Gluten Free Baking: The Basics

If you have just switched onto a wheat free diet, you probably don't know where to begin, maybe you have tried a few of your old favourite recipes and they have turned out to be a disaster, but don't give up, it is possible to make delicious wheat and gluten free cakes, and its a whole lot cheaper than buying the pre made stuff you find at the supermarket.

So here are my top tips to start wheat free baking:

1) Xanthan Gum

This useful little ingredient is a thickening ad stabilising agent normally used in sauces and dressings, however, when used in wheat free breaking it replaces the gluten and gives your bakes a much improved texture.

2) The Flour

Now most wheat free flours tend to only include one ingredient; Rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour ect. These are no good by themselves for most bakes, you need a blend. There are two options here, Either make your own blend (Gluten free girl makes a brilliant and versatile flour blend that you can find here) or buy a pre mixed blend. Most pre mixed flours i couldn't get along with, until i found Doves wheat free flour blend which i find to be the best and suits most bakes i have attempted.

3) Measure By Weight

This one is simple, recipes that use volumes to measure out their ingredients rarely turn out well when converted to gluten free. Find a recipe that measures by weight and you're on the right track 

4) Keep Trying

Gluten free baking is all about trial and error, when i started years ago, nothing turned out right. If you try a recipe and it comes out dry, add more liquid next time, if its too moist add extra flour next time. Anyone who bakes wheat free is lying if they say they haven't baked a disaster when converting a recipe, if you keep going you will soon get the hang of it, and when you do, your friends would never guess your cakes are wheat free

5) Your not the first

If all else fails, look it up on the internet, wheat and gluten free diets are become more and more popular every year, one quick google search will probably reward you with just the recipe you have been looking for, and if not you can always make alterations to one.