to better batter flour. Made horrible pancakes but great cakes that were nice and fluffy. Now thanks to Purple, I found a good blend. It is 1 1/2 cups sorghum flour, 1 1/2 cups cornstarch or potato starch or a mixture of both (I used half arrowroot and cornstarch, next I'm going to try all arrowroot for the cornstarch), 1 cup tapioca flour. I made sugar cookies with this mix and well the were great. My husband liked the mix better because no grit. Thanks again Purple! :D

purple Community Regular
purple
Posted
I liked making pancakes with this flour. Cakes and such I thought were to gritty and dense. I did eventually use it up. Then I went to better batter flour. Made horrible pancakes but great cakes that were nice and fluffy. Now thanks to Purple, I found a good blend. It is 1 1/2 cups sorghum flour, 1 1/2 cups cornstarch or potato starch or a mixture of both (I used half arrowroot and cornstarch, next I'm going to try all arrowroot for the cornstarch), 1 cup tapioca flour. I made sugar cookies with this mix and well the were great. My husband liked the mix better because no grit. Thanks again Purple! :D

:) You are welcome...once I started using sorghum mix (Carol Fenster's flour mix), I very seldom use the rice mix (Featherlite-Bette Hagman's mix). Weird about your results :rolleyes:

Ciavyn...I read the other day to let your mixed batter sit for a few minutes so the gritty flour can absorb the moisture and will make the out come less gritty. Also what if you use some of each, part Toms and part sorghum mix? You could try it on a batch of muffins or cookies. I have never used any premade mixes except Bob's Red Mill All Purpose.

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted
  • Author

Hey gang - thank you so much for your thoughts!

Purple: that's what I want to try - but do I need to add extra xanthan gum for it? (The darn stuff is 12 bucks at the local store, so I'm trying to figure out if I want it that badly!) TS flour already has it in there. Also, should I do half and half? It's really makes a good cookie...and the grit doesn't bother me, as it gives the cookie texture, which I think most lack...but those around me are bothered by it.

Thank you so much!

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted
  • Author

So, after much research, I added sorghum flour and a dash of xanthan gum to my chocolate chip cookies - basically did a 1:1 ratio of TS flour, and sorghum, and...drum roll please...

Not much difference. I can't say they were more or less gritty - so perhaps that has gone down. Overall, it turned out fine. The cookies have a lighter flavor, though, which I'm not wild about, but they still are good. I used Ghiardelli chocolate chips, which have no milk fat in them...wow, are they tasty. A little pricy, but worth it for a good chocolate chip cookie. Woof...very tasty. Otherwise, no major woohoo moments.

lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

I use the sorghum/potato starch/tapioca starch mix, too. I love it!!! I rarely ever use rice flour, I found the texture to be unpleasant from day one. I made a devil's food cake a couple of weeks ago that my husband (the gluten eater) swore no one would know was different. (And it makes fabtastic pancakes, too!!

Xanthan gum seems pricey in the beginning, but I bake fairly regularly, and in the two years I've been gluten-free, I'm still on my second bag. And my pizza dough recipe uses 2 tsp :D So, it's not like you're going to buy it every week.

freeatlast Collaborator
freeatlast
Posted
Hey gang - thank you so much for your thoughts!

Purple: that's what I want to try - but do I need to add extra xanthan gum for it? (The darn stuff is 12 bucks at the local store, so I'm trying to figure out if I want it that badly!) TS flour already has it in there. Also, should I do half and half? It's really makes a good cookie...and the grit doesn't bother me, as it gives the cookie texture, which I think most lack...but those around me are bothered by it.

Thank you so much!

Wal-mart has it in the gluten-free section. That's where I buy most of my flour.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted
  • Author

Wait a minute: WalMart has a gluten free section?? :o

purple Community Regular
purple
Posted
Wait a minute: WalMart has a gluten free section?? :o

I find that some of the items I get elsewhere are 50 cents more expensive at Walmart.

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted
  • Author

I asked at WalMart about gluten free, and was told that was only at "Community Marketplace" WalMarts, however, mine is a big ol' hunkin' WalMart Superstore. So I went over the grocery section to buy my usual family staples, and voila - there's the gluten free section. Oy.

I can't say it's huge, but there are definitely some things that are less expensive...and some that are more, you are right, purple. I think I'm happier shopping where I can have more selection - most of what WalMart has is Bob's Red Mill, which only comes in one size, it seems. When I've shopped at other stores, they have other choices with multiple sizes.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted
I made chocolate chip cookies with Tom Sawyers flour mix, and they came out quite yummy...a little gritty, but I didn't notice it once they were cool. However, there are some other cookies I would like to make: like sugar cookies, that would probably be noticeably gritty with just Tom Sawyers. Several people have recommended cutting it with Sorghum flour, but I don't know ANYTHING about this whole process, having only baked one thing so far. How do you do this? Would it make a significant different? Do I need to add xantham gum? I have 10 lbs of the Tom Sawyers to use up, so I need to figure out how to add or subtract something, not buy a completely different kind.

Thank you for any and all suggestions.

As regards cookies, pretty much every cookie dough in gluten free-dom responds well to being refridgerated for a few hours. Even a day or two. It allows the flavors to blend and the flours to properly absorb the fluids. Try it with choc chip sometime.

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted
  • Author

JNB: thanks for the suggestion. I always refrigerate for a short time, but I like the idea of having the mix ready to go, and then just bake it a day later.

NE Mom Apprentice
NE Mom
Posted

I made the Toll House recipe using 2 cups of the sorghum blend from Carol Fenster, 1/4 cup additional potato starch, 1/2 teas xathum gum, 3/4 cup brown sugar & 1/4 cup white sugar. Tasted amazing--just like "regular" toll house cookies. No one could tell they were gluten free and they didn't have any gritty aftertaste.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      No coincidence. Recent revisions to gluten challenge guidelines call for the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten (about the amount in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of 3 weeks. If possible, I would extend that two weeks to ensure valid testing.
    2. SilkieFairy
      - SilkieFairy replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      Thank you both for the replies. I decided to bring back gluten so I can do the blood test. Today is Day #2 of the Challenge. Yesterday I had about 3 slices of whole wheat bread and I woke up with urgent diarrhea this morning. It was orange, sandy and had the distinctive smell that I did not have when I was briefly gluten free. I don't know if it's a...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    4. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,336
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Jeffrey Yeres
    Newest Member
    Jeffrey Yeres
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By trents · Posted

      No coincidence. Recent revisions to gluten challenge guidelines call for the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten (about the amount in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of 3 weeks. If possible, I would extend that two weeks to ensure valid testing.
    • SilkieFairy
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      Thank you both for the replies. I decided to bring back gluten so I can do the blood test. Today is Day #2 of the Challenge. Yesterday I had about 3 slices of whole wheat bread and I woke up with urgent diarrhea this morning. It was orange, sandy and had the distinctive smell that I did not have when I was briefly gluten free. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but the brain fog is back and I feel very tired.   
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.