How To Make Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
Start by adding egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a large glass bowl if youre using a hand mixer.
The egg whites DO NOT need to be at room temperature cold is fine!
Beat on medium speed until the egg whites are frothy, 1 minute. Add vanilla extract then beat to combine.
Next, add granulated sugar to a blender or food processor then blend or process it briefly to create fine sugar. Were not looking to make powdered sugar, but the finer sugar granules will dissolve faster and easier in the cake batter vs regular-size sugar granules.
Slowly but consistently sprinkle the sugar into the mixing bowl with the speed on low. Once all the sugar has been added, turn the speed up to medium-high then beat until the egg whites are glossy and medium peaks have formed.
Like this! Youll know youve got the right texture when the tip of the batter slightly droops on itself. Stiff peaks would stick straight up, and soft peaks would totally droop. You want it right in between.
Next, whisk together a gluten free baking flour blend WITH added binder, plus corn starch in a small bowl. I tested this recipe using Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and loved the results!
Add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch.
I usually use a wine bottle covered in foil this is a Topo Chico bottle here in these photos. Use whatever youve got!
Need Help With Other Dietary Restrictions
If you have other dietary restrictions check out my article on gluten free flours. I give recipes and ratios to make your own gluten free flour blend so you can still use all my yummy recipes!
If youre avoiding dairy, take heart! All of my recipes can be made without dairy with substitutions given. Here are some of my favorite dairy-free ingredients I bake with myself. If you need to be egg-free, check my recommendations for baking without eggs.
If you have other dietary restrictions or food allergies, and are looking for more ingredients, products and recipe substitutions for nearly every other conceivable food allergen,I highly recommend you take a look at my cookbook, Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy.
Ingredients For Our Gluten Free Flour Recipe
Tapioca Flour. A starch that improves the flavor and texture of gf baked goods.
Potato Starch. Starch works really well in baked goods to replace gluten because it is also a form of glue.
Corn Starch. Using a variety to starches improves the taste and texture of your gluten free baked goods.
Brown or White Rice Flour. Rice forms the base of most gluten free flour mixtures. If used exclusively it can give the baked goods a grainy texture, so thats why we mix it with other flours.
Sweet White Rice Flour. Adds a touch of sweetness to your flour mix and improves the taste.
Xanthan Gum. A little xanthan gum improves the shape and texture of gf baked goods.
Also Check: Healthy Supper Recipes For Weight Loss
Ingredient Intelligence: Are Oats Gluten Free
- Yes, oats are gluten free. The oat grain, on its own, does not contain gluten.
- What causes gluten issues with oats is that there is often cross contamination in factories where the oats are produced. If you are making this gluten free granola for someone who cannot have any gluten whatsoever , be sure you are using certified gluten free rolled oats like these
Not All Cake Recipes Are Created Equal
The worst mistake we can make as bakers is to assume that all cake and cupcake recipes should be treated the same way.I did a thorough post on Baking Perfect Cupcakes a while back where I also stress this fact.
Butter based recipes respond completely different to mixing than oil based recipes. Butter based cake/cupcake recipes can be overmixed so much faster than oil based recipes and this is amplified severely when you use gluten free flour.
I love to use my own gluten free flour blend because it works PERFECTLY in all cake and cupcake recipes.
And heres a super important tip for the subbing process: Go By Weight and Not Volume!
I never, ever, EEEEVERRRR use cup measurements for dry ingredients. EVER. Wet ingredients, absolutely, but not dry ingredients. The reason why is because cup measurements leave way too much room for error. A loosely poured cup of flour weighs about 150 g, but a scooped cup of flour can weigh up to 190 g!
If a recipe does not provide weight measurements, I like to assume I should use 170 g per cup which is in the middle. This has always worked for me
You May Like: Jameson Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
The Whole Wheat Substitute: Batch
If you prefer a flour with the texture and flavor of whole wheat, give this one a try. Breads and cakes made with it have a slightly coarser texture and a more open crumb than those made with the other two blends. We eliminated corn products in this flour, swapping arrowroot for cornstarch to take advantage of its thickening power, added some sorghum flour for its sweet nutty flavor, and used guar gum instead of xanthan gum to add viscosity and elasticity. This flour has a slightly richer flavor than the What IiF flour, and results in a lighter texture than Aki’s Blend.
Uses For Gluten Free Flour
This gluten free flour recipe can be used for baking and cooking . But theres a little to learn first about the different types of flours available.
Gluten-Free Girl has a ton of information on the different types of gluten-free flours available. She also explains how to follow the 40/60 ratio 40% grain flour + 60% starchy flour to get the right consistency thats similar to a gluten flour.
If Im baking something really moist like pumpkin or banana bread, I recommend using mini loaf pans rather than regularly sized loaf pan with gluten free flour. I find that mini pans work well for giving breads a moist center and firm outer layer which is perfect for all breads really but especially for pumpkin or banana bread.
You May Like: Easy Recipe For Pork Chops And Sauerkraut
How To Convert A Wheat Flour Recipe To Gluten Free:
- When you want to convert a favorite family recipe, or a gluten free recipe calling for several different kinds of flour, all you need to do is to use a truly all purpose gluten free flour. Theyre all different, but most who try my gfJules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour prefer it its won #1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour 3 years in a row in the consumer choice awards!
- Simply total up the amount of flour called for in the recipe and use that amount of the all purpose gluten free flour instead. Do NOT add more xanthan gum or guar gum if a recipe calls for it and youre using my Jules Flour or another blend that contains gums its already in the flour and adding more will just make the recipe gummy.
- I do not suggest using a WHOLE WHEAT or Stone Ground Wheat recipe and trying to convert it to gluten free the baking properties are so different that the recipe structure will be thrown off. Stick to converting recipes calling for all purpose flour instead for better results.
Gluten Free Lasagna Recipe
We’ve been enjoying lasagna for years. My dad used to make it at least once a month, and then for Christmas. We’ve made some adjustments to this family lasagna recipe that we think you’ll love. Including adding in pro-tips and shortcuts for getting your lasagna in the oven quicker.
With this gluten free lasagna recipe, you can add addition ingredients like chopped veggies, spinach, or other cheese varieties. This lasagna is great as-is but you can definitely customize it to fit your palate.
You May Like: Pizza Dip Recipe With Cream Cheese
Special Tips For Baking
In addition to the above 2 tips, baking requires its own bonus section. Baking really is a science, and mastering gluten-free baking is like graduating with a PhD.
If new to gluten-free cooking I HIGHLY recommend that you stick with gluten-free box mixes for baking.
These companies have experimented, taste tested, and mixed flours like crazy to get them to come out right. Ive even tried a bunch out and written reviews throughout my blog.
But if you just have a sweet spot for baking from scratch or have some amazing family recipes you just cant spend the rest of your life without, here are my special tips for how you can make any recipe gluten-free when baking.
What If I Only Want To Use One Blend
If you only want to use one all purpose blend for everything but bread, Id make it my Better Than Cup4Cup .
Youll still need a Gum-Free Gluten Free Flour Blend, though, for some applications. So two blends? Oh, and to make bread flour, I suggest you buy Better Batter. So just 3. Thats all. 🙂
Recommended Reading: Healthy Meal Prep Ideas For Weight Loss Recipes
Mixing Technique For Oil Based Recipes
Great news is that oil based batters are WAY more forgiving! Score! Whether you are mixing carrot cake, chocolate cake or red velvet cake, you dont need to be as careful as you are with butter based gluten free batters.
This being said, I still wouldnt mix it a lot unless the recipe states that you should do so. My Chocolate Cupcake Recipe, for example, requires you to mix the batter on medium speed for 2 minutes before adding boiling water. Since this is an oil based recipe, I do beat the batter for the required time even when I sub gluten free flour and they turn out great!
How To Layer A Lasagna
This is how I personally like to layer gluten free lasagna. You can layer it how you like.
We doubled this gluten free lasagna recipe and baked it in a 15X10X2 pan .
Also Check: Veg Soup Recipes For Weight Loss
Making Flours Work Like Wheat
Let’s start with the basics. At its core, wheat flour is a hydrocolloid, which means it absorbs water and creates gels. Wheat flours, which consist mostly of starch, are classified by their protein content. The amount of protein in the flour is what dictates the elasticity of your bread or pasta dough. Gluten is formed when two proteins, glutenin and gliadin, absorb water or another liquid. Gliadin is sticky and stretchy, giving dough extensibility, and glutenin adds strength and elasticity to a dough. Elasticity refers to the ability of a dough to spring back after it has been stretched. These two proteins work in concert to create gluten.
When gluten absorbs water , it forms long, stretchy, elastic strands that define the structure of a batter or dough. Then when you cook it, the heat causes the starch granules to swell up, thickening and forming irreversible bonds with the water, the process called gelatinization. As the water inside the protein network heats, it changes into steam, which forces the network to expand this is steam leavening. The final step is coagulation. Once the proteins reach a high enough temperature , they begin to solidify, setting the structure of the bread or cake.
“Finding the perfect balance with gluten is an art, and replacing gluten with something else entirely can be challenging.”
How To Make Cake Recipes Gluten Free
So you have a cake recipe that you want to make gluten free, but how do you go about it?
Do you simply substitute the wheat flour for gluten free flour?
Do you go to the supermarket first and buy a whole lot of fancy and complicated ingredients to make it?
Gluten free baking is so complicated, right? Not necessarily!
If youve tried making an ordinary gluten cake into a gluten free cake with little success then listen up. This week were discussing how to make a cake recipe gluten free so that you can have gluten free cakes that still taste great and have great texture it is possible!
I must admit, I used to loath it when people asked me bake them something gluten free. It used to seem just a little too difficult and the result was never that rewarding. That was before I new the secrets
Don’t Miss: Hot Tottie Recipe With Tequila
How Long To Bake Gluten
This gluten-free bread recipe works best when baked for 60-65 minutes in the oven or on the gluten-free setting in a bread machine.
See my notes on gluten free bread recipe for the bread machine below.
Remember to cover your gluten-free bread with foil half-way through baking so it doesn’t over-brown.
You might read that a loaf is done baking once it hits around 200 degrees F. Please bake this loaf 60-65 minutes even if your thermometer says otherwise.
Identify What Ingredients Need To Change
The first step to make any recipe gluten-free is to identify the ingredients that contain gluten. Beyond looking for the specific ingredients of wheat, barley, and rye, look in your recipe for the ingredients on this list as they likely contain gluten. While the ingredients on following marked with an asterisk* list do not always contain gluten, they often doso check labels carefully!
- BBQ Sauce*
I buy a lot of my gluten-free specialty ingredients from Thrive Market.
Recommended Reading: Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Substitute With An All
For the best bet, adjust your favorite recipes by substituting regular flour for an all-in-one gluten-free flour blend. Think of these blends as formulas that combine the strengths of different gluten free flours with stabilizers to mimic regular flour. They have been tested for versatility and overall do a great job. Just remember that there are gluten-free flour blends that are not all-in-one, meaning you can’t just swap them into any recipe without adjusting other ingredients and no two blends are the same. Our top picks for all-in-one blends are Bob Red Mill’s Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour , Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Flour , and King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour .
While these all-in-one baking blends can be used in yeasted baked goods, we do not advise substituting them into a recipe created with regular flour. Too many variables would need to be changed to get the same rise that gluten provides. Instead, look for a tested gluten-free recipe, like this gluten-free bread, which uses a blend we developed in the test kitchen.
What Is Needed To Make A Great Gluten
A variety of meats and cheeses can be cut up, and retain their shape. You can also use individually wrapped cheeses, if you like.
- Crackers: it is easier to use mini breadsticks or other long crackers.
- Vegetable or fruit: for a fresh element. Dried fruit can also be a great addition.
- A sweet element: like chocolate or candy- you can check out our ultimate guide to gluten-free candy and ultimate guide to gluten-free chocolate for a safe sweet treat. Candied nuts can be a great addition too.
- Any variety of nuts, as they can add crunch obviously you need to know if there are any nut allergies before you commit to using them. Whether they are dry-roasted, salted, seasoned, or candied, they are a welcome addition.
- Any gluten-free charcuterie cup should be well balanced like a charcuterie board. You can read our gluten-free charcuterie board post, for more delicious ideas of what to add to the cup.
Having a theme to your gluten-free charcuterie cups is key. As it makes picking out the items, much easier. Todays cup is Italian inspired. However, you can change it up to suit your guests tastes, or even the event.
Read Also: Vegan Recipes For Breakfast Lunch And Dinner
Recipes That Use Our Gluten Free Flour Mixture
Im listing a few of my favorite recipes here, but honestly, your best bet is to purchase my Gluten Free cookbook. Ive been gluten-free for ten years, and It has all of my favorite recipes, personally tested by me. You can use this gluten free flour recipe to make the flour for any of these recipes!
Choose The Right Flour
Not all gluten-free flours are equalnor do they behave like regular all-purpose or wheat flour when baking. Mimicking an all-purpose flour requires mixing all kinds of different flours together to make any recipe gluten-free.
The best recipe for all-purpose gluten-free flour Ive tried is the on in the How Can it Be Gluten-Free Cookbook by Americas Test Kitchen.
However, mixing your own flour blend is time consuming, not to mention being fairly expensive up front due to buying such a wide variety of specialty flours.
Therefore, I recommend beginning with a good quality all-purpose cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend like King Arthur.
Read Also: Recipe For Spinach Artichoke Dip With Cream Cheese