My EGFG Gluten Free Flour Blend is the combination of flours that took my gluten free baking to the next level. At the time I didn't even think of the difference between a blend and a mix so you may find an old reference to my flour mix.
Over time you learn more of the gluten free lingo and the difference between a blend and a mix.
Obviously a blend is the combination of flours and starches blended together to replace the wheat flour we can't use.
Mixes, usually sold in a box, start with a flour blend plus have added sugar, baking powder, baking soda and other seasonings or flavourings. These two terms, flour blends and flour mixes, are often used interchangeably in the gluten free space. Simply read the label of everything you buy and you won't get fooled.
Finding Your Favourite Gluten Free Flour Blend
Over the years I've written so much about different gluten free flours I had to give my blend a name. EGFG stands for Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet so it made sense to call it my EGFG Flour Blend.
This is the flour I use in about 80% of the baking I do. If you can find a flour that works for you and the dietary restrictions in your family, it's a game changer. I encourage you to search for one.
Why Make A Flour Blend
Have you thought about making a gluten free flour blend? If you're not happy with your gluten free baking, you're trying new recipes or are looking for a less expensive alternative to store bought blends then it's time to try making your own flour.
I make my EGFG Flour Blend once every month depending on how much baking I do. I always make it on a day when I'm not baking. It only takes a few minutes to make if you have a clean counter space and an organized storage system. Plus I like to start baking with a ready to use canister of my EGFG flour blend.
New To Gluten Free?
When people are new to the gluten free lifestyle the amount of new information is overwhelming. Finding a balance between eating at home, replacing family favourite with gluten free ones, buying prepared and semi-prepared foods and finding safe food when traveling and dining out. It's no small feat.
Somewhere in all of that you want to make healthy choices too.
You've got to start somewhere so whether you've new to baking or you're ready to try something new you can expect success. Gone are the days of marginal gluten free baking. With the variety of flours available and the sharing of experiences via social media plus a few good old-fashioned cookbooks; you can and should have high expectations for your baking.
Amazing gluten free food is being made in home kitchens around the world and yours' can be one of them.
If you want an excellent resource I highly recommend any of these cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen. They're packed with a lifetime of learning.
- The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook (out of print but still available and helpful)
- Volume 2 The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook
- How Can It Be Gluten Free Collection; 350 Groundbreaking Recipes For All Your Favourites with 75 Dairy Free Recipes
Organize For Success: Gluten Free Pantry Tips
Do not under estimate the value of creating a system that makes 'mixing up a flour blend' simple.
There's nothing more frustrating than having the wrong tool for the job and that includes containers. The size and shape of a container affects how easy it is to store and use. It's the difference between a little job being quick and easy, or the same job being frustrating. Take the time to organize your pantry and set yourself up for success.
During my cooking class called Understanding How To Use Gluten Free Flour, Colleen asked if I could post the large print signs she saw on my containers so here they are. I have them taped to both sides of my container and like large print to read from a distance.
If you look closely you'll see that I changed the order of the ingredients so you can pick the one you like. I recommend you always sift potato starch since it's quite clumpy.
If you're trying to remember to do that you might want potato starch as the first ingredient. That way your set up will always start with the strainer on top of the container your blend goes into.
Cooking Class SHOUT OUT: I offer a class, Understanding How To Use Gluten Free Flour, every other month. It's for anyone interested in making their own blend, learning more about the differences between the many flours available and taking their baking to the next level.
Making My EGFG Flour Blend on YouTube
After six years of gluten free baking I created the system I wanted. I designated a bucket and a spot in my cupboard for all the tools and containers I need to make this blend.
I can work faster than what you see in this video so it takes less than seven minutes to do this.
My System for Making My Flour Blend
The first step for me was finding a clear container to hold all the items I need to make my flour blend. It's clear so I can see everything at a glance and has sides that make it easy to grab. It has no lid to accommodate the strainer handle and I put the large container of flour on top of it all.
- Kitchen Scale – Mandatory for accurate measuring and consistent results. Buy one with a flat surface that can hold any container and has an easy to read display.
- Small plastic bowls – Light weight bowls are interchangeable and easily hold 300 grams of flour.
- Clean canisters – I like easy-to-open containers with a wide top for spooning out flour but a 32-oz Mason jar with a plastic lid works too. Consider stackable containers in various sizes, often sold as a set of 4.
- Mesh strainer – Mine fits easily over my large flour container and I use it to ensure there are no lumps of potato starch in my blend.
- Wire whisks with plastic handles come in many sizes, are comfortable to hold and essential for gluten free baking.
- Large Flour Container – I weigh each flour directly into the storage container that comfortably holds this recipe for 1 kg of flour (about 8 cups).
- Smaller wide mouth Jam Jars with plastic lids are perfect to hold the last of my flour blend when I’m starting to make a new batch. They are also easy to grab when I need less than a cup of flour for any reason.
How To Improve Your Gluten Free Flour Baking
As you learn more about gluten free baking you can vary one of the flours and notice how it changes the taste and texture of your baking. I use my EGFG flour blend for the base when I make my Banana Muffins.
I've made this same recipe over and over so I know what to expect. Now I can confidently substitute any flour (anywhere from 2 tablespoon to ½ cup of the total amount) and easily notice the difference.
I do this to try new flours, use up bits of flour in my bucket of gluten free flours and even different blends I made for a specific recipe. To vary my muffins I can use coconut flour then add a bit of coconut and even some dried pineapple. I love to vary my tried-and-true recipes!
This list isn't complete but it shows the variety of recipes I make with this EGFG flour blend. It doesn't work for everything but it's my go-to for most of my everyday baking. I'd guess that's about 80% of what I bake.
- Pancakes for Pigs in a Blanket, waffles and crepes.
- Some muffins and some cookies: Chocolate Chip Cookies and a few other ones
- Yorkshire pudding, Cheese Biscuits and Chinese Onion Bread
- Flaky pastry for pie: Cherry hand pies, Turkey pot pie, Tourtiere, Spinach Feta Quiche and more.
- Party worthy desserts like Banana Bundt Cake, Crepe Cake, Strawberry Shortcake and Sticky Date Pudding.
Remember, there's no single gluten free flour that works in every recipe. The light, airy texture you want for Angel Food Cake or the hefty weight and wheaty taste of yeast dough 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.
So Many Flour Blends
Whether you use a store bought or homemade flour blend doesn't matter. What matters is that you can make the foods you love.
Knowing that no single flour blend works for every recipe helps. I can't comment on how different blends will work in all of my recipes but I know people are using a variety of them to bake foods they love.
This table from my blog post of the same name, 11 Gluten Free Flour recipes, shows blends used by bloggers and home cooks everywhere. The best way to learn is to bake and keep good notes so you can repeat your successes and improve your results.
The Cost of Gluten Free Flour
In Canadian prices my EGFG Flour Blend costs between $.75 and $1/cup. America's Test Kitchen (ATK) 5-ingredient flour blend costs closer to $.50-.75/cup. The price of each flour changes all the time and is less expensive when you buy it in larger quantities so this is just a rough calculation.
Making your own blend is less expensive that buying one in a package but. However, we all need to consider the time and effort required, the items you need to stock in your pantry, and what you need to bake the foods you like.
No matter what you buy you're supporting some business so buy local and buy certified gluten free when you can. We all want to see gluten free businesses thriving and offering choice to the community.
The goal should be a flour blend that makes food everyone in your house, and even your friends, will want to eat. A blend that works for most of your baking makes life easier.
I'd love to hear in the comments below what you're still struggling with or anything you've learned that you'd like to share. I'm always interested in hearing about culinary adventures.
Help For Learning About Gluten Free Flour
My 12-part series on 21 ingredients including gluten free flours, starches and binders in my kitchen, is full of tips for gluten free cooks. The learning never really ends but you've got to start somewhere and this quote is what I live by.
The more I know the more I realize I don't know.
Aristotle
Each post in this series includes a YouTube video plus the full list of posts with links. The first post starts with the three rice flours; white, brown and sweet.
EGFG Gluten Free Flour Blend
Ingredients
- 200 grams sorghum flour
- 200 grams millet flour
- 300 grams sweet rice flour
- 300 grams potato starch
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.
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!