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lm8
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Joined: 17 Aug 2022
Age: 58
Gender: Female
Posts: 14
Location: Florida

08 Apr 2024, 9:30 am

I was advised by my doctor to go gluten free for medical reasons. I make all my foods from scratch and have several allergies and intolerances. So, cutting out wheat and barley is difficult. I've tried several recipes that use substitutes for wheat in common foods like breads, cookies, pies, etc. However, they either don't taste palatable or have an after taste of some kind. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to make gluten free flour blends from scratch or substitute for wheat in favorite recipes when you're very sensitive to taste? Has anyone found new recipes that naturally use unusual grains or seeds as flour that they think actually taste good? I've been able to use some lentil and/or rice pastas to replace the wheat pastas I used. I've replaced flour in some recipes with rice and/or tapioca starch but they don't seem to work well as a complete wheat replacement in bread or dessert recipes. I bought about a dozen flour replacements to try including brown rice, sweet rice, oat (gluten free), sorghum, teff, buckwheat, amaranth, tigernut, chestnut and several starches. I have intolerances to coconut, casava and nuts. Any tips on how to come up with palatable gluten free recipes or how to find safe replacements for foods with gluten to make a gluten-free diet less limited? Thanks.



DuckHairback
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Joined: 27 Jan 2021
Age: 44
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Location: Dorset

10 Apr 2024, 9:24 am

My advice, living with two gluten-free people and thus eating a lot gluten-free food too, is...don't.

What I mean is, don't try to replicate gluten-containing foods with gluten-free versions. All the pre-packed gluten free foods you'll see are hyper-processed, spike your blood-sugar like no-one's business (worse than actual refined sugar in some cases) and are generally very unhealthy. The flour blends are the same - they're high carbohydrate substances that aren't supposed to be eaten that way and have to have all sorts of stuff added before they behave like real flour. That stuff is okay as an occasional thing but don't make it part of your regular diet.

Embrace the fact that you're not going to be eating breads and cakes and stuff. Just eat basic whole foods, meats (if you eat meats) and vegetables and rice. If you want to thicken a sauce you can use psyllium husk or xantham gum.


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DanielW
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Joined: 17 Jan 2019
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10 Apr 2024, 10:03 am

Gluten free and baking don't usually go very well together. I haven't found a universal replacement for wheat flour that works in every situation. Some substitutes work better in certain dishes than others. As I am sure you are learning.

For Pizza dough. I have used bamboo flour and it works very well for a thin, crisp crust but it does not work in sandwich breads at all. If you are willing to experiment, you can find work-arounds for your favorite recipes. The easiest thing to do it to eat foods that are naturally gluten free rather than substitutes. A lot of asian dishes are gluten free, using corn starch to coat meats and vegetables and to thicken sauces for instance.

Corn Tortillas are another natural choice for tacos, enchiladas and other dishes too. Corn chips are also good for adding crunch to salads in place of croutons or nuts.

Pasta can be swapped out for spiralized vegetables like zucchini or spaghetti squash.