Homemade Flour Mixes

[momtok&m]

I tried Bob's Red Mill flour mix for pancakes on Sunday-yuck! So, I want to make the Nearly Normal mix but the ingredients are so expensive and hard to find. I know that so many of you make your own flour mix-where do you buy your ingredients? Not only are they pricey but it seems impossible to find all of them at one place? Do you shop at a store or online? Thanks for your help!

BTW, if you prefer another flour mix, which one?

[Glutin-Free Man]

I tried Bob's Red Mill flour mix for pancakes on Sunday-yuck! So, I want to make the Nearly Normal mix but the ingredients are so expensive and hard to find. I know that so many of you make your own flour mix-where do you buy your ingredients? Not only are they pricey but it seems impossible to find all of them at one place? Do you shop at a store or online? Thanks for your help!

BTW, if you prefer another flour mix, which one?

I'm not sure what flours you're looking for but there are a number of places to find them.

I use:

• 
  
  
• white rice flour (everyone recommends brown rice flour as having more nutrients, which is probably true - but I can't get it finely ground locally inexpensively, so I just use white rice flour).
  
• millet flour
  
• sorghum flour
  
• tapioca flour
  
• potato starch (NOTE:potato starch and potato flour are NOT the same!)
  
• corn starch
  
• buckwheat flour
  

I can get all of those flours from local Asian grocery stores.

I generally find rice and tapioca flours, and corn and potato starch at Chinese grocery stores. I live near a fairly large city (Detroit), and we have pretty large (Asian) Indian and Chinese populations. There are a lot of Asian grocery stores around, and it's pretty easy to find gluten-free flours at them.

The flours I buy all end up costing about $1/lb (generally in 12 oz packages). The ones I buy at Chinese grocery stores are all labelled in English, but they may be hard to find (most items in my local stores are labelled in Chinese).

Oh - btw: there's normal white rice flour and "glutinous" white rice flour - the glutinous white rice flour is generally known (in English) as "sweet rice flour", and does not contain (wheat)gluten, but is not the same as white rice flour.

I generally find millet, sorghum, and buckwheat flours at Indian grocery stores.

These are not always labelled in English, so it's useful to know the Hindi(?) language terms they're known by:

• 
  
  
• Millet flour is Bajri (pearl millet)
  
• Sorghum flour is Jowar or Juwar
  
• Buckwheat flour is Kuttu
  
• Chickpea flour (I haven't tried it yet) is Chana or Besan
  
• Potato is Aloo
  
• The generic word for flour is Atta, which (like in English) when used alone means Wheat flour. You should obviously avoid those :-)
  

The one thing I haven't (yet) had any luck purchasing from an Asian grocer is Xanthum Gum, but I bought a 20oz. bag of it(from a Health Food store) about 18 months ago, and still have some left.

I have been to at least 5 different grocery stores, and each one has a different selection, so it's worthwhile looking around. Some grocery stores have no gluten-free flours, and others have almost all of the ones I use, and a number of types I haven't tried yet.

Interestingly, some of the Indian flours I buy are actually packaged locally.

You can generally find some of the gluten-free flours at Health Food or other specialty stores, but usually not all of them, and they tend to be more expensive (generally about 2x the cost).

Oh - I buy yeast from Costco - it comes in 2lb packages, which I keep in the freezer. I put a smaller amount in the refrigerator, and refil it as necessary. The 2lb. supply generally lasts me for 2 years, and is a lot less expensive than buying packets of yeast. I assume it's fed on wheat, but I've had no problems with using it yet. (I can generally handle small amounts of gluten, as long as I don't get it regularly).

Last resort, but easiest, is (Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned) [OK - they're the big online book seller]- they've got a wide variety of gluten-free flours, and shipping is free if you buy more than $25. If you really can't find it anywhere else, go there.

Good luck - and, if it helps, it's definitely worth the trouble of buying your own flours and baking your own bread (and other baked goods).

There are 2 places locally where I can buy fresh-baked gluten-free breads, but neither is as good as what I bake at home, and they tend to run $6/loaf, whereas the ones I bake generally cost me < $1/loaf.

Hope this helps!

David

[momtok&m]

Wow David! Thanks so much for all of the great info. I think we have one very small Asian market so I'll check that out.

[Wolicki]

I tried Bob's Red Mill flour mix for pancakes on Sunday-yuck! So, I want to make the Nearly Normal mix but the ingredients are so expensive and hard to find. I know that so many of you make your own flour mix-where do you buy your ingredients? Not only are they pricey but it seems impossible to find all of them at one place? Do you shop at a store or online? Thanks for your help!

BTW, if you prefer another flour mix, which one?

I just got some Arrowhead Mills gluten free pancake mix on Subscribe and Save, and it was very good. My boys couldn't believe it was gluten free. I made some pancakes from scratch last week with sorghum flour. It was pretty tasty.

[EmilyR83]

My main flour is tapioca flour and sweet rice flour. I use a 50/50 mix and so far it has worked great for me. I havent used it in bread.

I buy it at the healthfood store and it is very inexpensive-just a couple dollars for a box of it.

I also occasionally use potato starch and cornstarch-again 50/50-I have used that for cake mixes.

[twe0708]

I tried Bob's Red Mill flour mix for pancakes on Sunday-yuck! So, I want to make the Nearly Normal mix but the ingredients are so expensive and hard to find. I know that so many of you make your own flour mix-where do you buy your ingredients? Not only are they pricey but it seems impossible to find all of them at one place? Do you shop at a store or online? Thanks for your help!

BTW, if you prefer another flour mix, which one?

I use Pamela's pancake mix and my girls love them, so far this is the best pancake I have tasted that is gluten-free. It's pricey but good. They also put little chocolate chips in them.

[MagpieWrites]

While I do a lot of baking that requires the usual fiddling around with a dozen oddments - I do keep two homemade but mixed up in bulk ahead of time flour mixes on hand at almost all times.

The Carol Fenster flour mix (1 1/2 cups sorghum, 1 1/2 cups potato starch, 1 cup tapioca - just usually quadrupled or more!) is a constant go to in my kitchen - and I'm finding with just a little bit of fiddling around with xanthan gum it can work in many recipes pretty easily.

Beyond that, I keep the Artisanal Gluten Free Brown Rice Blend (its on the No Gluten No Problem website and in their books) which makes a much more... whole grain tasting product.

I likely have a dozen or more flours, starches, and grains on hand at any time - and haven't really had a whole lotta luck with the premixed store bought mixes. Like others have said, Asian markets are a gluten-free's best friend!

[RiceGuy]

I just got some Arrowhead Mills gluten free pancake mix on Subscribe and Save, and it was very good. My boys couldn't believe it was gluten free. I made some pancakes from scratch last week with sorghum flour. It was pretty tasty.

All the flours I've gotten from Arrowhead Mills have been contaminated. Sometimes barely enough to notice, while other times I'm miserable for days. So depending on sensitivity, you may be in for a surprise. I was using them for awhile before I figured out what was getting me.

[MaryannG]

All the flours I've gotten from Arrowhead Mills have been contaminated. Sometimes barely enough to notice, while other times I'm miserable for days. So depending on sensitivity, you may be in for a surprise. I was using them for awhile before I figured out what was getting me.

By far this is the best flour mix I have tried:

Brown rice flour (extra finely ground) 2 cups I use Authentic foods (a 3 lb bad is $15 but so worth it)

potato starch NOT FLOUR 2/3 cup

Tapioca flour 1/3 cup

mix together and enjoy. It tastes almost identical to regular flour. I got this from Gluten Free baking classics by Annalise Roberts. An incredible cookbook. I've never tried any other brown rice flour but she recommends this one and it must be extra finely ground. I use Bobs Red Mill for the other products to add to the mix. I can say enough how delicous this flour is. You don't get the gritty taste that is in so many gluten-free flours. I buy the Authentic foods on amazon or I have them special order it at my natural foods store.

[CandyLady]

I'm looking forward to trying Cybel Pascal's basic gluten-free flour mix. She used it on Martha Stewart yesterday to make this yummy-looking Classic Crumb Cake. She also included xanthan gum in the cake recipe, which can be found here: Open Original Shared Link

Here's her flour recipe:

Makes 6 cups

* 4 cups superfine brown-rice flour

* 2/3 cup tapioca flour or starch

* 1 1/3 cups potato starch

Directions

1. To measure brown-rice flour and tapioca flour, use a large spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Do not use the measuring cup itself to scoop your flour when measuring; it will compact the flour and you will have too much for the recipe.

2. Add both flours to a large resealable plastic bag, along with potato starch and tapioca flour; reseal and shake until well combined. Keep refrigerated until ready to use, up to 6 months.

[taweavmo3]

I use the Annelise Roberts cookbook as well...I have tried many other blends, but I keep coming back to her mix. It is pricier, so I only use the mix for cookies and cakes. The baked goods come out so moist, with the perfect crumb and texture...I know a few gluten free bakeries actually use her blend too.

I use a different mix for pancakes, which I can give you if you want it. I use the cheaper flours for those, since I make so many.

[momtok&m]

I just made some cookies that were almost exactly like Toll House, I did change the recipe a little to accommodate what I could find at my local grocery stores. Can I use that combination of flours for other things too? Since I'm not a pro baker I don't understand if the flours made is so good or the combination of the other ingredients! Here's the recipe (If any of you need the directions, I'll gladly post them):

1 cup Rice Flour (Bob's Stone Ground White)

1/2 cup Expandex Tapioca Starch

3/4 cup Sorghum Flour (Bob's 'Sweet' White)

2 tsp. Xanthan Gum (Bob's)

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Salted Butter, softened

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 cup Lt. Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs (med or lg)

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1/2 c Mini M & Ms

[iamgf]

Our extended family did a taste test and everyone agreed that Pamela's pancake mix is the best.