Best gluten free flours for cooking and baking, tried and tested (2024)

FAQs

Best gluten free flours for cooking and baking, tried and tested? ›

Best Overall: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

Use xanthan gum or guar gum: Gluten-free flours lack the elasticity and structure that gluten provides, so adding a binder like xanthan or guar gum can help to hold the ingredients together and give your baked goods a better texture.

Gluten-free chefs swear by millet flour for breading pan fried meats and fish. It adds a light, almost sweet flavor and crumbly texture to foods, and is full of protein!

Gluten-Free Bread Flour

It contains gluten-free wheat starch, which helps mimic the flavor of conventional flours and acts as a thickener. While the starch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it's gluten-free, it's not wheat-free, so if you have a wheat allergy, this flour is not suitable for you.

Leavening & High Altitude

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

White rice flour: fine wheat substitute

Made from finely milled white rice, rice flour is a great substitute for wheat flour. It works very well as a thickening agent because it prevents liquid separation – it is particularly good for soups, gravies and sauces but can also work for cakes, cookies and crackers.

For flours that are made from grains (amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, quinoa, rice flours, sorghum, and teff), always buy them labeled gluten-free, since many are grown, harvested and processed in facilities that also manufacture wheat, barley, or rye and cross-contact can occur.

It's easy to make traditional recipes gluten-free with King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. It's a simple 1:1 substitute for all-purpose or whole grain flour that's designed to be easily swapped into most of your favorite non-yeasted recipes.

Why is it challenging to bake with gluten free flours? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Gluten-free goods tend to brown faster and take longer to cook through. So they need to be baked at a slightly lower temperature, for a slightly longer time. Every recipe is different, but in general, try lowering the temperature by 25 degrees and baking the item for 15 minutes longer.

Best Overall: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour

This mix, which has all recognizable ingredients (including sweet white rice flour, which is the main ingredient in mochi, a nice light, powdery, starchy flour that doubles as a binder), worked well in all three of our tests.

"But, if I'm trying to sub a regular traditional flour, I tend to grab oat flour since that mimics wheat flour beautifully." She also attains fluffiness by mixing blanched almond flour and oat flour, adjusting the amounts for each recipe.

Buckwheat flour: easy and versatile

Though the name might be misleading, buckwheat flour is not derived from wheat and it doesn't contain any gluten. Buckwheat flour has a rich, earthy flavour that works well in quick breads and yeast bread.

Because gluten-free flours provide less structure than all-purpose, the batter or dough you make with them may require more beating than that which you are accustomed. The extra beating will provide the structure that the flour itself cannot.

This flour is designed for quick breads and not recommended for use in yeast recipes.