Vickys Gluten-Free Baking Tips!

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   Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you start.

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   Gluten-free flours are normally stored in the fridge to keep their nutrients for longer.

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   By bringing your flours, milk & eggs to room temp, it gives your leaveners such as yeast, baking powder etc a greater ability to do their job

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   Use high-protein flours in your blend.

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   Rice flour contains little protein which gluten-free cakes & breads need for structure.

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   Use a larger portion of flours such as sorghum, teff, millet, amaranth and oat flour to boost the protein content of your bakes

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   Measure correctly.

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   Invest in a set of digital kitchen scales as gluten-free flours don't weigh the same as wheat flours do, especially when you're using them in a blend.

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   You can't substitute them all cup for cup.

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    For extra help, see my tips on converting gluten-free flours from cups to grams listed in my profile

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    Xanthan gum is a wonder ingredient, especially in gluten free baking.

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    It replaces the gluten and binds the ingredients together.

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    Without it everything you bake will to too crumbly to slice.

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    Add 1tsp per 450g flour for breads, 1/4 tsp per 225g flour in pastry and a half tsp per 225g flour in cakes or as the recipes direct

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    Add 1/8tsp powdered vitamin C / asorbic acid to your dry ingredients when making bread.

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    Vitamin C is a natural preservative which helps extend the shelf life

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    Eggs are great natural leaveners and are a helpful ingredient in gluten-free baking.

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    Vegans and those with egg allergies can struggle with gluten-free bakes but fear not, there is a solution.

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    Just use extra liquid and baking powder.

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    See my best gluten-free egg replacer recipe on my profile and use 1&1/2 tsp of it mixed with 3tbsp water to replace 1 egg

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    Use carbonated/sparkling water in place of normal tap water.

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    The bubbles give extra lift and lighten your bakes.

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    Check my gluten-free pancake recipe for an example

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    Use pure olive oil instead of other oils.

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    It adds moisture, extends shelf life and gives great flavour to gluten-free foccacia, walnut breads and cakes

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    Adding a tsp of fruit pectin also keeps your bakes nice and moist

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    Potato flour is a great add for giving bread a soft texture but don't add too much unless you want your bread to taste like mash!

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    Any more than 30g is trouble.

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    Almond meal and tapioca starch are both good for adding a soft texture too but too much tapioca will result in chewy bakes

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    Don't fill your tins more than 2/3 full, especially bread tins.

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    The weight of the batter rising will probably make your bakes collapse

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    Lidded tins such as Pullman pans are good for loaves.

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    They create a better shaped loaf if yours is a bit uneven looking and helps retain moisture

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    Invest in a digital thermometer.

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    If you're unsure when to tell if your bread is ready or don't feel confident that it's done, stick a thermometer in!

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    When the internal temp is at 96.6C/206F it's done.

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    There's nothing worse than an underbaked gooey loaf

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    Until you get a feel for the 'dough' or I should say batter, stick to recipes written for gluten-free breads & cakes.

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    It's a completely different experience and until you've practised enough to recognise when your batter is ready to bake, you'll fail.

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    Once you get a feel for it there'll be no stopping you though.

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    Gluten-free flours need more liquid than wheat flours and the mixture should be like a thicker version of cake mix

No additional tips available.