I have tried lots of different flours and this mixture is my favorite for baking. It is light and bakes well. I use the basic recipe from Bette Hagman, except for I have omitted the potato flour. I did this because it can be hard to find potato flour and it has to be stored in the refrigerator and I simply don’t have room.
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Making our own flour mixtures
I like buying 25 pound bags (or larger, if I can find them) of the ingredients we use (whole grain rice, already flour or starch) or grind our own flour. This is how we save money, while feeding our whole family gluten free.
I buy most of our starches at the Asian market or other Asian stores in our area. Sometimes they are able to get large quantities or large bags in. I have the most trouble finding potato starch in as big of bags as I would like.
Storing basic flour mix ingredients
I pour the bags of flour, starch, rice or beans into large storage containers with sturdy lids to keep them fresh and out of the way. Also good in case of a leak. Water doesn’t damage the ingredients when they are in plastic storage containers.
You can color code your different ingredients by storing them in containers with different color lids. I have a scoop in each one to make it easier to work with.
I keep what I frequently use, in the bottom of our pantry, in the kitchen. The rest I am able to store in our basement. I keep a small container of corn starch for baking and making gravy, etc. I also have smaller containers with the mixes I make: all purpose gf flour, feather light, soup mix and pancake/waffle mix.
Feather Light Ingredients and Recipe
I love that this is a 1:1:1 recipe, it makes it easy to double, triple or more for the amount I am going to need. As we go into the holidays, I mix larger batches of this flour, so it is ready to go when we are!
1 Cup Rice Flour
1 Cup Tapioca Starch (or flour, they are the same thing)
There is no xanthan gum in this mix, so you will have to add it when baking so that it doesn’t crumble. Add 1/2-1 tsp of xanthan gum for every cup of flour. If it is too chewy or gummy, use less xanthan gum. If it turns out too crumbly add more xanthan gum or an extra egg.
Storing your Feather Light Flour
Keep in an airtight container and keep dry. Flours with lots of starch do NOT have to be kept refrigerated like some gluten free flours need. It will stay good and fresh for at least 6 months.
I found this recipe in a Bette Hagman cookbook when I was first diagnosed. It is my favorite all purpose flour mixture to use. In most things, it works really well, though for most baking I prefer to use a feather light mixture. A feather light mixture has more starches and is a much lighter weight flour.
I have tried other flours and always come back to this all purpose mix. Plus, with a family of6 that is eating gluten free it has been cheaper for us to mix our own flour and grind our own rice.
Flours and Starches
When making this mixture be sure you are using Potato Starch NOT potato flour. They are very different and won’t work the same. Potato flour is heavier than potato starch and it needs to be refrigerated to last. (It can go rancid.)
On the other hand, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing! I know! It is confusing!
I frequently buy our potato starch and tapioca starch/flour from the Asian store. It is much cheaper at the Asian store than most other places. You may also be able to find these other flours and starches at the Latin market.
Flaxseed
This is optional in your flour mixture. I added it to increase the nutritional value and fiber content of our flour. There are a lot of health benefits to eating flaxseed. Make sure you are using ground flaxseed. Flaxseed is not very digestible, unless it is ground.
Flaxseed Warnings
Flaxseed may not be for everyone. I used flaxseed for years and years in our flour mixture. Recently, I have omitted it because my husband has Crohn’s and we are trying to get that under control. Some research says it isn’t good for people with Crohn’s.
Some say pregnant and breast feeding mothers shouldn’t use flax seed.
This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience to be able to find similar items to what I am using. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.
No Xanthan Gum
Yes, you need xanthan gum when you are baking and in anything you want to be held together and mimic regular gluten flour. The xanthan gum is a binding agent that mimics gluten fairly well.
You need to add xanthan gum with your flour, to each recipe. I use 1 tsp of xanthan gum per cup of flour. Some people use more depending on what they are making and how gummy or elastic they want the mixture to have.
Xanthan Gum Substitutes
Not everyone does well with xanthan gum, but there are substitutes you can use, to hold things together and make it more like the texture when it has gluten.
Carageenan (I don’t really recommend using carageenan. It is made from red seaweed and causes stomach distress and inflammation in a lot of people. I find it frustrating how many products it is now used in.)
Ground Flaxseed
All Purpose Flour Ingredients
6 Cups Rice Flour
2 Cups Potato Starch (Not Flour!)
1 Cup Tapioca Starch/flour
1/4 C ground flax seed (optional)
Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container.
All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mixture
Shannon LeMmon
It can be more economical to make your own flour mixture, than to buy flour mixtures.
Flaxseed, what is it and why do so many people put it in gluten free foods? What are it’s benefits and is there a downside?
I must say, this post has been an educational experience for me and has changed my point of view.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is also known as linseed. Doesn’t mean anything to you? Me neither, though I have heard the word before.
The plant is flax, but in another article it was referred to as the linseed plant. Frequently, it goes by both names. The seeds are called linseed or flaxseed. It is an ancient grain that people have been growing as early as 3000 B.C.
“Her hair was flaxen!”
Flaxen hair
Flaxseed Benefits
Here is why people like flaxseed, but keep in mind many researchers still don’t consider the benefits settled. They do agree that research suggests that there “appear” to be many benefits. Let’s list a few:
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Which is better flaxseed or flaxseed oil?
With flaxseed you get the entire seed and benefits of the whole thing. The oil only gives you part of the pieces of the seed.
Don’t just eat the seeds
The body isn’t made to digest flaxseed in it’s whole form. Eating it straight will not give you the benefits, because it will go straight through you. So, to get the benefits of this wonder seed we need to grind it down. Because flaxseed has a lot of oil and the seeds are small, the best way to grind it is with a coffee grinder.
The oils will gum up a grinder and many find that using an electric coffee grinder is the way to go, when you are doing it yourself. In fact, any seed or other oily grain that you want to grind, does better in a coffee grinder.
Is there a downside to flaxseed?
There are a few concerns and downside to flaxseed, for some people. Keep in mind these problems usually go along with other conditions or from high consumption of flaxseed. Some people tolerate it very well and others may not do so well. Listen to your body.
High consumption of flaxseed can lead to a laxative effect. For this reason the National Institute of Health has suggested that those with the following conditions should not use flaxseed: diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. (I need to re-evaluate our use of flaxseed, considering my husband was diagnosed with crohn’s.)
If you are eating a lot of flaxseed it can cause obstructions in the esophagus, intestines or bowel.
Some people are allergic to flaxseed
Because of the estrogen found in the plant, it can have a negative effect on those with certain hormone related health conditions. This is because the hormone in the plant acts the same as human hormones. (Reminds me of the issues with estrogen in soy.)
May reduce blood clotting; making the blood thinner.
Can cause the mania in some people who are bipolar
May contain heavy metal amounts because of contaminated soil. The one of most concern with the flaxseed crop is cadium. The cadium the plant absorbs may actually increase the chances of breast cancer. Undoing all the benefits of the flaxseed. Organic foods are NOT tested for heavy metals.
Possible cross contamination with gluten. As with any grain, if the flaxseed is grown in a field that alternates with gluten grains the potential for cross contamination increases. Also, if the milling happens in a plant, but especially on the same equipment or same area as gluten grains the potential for cross contamination is greater.
Who shouldn’t supplement with flaxseed?
With so many great benefits it seems like everyone should supplement their diet with flaxseed! However, there are groups of people that should be more weary:
According to research, breast feeding mothers may not want to consume flaxseed. Studies are contradictory and the risk may outweigh the benefits.
“Our own animal studies showed that flaxseed exposure during these stages may be protective against breast cancer in the offspring. But a study of another investigator showed the opposite effect,” Thompson says.
You shouldn’t eat flaxseed if you have the following: diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Those who have an allergic reaction to flaxseed which can include: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or anaphylaxis.
Diabetics should be cautious about consuming flaxseed and how much. (This one is a little confusing since other information says it may lower the risk of diabetes. One would think that it would also help if you already have diabetes. I think the biggest problem for diabetics with this is the thinning blood.)
People with bleeding disorders should also be cautious. This is because it can thin the blood and reduce blood clotting.
Those who are bipolar– flaxseed may bring on mania.
Why I Use Flaxseed in My Flour Mixture
I wanted to add more protein and fiber to our flour mixture. Our whole family is gluten free and so, I make Bette Hagman’s combination for flour; it is less expensive for me to do so. Which is simply: 6 cups rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca flour. Then, I add approximately 1/4 cup (maybe a little less) of ground flaxseed. I really like this mixture and it works well in most things.
For baked goods I use Bette Hagman’s Featherlight combination of 1:1:1. 1 Cup rice flour, 1 cup corn starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. (I do not add flaxseed to this! You want it to be light so your baked goods can be fluffy.)
***Remember that there IS a difference between potato starch and potato flour. Potato starch will last longer and they have different textures.
Tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the exact same thing! There is no end to the confusion in the gluten free diet.
Continued use of flaxseed?
I need to carefully decide if we should continue to use flaxseed in our mixture; I am leaning toward not doing so. My husband has been diagnosed with crohn’s and that is a big deal! The last thing I want is to cause him more problems with his digestive tract.
Another big concern for me is the hormone issues. My daughter has Hashimotos and hormones do affect this disease in a negative way. It is recommended to avoid soy (which is also hard to do on a gluten free diet) and the hormone issue is the same or similar with flaxseed.
In my opinion, I don’t understand why so many gluten free companies use these plants that are hormone disrupters. People with celiac already have a higher risk of developing certain conditions like auto-immune thyroid and these foods can have such a negative effect.
I am disheartened by what I have learned in writing this post. When I began, I was a proponent for flaxseed, but after what I have learned I am strongly leaning toward discontinuing using flaxseed.
There are many types of flours. Basically, if something can be ground down, it can be a flour. Flour can be made from practically anything! For those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it is important to know which different varieties of flour are made from gluten. You can’t avoid what you don’t know to avoid.
Know the Variations
There are many gluten grain/wheat-derived strains of grains with names other than wheat, rye or barley. Here is a list of some of these gluten grains (not complete). With so many names for wheat or other gluten grains in order to stay healthy it is important to learn about them.
Kamut
Bulgur
Triticale
Spelt
Bran
Couscous
Farina
Orzo
Wheaten Corn flour
Frumento
Duram or Durum
Einkorn
Seitan
Matzoh/Matzah/Matzo
Graham VS Gram
So, What about Graham and Gram flour? They are pronounced the same, but unlike some of the variations in the list above, they are not even close to being the same or similar in their properties. This is unlike duram and durum or Matzoh, Matzah or Matzo which are all the same types of flour, just variations in spelling.
However, in the case of Matzoh, Matzah and Matzo, they can be wheat, rye, barley and/or oats. The oat variety can be safe if the only flour is oat and is made with purity protocol oats.
So, the short of it is, graham is derived from wheat grains and gram is not.
This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience to be able to find similar items to what I am using. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.
What is Graham?
Graham is literally a whole wheat flour! The inventor of Graham flour was Sylvester Graham who thought that refining flour was unhealthy. More is ground into graham flour than the more traditional flours we use.This results in a coarser, darker flour.
Winter wheat endosperm is ground down and added to the wheat grains that are also ground down. The endosperm creates starch and nutrients in tissue of the seeds. This combination of bran and germ is what makes graham flour different than wheat flour. It is brown in color with a nutty flavor.
Graham Crackers are made from this flour and are also a creation from Sylvester Graham.
What is Gram?
Gram on the other hand is a gluten free flour! It is made from chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. They are a part of the legume family.
This flour is mostly used in cooking Indian foods. It grows just like peas in pods. They are pale yellow in color. Some variations in the name are: besan, chana, cici, chickpea or hummus.
Gram flour is high in protein, fiber and carbohydrates. It also has a nutty flavor to it.
***If it is milledin a mill that does wheat flour the chances of contamination with gluten is high. Look for gram flour that meets FDA rules for being gluten free. Certified gluten free is the best!
Using Gram Flour
There are a lot of breads especially flat breads that can be made from gram/chickpea flour. Check out the links below for a few recipes and ideas.
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