Good Substitute(S) For Soy Flour For Bread?

[sreese68]

I want to use 2 flour mixes from the Culinary Institute of America's gluten-free baking book. The mixes are about 1/3 soy flour, and I can't find one that's made in a gluten-free facility. I'm new to gluten-free baking, so I'm not sure what would be a good substitute? The mixes both have white rice flour and tapioca as the other ingredients. One also has whey powder. I would be making bread, rolls, etc. The amounts are given in weight, so I should have an easy time substituting ounce for ounce.

Oh, they say that these mixes are higher in protein than their others, so maybe I need a flour that's high in protein? Teff? Guess I should mention that my family isn't used to "exotic" tasting food (think little kids), so I may need to lead them gently down the path of unusual flavors! LOL!

[GlutenFreeManna]

I think a good sub would be another type of bean flour like garfava (garbanzo and fava) or white bean flour. That said, bean flours tend to have a very distinct taste and people either really like them or really hate them. If you want the high protein maybe you could try almond or coconut flour but I have no idea what that would do to the recipes.

[RiceGuy]

Although the soy flour at barryfarm.com isn't processed in a gluten-free facility, I've never had any trouble from it (I'm extremely sensitive to gluten). But as for a suitable substitute, I think garbanzo would be the closest if texture is the most important factor. Taste however, is another matter entirely. And while I regularly use bean flours, the one I simply can't stand the taste of is garbanzo. Yellow pea flour would be my personal choice.

Neither teff nor coconut flour would work in place of the soy flour in such an application. Neither would nut flours. White bean flour may help round out the flavors, but it will detract from the target texture, so the ratio would need to be kept relatively small. Fava flour is certainly closer than white bean for the texture aspect, but not as close as yellow pea or garbanzo.

I'd also suggest a pinch of ground ginger, and a bit more of onion powder, both of which will really help the flavor IMHO.

[Korwyn]

I have successfully replaced 1c. soy with 3/4c sorghum + 1/4c brown rice.

[sreese68]

Thanks for everyone's responses! I think I'll try the soy flour from barryfarm.com but also get their yellow pea flour to experiment with. I dislike garbanzo beans, so I don't think I'll try that one

[RiceGuy]

I neglected to mention that different types of flour do not all weigh the same per given volume. That is, a cup of one type of flour will typically weigh differently than a cup of another type. Soy flour is especially light compared to other flours, so you won't get the same ratio if substituting another flour with the same weight called for in soy flour.

For example, 1/4 cup of yellow pea flour weighs almost twice as much as the same volume of whole soy flour (40g compared to just 21g. So to calculate the proper ratio, divide the gram weight of the soy flour in the recipe by 21, to get the number of 1/4 cups. In other words, one cup of soy flour will weigh about 84 grams, while one cup of yellow pea flour will weigh about 160 grams.

One final note, is that soy flour tends to make things very moist and soft compared to other flours, and it also promotes browning in the oven quite considerably. So when substituting another flour for the soy, the amount of water called for in the recipe may need to be adjusted, as well as the bake time/temperature. Given the high ratio of soy in the recipe you've mentioned, I've no doubt there will need to be some adjustments beyond the flour sub.

[sreese68]

I neglected to mention that different types of flour do not all weigh the same per given volume. That is, a cup of one type of flour will typically weigh differently than a cup of another type. Soy flour is especially light compared to other flours, so you won't get the same ratio if substituting another flour with the same weight called for in soy flour.

For example, 1/4 cup of yellow pea flour weighs almost twice as much as the same volume of whole soy flour (40g compared to just 21g. So to calculate the proper ratio, divide the gram weight of the soy flour in the recipe by 21, to get the number of 1/4 cups. In other words, one cup of soy flour will weigh about 84 grams, while one cup of yellow pea flour will weigh about 160 grams.

One final note, is that soy flour tends to make things very moist and soft compared to other flours, and it also promotes browning in the oven quite considerably. So when substituting another flour for the soy, the amount of water called for in the recipe may need to be adjusted, as well as the bake time/temperature. Given the high ratio of soy in the recipe you've mentioned, I've no doubt there will need to be some adjustments beyond the flour sub.

Thank you SOOO much for all this info! I had thought that if my recipe calls for say 1 cup of soy flour (84 grams), then I could substitute 84 grams of yellow pea flour? So I would substitute equal weight in recipes? Am I reading this right? (having a little leftover brain fog today!)

I have a book on cooking ratios, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Hoping it'll help on the baking...

[organicmama]

RiceGuy, do you have a reference for gram weights of our various gluten-free flours? Most labels included info where I could calculate, but some just gave nutritional info in grams.

[RiceGuy]

Thank you SOOO much for all this info! I had thought that if my recipe calls for say 1 cup of soy flour (84 grams), then I could substitute 84 grams of yellow pea flour? So I would substitute equal weight in recipes? Am I reading this right? (having a little leftover brain fog today!)

I have a book on cooking ratios, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Hoping it'll help on the baking...

Based on the amount of water most flours absorb, I'm sure subbing with a comparable volume would be better than going by weight. You may still need to adjust the amount of flour or water a little though, depending on what is being subbed for what. Accept for coconut flour, which absorbs a lot more water than most other flours. Other nut flours might also require a different ratio when substituting.

Subbing by volume also helps ensure that you'll end up with the proper volume of dough/batter.

[RiceGuy]

RiceGuy, do you have a reference for gram weights of our various gluten-free flours? Most labels included info where I could calculate, but some just gave nutritional info in grams.

Nutrition labels should include both volume and weight measurements. For flours, it is often (but not always) 1/4 cup. Then the weight is typically given in grams. There are 454 grams per pound.