Gluten-Free Flour-Replacement Mix Recipe

I finally got around to trying this recipe yesterday (in banana bread), and it was great! No one in the family could tell the difference. I looked up weight measurements so that I could measure by weight, and off we went.

All materials were purchased from Azure Standard, which is where I have found the best prices. It also comes out to be much cheaper than my beloved Pamela's Bread Mix, which is my standard gluten-free go-to replacement flour.

It has become strikingly obvious that our family needs to severely limit our gluten intake, because both my husband and our 7yo have exhibited wheat sensitivities in the form of stomach upsets and headaches. A little wheat can be okay, but when they attempt to live the standard American wheat-based diet (i.e. loads of wheat in every meal), then we're really in trouble.

As a matter of fact, the reason that I am currently blogging at 9:30 a.m. instead of doing lessons is because our 7yo is sacked out on the couch, sleeping off a miserable two-day "wheat headache" that he got as a result of a severe wheat overdose this past weekend.

Of course, "gluten-free" foods often aren't very healthy, because they are made up of high-glycemic-index starches that can wreak havoc on both weight and gut health when consumed at high levels. This mix is just for those "I just need some flour!" moments - but not meant to be used as a dietary staple.

Random pictures! Don't you love it? 

Two other options that I am looking into at the moment are:

(1) Sourdough - A lot of the health problems with modern grains can be eliminated or minimized by soaking, sprouting or lacto-fermenting. I hope to give sourdough baking a try very soon!

(2) Einkorn wheat - This is the ancestral (biblical!) version of wheat, before modern wheat was developed. I would like to try this form of wheat, combined with the soaking/sprouting/lacto-fermentation processes to see if our family can handle it better.

But in the meantime, when you just need a bit of flour - and that flour needs to be gluten-free - try this version and let me know what you think!


Gluten-Free All-Purpose "Flour" Mix

1 cup brown rice flour (4 1/2 oz.)
1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 oz.)
1/2 cup potato starch (2 3/4 oz.)
1 tsp. xanthan (or guar) gum

Mix and use as for all-purpose flour! (I would measure this flour by volume, rather than by weight, for recipes.)            

Sitting in a bucket of water - his favorite summer-night activity! 

                   
Have a great night, everyone!