Substitute For Garfava In Bette Hagman's Mix

[Melstar23]

I have been doing lots of gluten-free baking lately and having so much success with recipes from Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread and Makes Dessert.

A lot of her recipes have Garfava flour in them. I cannot buy Garfava flour in Australia, so I have been experimenting. Many of her recipes call for the four flour bean mix

2/3 part garfava flour

1/3 part sorghum

1 part corn starch

1 part tapioca

First I tried replacing the garfava with besan (garbanzo) flour at the same proportion, but that was not good. The results were heavy, dry and tasted strongly of garbanzo.

Now I mix it

1/2 part besan flour (garbanzo)

1/2 part sorghum

1 part corn starch

1 part tapioca

Everything I have tried with this mix that ask for the four flour bean mix have turned out great, gluten eaters have loved the results - they can't tell the difference. So far I have made hot cross buns, Danishes filled with gluten-free custard and either apple, raspberries, or flaked almonds, and a carrot cake.

I have also made a plain vanilla cake and I switched her gluten-free Flour mix with with Featherlight Rice Flour Mix and that was fine too.

[sa1937]

Garfava is a combination of garbanzo bean flour and fava bean flour. I have garfava but haven't used it yet. I do have The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread but haven't tried any of the recipes yet. Glad to know you have found the recipes work with your substitutions. I've been wanting to try the Featherlight bread recipe. One of these days....

[Judy3]

I use the garfava flour when I'm making chocolate recipes because they tend to have a 'metallic' taste before they're baked and the chocolate kills that. My chocolate cupcakes are a favorite of my friends and family and coworkers and they can't tell the difference between gluten free and regular. For a lighter taste in other baked goods I use white rice flour instead of the bean flour with the sorghum flour, corn starch and tapioca starch. Cookies are great, pancakes are great etc...

One thing I learned is the amount of xanthan gum per cup varies by the 'crumb' you are looking for. I didn't know that before and that has made a world of difference in my bakery. Learning something new every week as I try to figure this out. And I will... <wink> it's just a matter of time..

[Takala]

I have always used the garbanzo (chickpea, besan) flours since I bought her book several years ago, and noticed the same thing, if you add other ingredients, nobody seems to notice the garbanzos. I can't taste them, but onetime I was experimenting and finally created something in a microwave test that tasted awful.... I was sort of perversely proud of myself as you cannot use this stuff straight up to create pudding.

[Melstar23]

Garfava is a combination of garbanzo bean flour and fava bean flour. I have garfava but haven't used it yet. I do have The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread but haven't tried any of the recipes yet. Glad to know you have found the recipes work with your substitutions. I've been wanting to try the Featherlight bread recipe. One of these days....

You have to try some of the recipes, the featherlight bread is yummy. My next attempt will be the sweet apricot and almond version of the featherlight bread. My biggest problem is deciding which recipe to try next. The french bread rolls are one of my favourites, and the pizza base recipe makes yummy pizza.

I have only had one disaster while making something from this book, but it was my fault - I used the four flour bean mix instead of the four flour bread mix! I learnt my lesson to read the recipe carefully because I ended up with a house brick after that.

Gluten free baking mean I spend much more time in the kitchen, but it means I don't feel deprived now (and it saves money on the gluten-free premade products from the shop).