Getting away from wheat products can seem like a chore, considering how many foods contain wheat. They range from bread and wraps to cereals and anything with a thickener or a coating. While many companies continue to emerge offering gluten free foods, finding your own gluten free recipes can be a very freeing option, allowing parents to involve gluten sensitive kids in the kitchen.
Not only wheat, but spelt, kamut and barley contain gluten. So, while these are safe for those avoiding wheat, a coeliac sufferer will be more strict. Other sources of gluten can include baking powder and baking mixes for pancakes, cookies and cakes.
Bread and muffin recipes will want something to take the place of gluten, the main role of which is to keep the finished product from crumbling. Suggested ingredients include xanthum gum, guar gum and pre-gel starch. All of these can be found at health food and specialty stores, although as supermarkets become increasingly aware of the demand for gluten-free baking products, they will sometimes carry such things or will order them in.
Your choice of safe flours is actually quite long. Amaranth, tapioca and potato are just some. Compare them with all-purpose flour and see the difference. Regular wheat flour has a lighter, less grainy texture than rice flour for example.
Though experimentation will lead consumers to new ways of lightening recipes, many will still come out heavier than their traditional counterparts. Texture will differ also because in some cases the flour has a grainier quality. Mix flours together and see what works for you.
One useful item to use when baking muffins, for example, is yogurt. Combine this with gluten free baking powder, then let them sit for a few minutes. Watch as the two react to create a frothy mixture. When folded into your batter these air bubbles will give your recipe a lift. Substitute sour cream, buttermilk or soured milk and do the same thing, achieving the similar results.
For thickening a gravy or sauce, stock regular items such as cornstarch or tapioca starch. Use these safely as before. When creating a custard or thick filling in baking, make sure products such as custard or pudding powder do not contain thickeners with gluten in them. If you can get rid of all wheat from the kitchen, all the better. If not, at least dedicate a cupboard and label it up for safety.
Some gluten free recipes can end up tasting awful as I’m sure you’ll know if you have a gluten intolerance. Allergydiet.co.uk provide a range of gluten free recipes, including gluten free bread recipes that have become extremely popular, purely on the strength of the recipes themselves.