Hello again..ever since I've bin on my gluten free diet the main thing I've had a problem with is..is finding a gluten free flour to make chapattis- one item of food we or most Asians have with our meals. I've never had a full normal meal at home or out because I can't eat chapattis which every meal is eaten with! So I make do without one which some people think is mad or have rice which one can only have so much of.
Is there anybody who has found gluten free flour to make chapattis with. I'd love to have a "normal Indian" meal again.
There are several gluten free flours you could try.
The one a lot of people use is probably Dove’s Farm Flour, for general baking, which you can find in the free-from section in most supermarkets. You could also try Chick Pea or Gram flour. I haven’t made chapatis, so I’m not sure what would work best.
Thanks for replying Penel yes I've tried using a few flours but to make chapattis none have been the right ones. The chap turns out too hard or breaks while making etc
This is one we have found really useful and works well. Just bear in mind it won't always get the bubble in normal roti's have, but it's still soft.
Ingredients
• 1 cup quality quinoa flour
• 1/2 cup or more warm water this varies according to your flour
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt optional
• ghee or butter for brushing
• rice flour or other gluten-free flour to dust the work surface
Instructions
1.In advance, spread about 1/2 pound of quinoa flour evenly on parchment paper on a large baking sheet and bake at 215 °F for 3-4 hours. This will remove any bitterness from the flour.
2.In a medium bowl, combine the cup of flour, oil, and salt (if using). Add the warm water, a little at a time, while continuing to mix the flour with your hands. Make sure the liquid is well absorbed before adding more. Mix and knead until a soft and elastic dough forms. You do not need to knead this dough excessively as you would for traditional rotis. Cover and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes, up to an hour.
3.Heat a tava, griddle or non-stick (preferably cast iron) skillet to medium to medium-high heat, depending on your stove. You may need to lower the heat after you start making the rotis.
4.Flour your surface with preferred gluten-free flour. Form the dough into small balls (a bit larger than golf-ball sized), dust both sides with flour, and then use a rolling pin to roll them out into round circles about 6 inches in diameter. Be careful not to apply too much pressure to the rotis while rolling them out. Turn using a spatula and flour them as needed.
5.Using a large spatula, carefully lift the rolled out roti and place it on the skillet. Let it cook for about 30 seconds or until the bottom sets, then flip and smear it with a bit of oil or butter. Let this cook for 15-20 seconds then flip again, adding more oil or butter, if desired. With practice, this 3rd flip will result in the roti puffing up like normal rotis. Flip a couple more times, while pressing gently, until the roti is completely cooked. Clean the pan with a slightly damp tissue to get rid of excess flour. If you have a gas stove, you can try using the direct heat to let it puff up. Serve immediately.
It's called "Life-Changing Gluten-Free Quinoa Flour Roti" if you wanted to google it
Hi farahziya and thanks so much for that 👍🏼...yes il give it a try
I use chick pea flour mixed with water until runny then use as a pancake batter
You can use the flour mix you can buy from Asian suppliers for making dhosa (urid lentils and rice). I use a 50/50 mix of urid and rice which I make myself. To make really good chappatti 40 urid, 40 tapioca and 20 rice will give good flexibility-I’ve suddenly stoped being able to handle tapioca so have stopped using this. If you want super flexible chappati, if you mix a little tapioca into cold water and cook to make a thick clear paste (it is called pre-gelatinised tapioca, you can see it on ingredient lists sometimes) and use that to mix flour you will get flexible dough, mix, leave a little while to absorb water then roll and make as usual. Remember to use your own rolling pin and pan to cook -you will be contaminated if you use the shared equipment.
If you want your chappati to look more like they are made from atta rather than white flour you can use the whole lentil with the dark skin, though it is a bit green, or add some buckwheat (which I also can’t eat) or other brown seed.
You’re gonna hate my reply, but the best thing I did for my gluten free diet is give up on bread alternatives all together. They are often full of all sorts of crap anyway. Once you get used to a life without bread you’ll feel way better (yea even the gluten free bread). We have to give up on our old food habits to make new healthy ones, and holding on to old dreams is a sure way of just torturing yourself.
By the way, yes there is tons of gluten free flour out there, rice flour, potato flour, corn flour, coconut flour, and many many many more
SID123 is asking about alternative gluten free home made ideas not about processed food. Yes the processed gluten free alternatives can be full of additives, which makes sense as to what you're saying, however this isn't what the post was about.
Bread in itself as a modern day thing now lacks all the nutrients it used to have when originally made as the flour has been highly processed. Traditional bread used ground wheat and seeds and was hard, often used to soak up sauce / juices. It lasted ages as it had little moisture content. That sort of bread would still be good for us, but it just isn't made that way anymore.
Gluten is found in lots of foods when you start to have a look; basically anything containing wheat and barley. Even milled oats, puffed rice and grated cheese (for example) can have it in, crazy, it isn't even needed in those.....
Home made gluten free alternatives are a brilliant way to add extra nutrients to your diet; like coconut flour, chickpea flour, quinoa flour, oat flour and are fun to experiment if a little frustrating at times!
I'm not gluten intolerant; I can have wheat, I just have an upset / bloated stomach with certain things, so I choose to try and make alternatives; we all enjoy our food and there's nothing wrong with making something similar to what you miss
Of course I understand they were asking about flour and not pre-made bread. I also mentioned some gluten free flours in my reply. And I totally get there is nothing wrong with making something similar to what you miss.
I was merely giving my point, for me holding on to old desires meant I had to constantly go out of my way to do make things gluten free, or find gluten free alternatives. Once I stopped aiming to substitute and just gave up on bread altogether my life became a lot easier and i also became in better shape too. Don’t get my wrong I still eat things like buckwheat pasta from time to time. But going through the hassle of making something i could once eat as “gluten free” is just something I left behind, just a personal opinion I’m well aware that 95% of people won’t make the choice I made.
that's okay, yeah it does become exhausting looking for gluten free alternatives - sometimes even I feel like giving up on gluten alternatives!! Sooo time consuming.
By the way buckwheat isn't actually a grain (despite the confusing name) and doesn't contain gluten so it's safe for us gluten free people - if it's not processed with additives
Have you tried red lentil pasta - that actually isn't too expensive. I love the thin chinese rice or egg noodles anyway!
Yes I know buckwheat isn’t a grain and is safe for gluten free people, that’s why I mentioned that I eat it. I’ve been gluten free for years, I also have histamine Intolerance and fructose Intolerance. Trust me, I’m not a person who is unaware of what is or isn’t safe for me to eat. On the off chance that I make a mistake my body tells me right away
I have tried red lentil pasta and literally every type of veg and gf pasta you can name. Problem is with my histamine Intolerance those don’t work for me. I stick to buckwheat and corn pasta.
luckily I'm not gluten intolerant, I'm wheat sensitive something to do with modern day processing methods for wheat flour, so I know if my stomach doesn't like something.
I’m the same it’s not gluten per say, but wheat is really bad for me. I went through every alternative I could think of for years, and for me it was a pain cuz I reacted to most of those too. The grocery stores near my would sometimes have products that worked for me, but in the dietary section such products might be on trial for a couple months then never return. Suffice to say this as always a huge blow when they would remove an item that worked for me but I guess didn’t sell enough....
So I’ve learned to stop trying and just be happy with the stuff I can eat, and bread is not longer on that list even if marked gluten free.
No I don't necessarily hate your reply but I don't agree with you at all there. There is all sorts of gluten free items of food out there for those who are gluten intolerant so why "give up" on certain items like you have said. Nobody is torturing themselves and this chat wasn't about just the bread so maybe in some chats one should just stay out of?
I took you telling me to stay out of the chat as rude, you may disagree with me that’s fine, I was sharing my experience. But to be told I shouldn’t be allowed to participate when I was only in my best intentions really isn’t cool.
When I said stay out of the chat I didn't ask u to completely not join the chat. Just not to answer or make any comment which would annoy a person or not help a Person.
Anyway I'm not on this site to be debating n arguing with others so I've had enough thanks
its called Sorghum flour in English and it is gluten free. Kind of like millet seed flour. I'm not sure where sells it, probably health food shops. a quick search; amazon does sell it.
I tried making this recipe for cassava flour tortillas, but if you ask me and my OH we can't tell the difference between this and a chappati - the flour is a little pricey, but if you miss chapattis, it's well worth it! Please give it a go, you won't regret it
Hi Sid, I use a 2:3 is mix of corn flour and teff flour for my roti, and make the atta with boiled hot water, so the dough is quite soft. You can't roll them, I have to make a small ball of dough and flatten it out with cling film and rolling pin. it took a long time to master this without it sticking too much... but I've tried lots of atta variations and i like this because teff is a healthy grain and the roti is soft. its not like traditional wheat roti at all, but its a great-tasting variation.
good luck and if you have any better suggestions feel free to share - the struggle is real!
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I’m well aware that 95% of people won’t make the choice I made.
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