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
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,084
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    bigwave
    Newest Member
    bigwave
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      Get tested for vitamin deficiencies.  Though neuropathy can be a symptom of celiac, it can also be caused by deficiencies due to poor digestion caused by celiac and could be easier to treat.
    • Colleen H
      Gluten related ??

      By Colleen H · Posted

      Thank you so much for your response  Yes it seems as though things get very painful as time goes on.  I'm not eating gluten as far as I know.  However, I'm not sure of cross contamination.  My system seems to weaken to hidden spices and other possibilities. ???  if cross contamination is possible...I am in a super sensitive mode of celiac disease.. Neuropathy from head to toes
    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not.Im saying this because I've been medically screwed and asking for help because bills don't pay itself. This could be malpratice siit but im not good at finding lawyers
    • AlwaysLearning
      My only proof

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does mean you can't claim a tax deduction for the extra expense of gluten-free foods. But it can also be a good thing. Pre-existing conditions might be a reason why a health insurance company might reject your application or charge you more money. No official diagnosis means you don't have a pre-existing condition. I really hope you don't live in the U.S. and don't have these challenges. Do you need an official diagnosis for a specific reason? Else, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you're diligent in remaining gluten free, your body should be healing as much as possible so there isn't much else you could do anyway. And there are plenty of us out here who never got that official diagnosis because we couldn't eat enough gluten to get tested. Now that the IL-2 test is available, I suppose I could take it, but I don't feel the need. Someone else not believing me really isn't my problem as long as I can stay in control of my own food.
    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      If you're just starting out in being gluten free, I would expect it to take months before you learned enough about hidden sources of gluten before you stopped making major mistakes. Ice cream? Not safe unless they say it is gluten free. Spaghetti sauce? Not safe unless is says gluten-free. Natural ingredients? Who knows what's in there. You pretty much need to cook with whole ingredients yourself to avoid it completely. Most gluten-free products should be safe, but while you're in the hypersensitive phase right after going gluten free, you may notice that when something like a microwave meal seems to not be gluten-free … then you find out that it is produced in a shared facility where it can become contaminated. My reactions were much-more severe after going gluten free. The analogy that I use is that you had a whole army of soldiers waiting for some gluten to attack, and now that you took away their target, when the stragglers from the gluten army accidentally wander onto the battlefield, you still have your entire army going out and attacking them. Expect it to take two years before all of the training facilities that were producing your soldiers have fallen into disrepair and are no longer producing soldiers. But that is two years after you stop accidentally glutening yourself. Every time you do eat gluten, another training facility can be built and more soldiers will be waiting to attack. Good luck figuring things out.   
×
×
  • 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.