Interesting facts about gluten-free baking

Cooking without gluten can be as simple as leaving out certain ingredients, but gluten-free baking needs a different approach. All-purpose wheat flour is very important in traditional baking, so when you remove it, you need to find a good substitute and understand how it will change your recipe.

Once you learn the special "rules" for gluten-free baking, you'll be able to confidently make all your favourite treats without gluten!

What to expect with gluten-free baking

Understanding why gluten-free recipes work differently from regular ones will help you get the texture and flavour you want.

First, let's talk about gluten.

Gluten is a stretchy protein found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It gives structure and chewiness to recipes. Gluten's elasticity helps batters and doughs trap air from leavening agents like yeast, baking powder, or baking soda, which makes them rise.

Without gluten, baked goods can turn out grainy, dense, and crumbly, but they don't have to be! The first step to great gluten-free baking is finding a good flour substitute.

All-purpose wheat flour, the most common in baking, has a special mix that can't be replaced by just one gluten-free grain. To copy it, you need a blend of different flours and binders or a store-bought, pre-mixed combination.

Gluten-free flours absorb more liquid

In traditional baking recipes, you're often told not to over-mix the batter because it can make the gluten develop too much, leading to tough baked goods.

In gluten-free recipes, there's no gluten to worry about, so you don't have this problem. In fact, mixing the batter longer can help gluten-free baked goods have better structure and rise more.

This is not the case in all gluten-free recipes. Some ask that all the ingredients just come together without overmixing. These recipes may ask something else to enhance the flavour and texture.

Gluten-free batters need to rest

After mixing the batter, there's an extra step you don't usually do in traditional baking: letting it rest. Even the best gluten-free flours can make the batter gritty. Letting the batter rest for about 30 minutes helps the flour absorb liquid and become softer.

Resting is especially important for gluten-free treats that bake quickly, like pancakes and cookies.

No kneading required

Traditional breads and baked goods require kneading to develop the gluten. Since gluten-free recipes don’t have any gluten (surprise!), they don’t require any kneading at all.

It’s also worth noting that while kneaded bread dough becomes smooth and stretchy, gluten-free bread “dough” will look more like a sticky batter. 

Glute-free batters need a longer bake time

Gluten-free batters, due to their higher liquid content compared to traditional ones, often require a longer baking time. Removing them prematurely from the oven can result in a gummy and mushy texture. Therefore, it is crucial to adhere to the baking time specified in the gluten-free recipe, rather than relying on the usual visual or timing cues used in conventional baking.

Essential gluten-free baking ingredients

Traditional bakers use all-purpose wheat flour. To replace it, we need several gluten-free ingredients: some with high protein, some with lots of starch, and others to bind everything together.

Nowadays, you can buy gluten-free flour blends that work like all-purpose flour. These often include rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. However, different brands use different mixes, so they can't be swapped without changing the results. When a recipe calls for all-purpose gluten-free flour, use the brand specified to get the best outcome.

Sometimes, you'll want to bake something special, like bran muffins, cakes, or dinner rolls, where an all-purpose blend isn't enough. Keep extra gluten-free flours like oat flour, nut flours, bean flours, and powdered dry milk in your pantry. You'll also need binders like xanthan gum or psyllium husk to help with the structure.

If you're following a strict gluten-free diet, read the labels on everything you use. Sometimes, wheat can get into naturally gluten-free ingredients like oats, yeast, and cornstarch due to how they're processed. Luckily, packages must state if there's a risk of cross-contamination with wheat.

Stick to the recipe

Remember that gluten-free baking doesn’t follow the same visual cues as traditional baking. You might be tempted to improvise on a recipe and use your tried-and-true baking know-how but, until you're comfortable with the particulars of gluten-free baking, use recipes designed for gluten-free flour and follow them as outlined.... the best way is to use a kitchen scale and measure "to the gram".

If the recipe includes a specific brand of flour, use that one for best results. If you’ve purchased a gluten-free blend but aren’t sure where to start, the back of the package and the brand’s website are great places to look. Those recipes are developed with that specific brand in mind and have been tested for success.

Don't "dip and sweep"

While that might be the go-to move for measuring all-purpose wheat flour, it doesn't work for gluten-free flours. Gluten-free flours are finer than wheat flour and so scooping that way can lead to inconsistencies.

Instead of measuring by volume, the most accurate way is by weight using a kitchen scale. If the recipe you’re following only shows the amount in cups, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a flat edge, without tapping or packing it down.

Less flour, the better

I find that the easiest and most passable gluten-free baked goods are those that don’t rely solely on flour for their composition, but have other major ingredients mixed in. Think: banana bread, cornbread, peanut butter cookies, oat muffins, carrot cake. Those all get structure, flavour, and texture, from those other featured ingredients. Compare that to a crusty French baguette which might only have flour, water, yeast and salt.

If you're just starting out, recipes with other things going on are a great confidence builder.

Don't be scared of the freezer

Homemade gluten-free baked goods are often tastier than what you can find at the store, but it takes a bit of effort to fire up the oven every time the mood strikes. Whenever I bake a batch of something, I make it a habit to freeze a portion for a future indulgence. Brownies, bread, quick breads, pizza crusts, cupcakes, muffins, and waffles all freeze very well.

Plus, since gluten-free baked goods do not stay fresh as long as their conventional counterparts, it’s always a good idea to freeze whatever you won’t finish in a couple days.