My EGFG Gluten Free Flour Blend is the combination of flours that took my gluten free baking to the next level. Some would call it an all-purpose flour blend. I don't use that term because it works for most of the things I make, but not ALL. Simply accepting this fact will end your frustration with gluten free baking.
EGFG stands for Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet, so I call this my EGFG flour blend. I use this blend for about 80% of the things I make. Here's a short list of those recipes.
- Pancakes, waffles, crepes, muffins and even some cookies.
- Biscuits, cinnamon rolls, Yorkshire pudding and Chinese Onion Bread.
- Flaky pastry for whole pies, hand pies, turkey pot pie, meat pies, quiche and more.
- Tart pastry for my bourbon caramel pumpkin tart or a fruit tart.
- Special occasion desserts like Banana Bundt Cake, Crepe Cake, Strawberry Shortcake and Sticky Date Pudding.
- ...and many more recipes.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Oh the joy of gluten free baking! Here are some fun facts that you just don't know about these ingredients until you start cooking gluten free.
- sorghum flour - Bob's Red Mill brand is labeled sweet white sorghum flour, it's the same. I also see other brands in stores that carry gluten free flours.
- millet flour - Can be found in Asian grocery stores and health food stores.
- sweet rice flour - Can be found in Asian grocery stores labeled 'glutinous rice flour.' Glutinous means sticky and this flour is made from a sticky variety of rice. There is no gluten in glutinous rice.
- potato starch - This is not the same as potato flour and they are not interchangeable.
See recipe card for exact amounts.
📹 Instructions
Once I created a system I could make my flour blend in less than five minutes. I designated a bucket to store all the things I need to make it, and a spot in my cupboard where it's easy to grab.
Do not under estimate the value of creating a system that makes 'mixing up a flour blend' simple.
During one of my classes Colleen saw the large print signs on my container and asked if I could share the file. Here it is! I taped the recipe to both sides of my container and the large print makes it easy to read from a distance.
Substitutions
Gluten free bakers need options so here are the suggestions I give to people who want to make a similar blend but have to substitute for whatever reason.
- Sorghum flour - oat flour is a good substitute for sorghum flour.
- Millet flour - this blend can be made with only sorghum flour or only millet flour. Combine the two amounts into one and make a 3-ingredient blend.
- Sweet rice flour - The high amount of starch in sweet rice flour makes it act like a starch. If you can't find sweet rice flour then white rice flour is a good substitute. Personally, I find blends with a large amount of white rice flour leave an after taste and mouthfeel that I don't like. If you can't use rice follow the suggestion below about starches.
- Potato starch - Flour blends are best when using two starches rather than a larger amount of one. If you can't use potato try tapioca starch, arrowroot starch or cornstarch (in that order).
Experibaking
I borrowed this term from my friend Sue who hosts A Canadian Celiac Podcast. She is an excellent baker and ran her own gluten free bakery for many years. When I experiment I use a tried-and-true recipe, use mostly the flour blend I know will work, the I replace a small amount of the flour with another flour.
I explain exactly how I do it in these two recipes, Banana Muffins and granola bars. You'll be surprised how much you learn.
Variations: Gluten Free Flour Blends
If there was one perfect flour blend we'd all be using it. There isn't. But, people are finding success with many different blends and you can too.
When I started cooking gluten free there were not as many store bought flour blends available as there are now. I tried many combinations over the first few years and finally found success with the flour blend from America's Test Kitchen (ATK) first gluten free cookbook, The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.
Although my recipes worked I found the large amount of rice flour had a slight aftertaste and unpleasant mouthfeel. After a lot of research and baking I eventually discovered my EGFG blend. In the process I created a table comparing different blends from bloggers around the web.
The table shows 11 different homemade flour blends. In my cooking classes people said it helped them understand flour blends so I made it printable and posted it, 11 Gluten Free Flour recipes.
🛒 Equipment
It takes effort to create new systems in a kitchen that was working before you started gluten free. The time you'll save and the stress you'll avoid is worth it! Make it a top priority and be willing to adjust things for awhile until it really is a system that works.
- Clean canisters – I like easy-to-open containers with a wide top for spooning out flour but a 32-oz wide mouth Mason jar with a plastic lid works too. Consider stackable containers in various sizes, often sold as a set of 4.
- A digital kitchen scale is essential for accurate measuring and consistent results. Buy one with a flat surface that can hold any container and has an easy to read display.
- Inexpensive small plastic bowls are light weight and can be interchangeable when you're measuring flour. Mine easily hold 300 grams of flour, the amount I need when making this flour blend.
- Potato starch is the only flour/starch I sift. No matter what I'm making this small step makes it easier to evenly combine the finished ingredients. I have a mesh strainer that fits easily over my large flour container.
- Wire whisks with plastic handles come in many sizes, are comfortable to hold and essential for evenly mixing the different flours, starches and binders we use.
- My large flour container isn't a proper canister but it holds this recipe that makes 1 kg of flour (about 8 cups). I weigh each flour directly into the container and it works for me.
- Before making a new batch of my flour blend I transfer the last of it from the container into a wide mouth Mason jar with a plastic lids. This jar is easy to grab when I need small amounts of flour for any reason.
These are the America's Test Kitchen cookbooks, each packed with a lifetime of learning.
- The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook (out of print)
- Volume 2 The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook (out of print)
- How Can It Be Gluten Free Collection; 350 Groundbreaking Recipes For All Your Favourites with 75 Dairy Free Recipes (a compilation of the previous 2 cookbooks)
Storage
Storing gluten free flours is an adventure since most of us were used to having one canister with wheat flour. Now there are new ingredients that need to fit into your kitchen somewhere.
Store flour in airtight containers when possible. I have several canisters I fill but then store the remainder, in the original package, in the cupboard at room temperature. If you live in a hot or humid climate it may be important to store flour in the fridge. I thought that was a serious undertaking and I was not willing to do it.
I also keep my flour blend in the same cupboard and use it up in 4-6 weeks.
I have never had any flour go rancid but almond flour and brown rice flour are two that some people have reported going bad. After a few years I learned to store some of my excess flours in the freezer and have a great system for that.
Top Tip
Remember, there's no single gluten free flour that works in every recipe. The light, airy texture of an Angel Food Cake or the hefty weight and wheaty taste of bagels is achieved with a combination of different flours. That's the joy of gluten free baking and you too can learn to make anything you want.
EGFG Gluten Free Flour Blend
Ingredients
- 200 grams sorghum flour
- 200 grams millet flour
- 300 grams sweet rice flour sold as glutinous rice flour
- 300 grams potato starch not potato flour
Instructions
- Place a bowl on the electronic scale and zero (tare).
- Spoon sorghum flour into the bowl until the scale reads 200g. Dump it into the large container where you will store your flour blend.
- Spoon millet flour into the bowl to measure 200g then add to the container.
- Spoon sweet rice flour into the bowl to measure 300g then add to the container.
- Place a strainer over the large container.
- Spoon potato starch into the bowl to measure 300g. Spoon half of it into the strainer then using the back of the spoon to push sift it into the container. Repeat with remainder of the potato starch.
- Using a wire whisk mix until the flours are combined and the mixture is all the same colour.
Notes
Sorghum flour: 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons (196 g)
Millet flour: 1 ⅓ cups + 1 tablespoon (202 g)
Sweet rice flour: 2 ½ cups (305 g)
Potato Starch: 1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon (298 g)
These measurements are close enough but be sure to use proper measuring cups and spoons and level them off with a straight edge every time.
Nutrition
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Mary Bean
I don't know how to measure grams.
Cinde Little
Hi Mary! Although grams are more accurate I never thought to include cup measurements for anyone who doesn't have a digital kitchen scale. I have just added the cup measurements into the notes section for this recipe. You can convert grams to cups or cups to grams using my GF Flour Conversion Chart (type that into the SERACH bar to see it). Here's what I came up with.
Sorghum flour: 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons (196 g)
Millet flour: 1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (202 g)
Sweet rice flour: 2 1/2 cups (305 g)
Potato Starch: 1 3/4 cups + 1 Tbsp (298 g)
These measurements are close enough but do use proper measuring cups and spoons and level them off with a straight edge every time. Best of luck with your baking!
Linda
I mixed up a batch of your EGFG Gluten Free Flour Blend and made the Blondies out of Americas Test Kitchen ‘How Can it be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection’. The blondies turned out very well. (So well I had to cut them in small pieces and put them in the basement freezer…I have little self control for yummy baked goods.)
I will try more of your recipes and more from the ATK cookbook with your flour mix. Thanks again Cinde!
Cinde Little
Another win Linda, that's great! Now that the EGFG flour blend is working for you I'd say you're well on your way to making a lot of fabulous gluten free food. Have fun in the kitchen.
AP
Any suggestions for a substitution for the potato starch? Arroeroot? Tapioca? Both? And in what ratio? (in addition to having CD I am allergic to corn and potato). Thanks!
Cinde Little
Hi AP, you are not alone and you're on the right track. I recommend you trying the recipe with tapioca starch instead of the potato starch. Make some simple recipes like pancakes, muffins or quick breads and see what you think. America's Test Kitchen taught me that a combination of starches in gluten free recipes give better results than using a single starch alone. Having said that sweet rice flour is very close to a starch so you may find this works well. Based on what you learn from the first batch I suggest you try replacing the potato starch with half tapioca and half arrowroot starch. That way you can compare similar recipes paying attention to the texture and taste of your baking. I have never tried arrowroot starch as I was using the other three starches (potato, corn and tapioca), so just quit experimenting in that area. There are still other tweaks, like using baking powder and soda, to fine tune your baking so focus on the overall taste of how the flour combination works in your recipes. Then you can experiment in other ways. Best of luck and happy baking!
Harold Andrew Olson
Looks like I can do this. I will follow you
and try your recipes. I got tired of making
my own flour blends and having them fail
only to get frustrated and throw everything
out. I went buying everything I wanted from
local gluten free bakeries. Can’t afford to not
try and make my own breads and deserts.
Cinde Little
Hi Harold! I've learned that it's important to find a flour blend you like (doesn't taste gluten free) AND that works for the kind of baking you do. In this post you can see a list of many recipes I use this EGFG flour blend in; sticky date pudding, flaky pie pastry, crisp tart pastry, mug cakes, cinnamon rolls and more. I think you can make many bakery quality desserts but I wouldn't attempt puff pastry or phyllo pastry with an everyday blend. Like you I got frustrated and tired of failed attempts. What I decided is to not try a blend for yeast breads (including my pizza dough and crusty bread recipes), or a light, airy Angel Food Cake and my homemade pasta. I've found these recipes work better by weighing a combination of individual flours/starches. I have now set up my pantry to mix those flours up fairly easily. I'm always interested to hear what you learn so come back and let me know. Happy baking!
Laila
My husband is allergic to rice, oats, wheat, tapioca and chickpeas. It's really hard finding Gluten free recipes that don't have these in them. I've just started using Sorghum and millet and he seems to be fine with these. Do you have or know where I can find baking recipes that don't use the ingredients he's allergic to. I need all the help I can get, please
Cinde Little
Hi Laila! I agree, rice-free gluten-free flour blends are not too common. 1) Look at these 2 posts and print them (or examine them) even though they include rice flour. Look for the different combinations people are using and think of what you might try. https://everydayglutenfreegourmet.ca/2020/06/26/downloadable-gluten-free-flour-guide/ and https://everydayglutenfreegourmet.ca/2020/05/29/11-gluten-free-flour-recipes/ 2) Look further down the comments on this page and read the one from Lacy. She too was looking for a rice-free blend and I sent her to a website I found. 3) Focus on a few simple recipes like a muffin, pancakes or brownies so that each time you make them you're just changing the flour blend, nothing else. If you're brave make two recipes at a time to speed up your learning. Not a double recipe, just making them side by side or one after another. Keep good notes! 4) Check out allergicliving.com and fredible.com to find people cooking rice free. 5) Once you get a blend you like you can probably come back to my site and make lots of the muffins, quick breads, pancakes, waffles, brownies and more using your custom blend. You've got your work cut out for you. Good luck!
Janine wilson
Hello Cinde, I have watch you video on mixing GF flour (plain) Which was great , my question is do you use the same mix for SR flour and what do you add to make it SR flour
Cinde Little
Hi Janine, you had me thinking what SR flour was. I'm sure you want to make self rising flour so just add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder to any flour blend you're using. Some recipes for self-rising flour also include salt but you can adjust that according to the recipe you're making. As I always say there is no GF flour that will work for every single recipe. The reason I call this my blend is because it works for the majority of the kind of baking I do and to my taste buds the results are the same as baking with wheat flour. I use this blend in pancakes, waffles, crepes, muffins, quick breads, brownies, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, pastry, Yorkshire pudding, pasta and some cookies. For a light fluffy Angel Food Cake, sugar cookies and shortbread cookies I use separate flours but I don't make these items as often. I hope that helps and happy baking with your self-rising flour.
PATRICIA
Thankyou for sharing your advice. Could you please recommend a substitute for potato starch? I am also allergic to corn, oats & wheat.
Tapioca starch is fine but maybe it needs another starch blended with it
Cinde Little
Hi Patricia. Yes, you could make this blend substituting tapioca starch instead for the potato starch. Another idea would be to increase the sweet rice flour (almost like a starch) to 400g and decrease the tapioca starch to 200g. My recommendation is to always have a few recipes that you like and make them over and over. For me it is my banana muffin recipe. That way you'll be able to notice the slight difference when you make a change like this and decide what you like best. Be sure to look at my "downloadable gluten free flour guide" for suggested percentages of the different flours. https://everydayglutenfreegourmet.ca/2020/06/26/downloadable-gluten-free-flour-guide/ And if you haven't seen the table in the post "11 Gluten Free Flour Recipes" have a look there for some more ideas. https://everydayglutenfreegourmet.ca/2020/05/29/11-gluten-free-flour-recipes/ Best of luck baking!
Renee
Thank you for this awesome resource. I've found that sorghum flour upsets my stomach, which is a bummer since it is featured in most gluten-free flour blends. What is a good replacement for sorghum? I'm not gf, but I'm trying to incorporate different flours in my baking.
Cinde Little
Hi Renee! I'm glad this resource was helpful to you. Oat flour is a great substitute for sorghum flour and the best part is, if you can't find it you can easily make it yourself from whole oats. I do this in a food processor. Also, here are 2 more resources under the BLOG that you may find helpful. Type the name into the search field (top right corner of every page) - first is my Downloadable Gluten Free Flour Guide and second is 11 Gluten Free Flour Recipes. They are both helpful when learning how to substitute flours. Happy baking!
Renee
Thank you so much, CInde!
Sarah
I have questions do you have a good recipe of gluten free mix flour recipe with bread recipe ? Will the recipe work with sourdough bread ?
Cinde Little
Hi Sarah, I only have one recipe for a crusty loaf that uses sorghum flour, brown rice flour, potato flour and tapioca starch. If you're interested in making gluten free sourdough bread I suggest you join the Facebook group of the same name. They are baking amazing loaves of bread and I'm sure there are many different flour combinations being used. My flour mix works for quick breads and flat breads but if you're serious about bread I think you need to connect with people in that group. Best of luck!
Lacy
Is it possible to have a gluten free mix that doesn't have rice flour? I just can't find one so I'm thinking it might not be possible.
Cinde Little
Excellent question Lacy. Almost all blends do include rice flour but I searched and I found you one over on Savor The Best! Here's their recipe - 325 grams millet flour / 220 grams tapioca flour / 180 grams arrowroot flour / 120 grams teff flour / 100 grams sorghum flour / 55 grams amaranth flour / 2½ tsp xanthan gum. If it works for you be sure to visit their website and let them know. https://savorthebest.com/ancient-grains-gluten-free-flour-blend/
Kathy Youngblood
Hi Cinde
Can you use this flour mix with yeast?
Cinde Little
Hi Kathy! I haven't experimented with yeast breads so I can't say for sure that this flour mix recipe will work. Sweet rice flour is said to not be ideal yet America's Test Kitchen uses it successfully in many breads using their whole grain flour mix. I know that all of the flours separately are used in many different yeast bread recipes but there is so much more that goes into yeast bread...baking is chemistry. Here are my 2 tips for making GF yeast breads:
1. Psyllium husk powder is crucial to create structure in yeast breads.
2. Gluten free breads should only rise once so control the environment and proof the yeast to get the best rise.
I'd love to hear what you made and how it turned out. Good luck!
Eveline McNeil
I would like to try your rhubarb muffins .. recipe states that you used your own. I do not buy mixes .. only a variety of flours and starches so that I could learn tastes.
Unfortunately I am of the old school .. cups not grams and no scale. Does this mean I cannot use your recipes successfully?
Cinde Little
Hi Eveline, thanks for asking. You can definitely use my recipes with store bought flour mixes and I always give measurements in cups. What I try and point out is that whether your mix is homemade or store bought, there is a lot of variety out there. As a gluten free baker it's important to recognize that. Just pay attention and experiment as you go. In Facebook groups you can see that some people love a certain flour mix, and others hate it. There is personal taste involved but as long as your baking turns out you're on the road to delicious baked goods. I hope that helps. Happy Baking!