wheat flour substitute

[Scarlet]

I have recently been put on a wheat-free diet by my naturopath to see if wheat is the cause of my achy joints. For the last month I have been struggling to find good recipes for wheat-free breads/pancakes/cookies etc. and I wasted a lot of potato/rice/tapioca/amaranth/corn flours before coming across the recipes on your website, which so far as I've tried, all work perfectly!

What I'm wondering is if there is a way to use recipes for baked goods that call for wheat by substituting another flour or combination of flours, and what adjustments must be made (ie. kneading time, lecithin, baking time and temp., etc.).

I just bought a breadmaker with a gluten-free setting which kneads for a shorter period than the regular cycle but all of the recipes tried in it so far for gluten-free breads have heralded heavy crumbly loafs, not nearly as good as your spelt recipe. I've also tried a few recipes from the Bob's Red Mill cite, but so far, well, we'll just say it didn't work out too well.
Thank-you.

[Rebecca]

Hearing that my recipes work for you, puts a smile on my face. Thank you.

There’s no easy answer to your question. With alternatives, I’ve not succeeded in duplicating the flavor and texture of a wheat bread. So, I favor flat breads and quick breads like the overnight millet waffle (on line). There are more recipes for such breads in my book, The Splendid Grain.

For cookies, try my energy bar (on line); use almond meal in place of flour; make coconut macaroons; enjoy puddings and apple desserts.

Regarding spelt, kamut and the other gluten grains…if you’re sensitive to wheat, it’s very easy to also develop a sensitivity to these also. Good luck.

[Saffron]

Hi,

I also have to avoid wheat because my nursling baby is allergic to it. I don't know how to make a good wheat-free bread, but I've had some success using substitutions in regular recipes. For cakes or muffins with fairly wet batter, rice flour can be good. It works best if you start with a recipe that uses whole wheat because the authors have then already compensated for the heavier, denser texture you get with the whole grain. It also helps to start with a recipe whose bulk is not made up entirely of wheat - for example, oat bran muffins or carrot cake. I prefer the rice flour from Asian groceries that comes in a 1 lb plastic bag. It is ground more finely so is less gritty and also is much cheaper than the flour from health food stores. (Unfortunately they only have white rice flour.)

If you want cookies, oat flour works well as long as the recipe is fairly short - relying on fat or oil for moisture rather than a lot of watery ingredients. You can make oat flour by processing rolled oats for a few minutes in a food processor.