Flour

[Rowena]

I'm a baker at heart, and I love to make cookies. (I do make other desserts too, but cookies is usually what I make.) But as I said in my intro thread I just recently went gluten free. I want to know what kinds of flour are (in your opinion) best to use. There are so many flours out there that I have never even know existed that are gluten free. I hear coconut flour is good in a lot of types of cookies. But what else do you use? Also what is a good general purpose flour? (IE if I wanted to make gravy or use it to thicken a sauce... or whatever.)

(PS a lot of my cookies are chocolate cookies. Do you know of a good cocoa that doesn't have gluten? Or most cocoas usually safe?)

[mushroom]

Gluten free baking is a bit of a learning experience because you have to reject a good part of what you already know. Gluten free doughs and batters have a totally different consistency and texture than gluten ones and it takes a bit of experimenting to find out what the doughs/batters should look like. Also, the flours all have their own unique tastes and behavior patterns. I think it is best to start out using a basic mix like Pamela's until you get used to this. Then you can try mixes with other types of flours to learn what tastes you like. Then you can start buying the individual flours and experimenting for yourself. It is a good idea to buy yourself a good gluten free cookbook (be careful here because some authors use their own flour mix for all their recipes and if it happens to be a flour you don't like or don't tolerate, the book is a waste of money unless you can find a good sub for that flour). Gluten free baking is all about learning substitutions - for whatever - whether it be certain flours, eggs, milk, butter......

IMHO, bakers don't know what baking is until they have tried gluten free

[Roda]

My favorite is a sorghum blend and substitute cup for cup for regular flour. Since I mix it myself I have to add xanthan gum or guar gum to whatever I am making.

[purple]

Yup, same as Roda. I like a mix of sorghum, cornstarch and tapioca flour for cookies and muffins. Yum, I love chocolate cookies

[MelindaLee]

I'm realatively new to this too, but I have definately found the sorghum flour/tapioca/corn starch blend to work great. I do have about 10 different flours right now, so I mix a bit. I also like the King Arthur all purpose mix better than Bob's Red Mill. I found I am not a big fan of the bean flours...they taste metalic to me, espeically in cookies. If you google or do the forum search here for cookie recipies, there are some GREAT ones to start with.

[sa1937]

If you haven't bought any flours yet, I can vouch for Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. A recipe was posted some time ago or there are several variations on cooks.com. They are so yummy!!!

I also like Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix. I haven't tried cookies yet but there are a bunch of recipes on their website. Open Original Shared Link I especially like the banana bread. I've printed out, but have not yet tried, the recipe for pumpkin bread. I also made blueberry muffins from the mix.

[sb2178]

I like corn and buckwheat flours for flavor. For something more innocuous, I use a little corn with white rice and sorghum flour. And, add couple of tablespoons of starch to any flour blend (excpet for cornbread). Too much sorghum gives me a stomach ache though.

Then there is the whole gum thing... I've mostly been generous with the eggs and ground flaxseed instead.

[mushroom]

Because I don't do potato or soy, my usual flours or mixes involve brown/white rice and/or tapioca or arrowroot, sorghum, buckwheat, teff and almond, with emphasis on sorghum and buckwheat. I may challenge millet and amaranth later, but not ready yet Quinoa and corn are out for me, too.

[MelindaLee]

Too much sorghum gives me a stomach ache though.

I wonder if this explains my "heartburn" after eating homebaked treats?

[Rowena]

I wonder if this explains my "heartburn" after eating homebaked treats?

Not sure about sorghum but I know that unless I am takin my omeprazole (and sometimes not even then) I cant eat things with chocolate. Chocolate has a big effect on people with reflux/heartburn...

As for the flour suggestions, sounds good I'll have to try 'em. Currently in my posession I have an all purpose flour from Gluten free pantry, anyone know if this is a good flour?

[sa1937]

As for the flour suggestions, sounds good I'll have to try 'em. Currently in my posession I have an all purpose flour from Gluten free pantry, anyone know if this is a good flour?

I would describe a "good" flour as one you like that works well in the recipes you use. I think some of these flours are an "acquired" taste as they are so much different than the wheat flour we've all used in the past. And there's definitely a learning curve to baking gluten free, especially breads.

[Lostfalls]

I have heard some good things about the All Purpose flour from Better Batter - just google it and you will find it.... Mostly rice and potato flour but they seem to have a nice combination going for them my friend makes some great stuff with it...

[runningcrazy]

Orgran flour is great! We've tried lots of flours and a lot of them have nasty aftertastes or just dont turn out well. Orgran works awesomely! Since going gluten free the homemade cookies we make (which are DELISH!) have come out about 10x better than the gluten-ous ones we used to make. It just works perfect. I've never seen it at the normal store where they have some brands, but we get it at a gluten free market, and im sure you could order it off the internet if you need.

[luvs2eat]

I got tired of mixing up different flours... I tried several blend recipes. I've just bought Better Batter and have to say it's great. I've made really light, fluffy banana bread and homemade won ton skins. I've not tried cookies cause I've been disappointed w/ any I've made so far, so I just don't bake 'em.

[MelindaLee]

My favorite premixed AP flour was King Arthurs. Bob's was okay. I tend to do all the mixing and have a variety in my kitchen. But I'm just weird like that