Baking with gf flour. Any favourites?

I've made a number of lovely cakes using gf flour and my trusty genoise recipe. The texture is spot on, they are very light and fluffy, but there is a lingering note of what an old Cranks-era ex-veggie might identify as mung bean. If you've ever sprouted mung beans you would recognise it.

I don't have much of a problem with it. A bit of chocolate frosting helps, I think the egginess of the genoise also helps, and anyway, I tune it out after the first bite. I'd like to serve these cakes to others though, and if I can, I'd like to minimise this beany taste/smell.

I had been using Bob's and suspected the fava bean flour was the culprit, then I picked up some Dove's Farm yesterday and saw that it contains no bean flour. I mixed the Dove's with the last of the Bob's, thinking this would dilute the beaniness, but not so. This one is as beany as ever.

Has anyone tried the Glebe farm flour? Or Glutafin? Or mixed their own?

[maidforit]

Hey Hollyann, I've found the Doves Farm fine on it's own. I use it as I would normal flour.

I don't touch Glutafin because they use codex wheat starch in some of their products.

there are Phil Vickery cook books where he uses his own flour blend but, again I've found the Doves Farm is fine.

I'd agree about frosting - it always helps.

[Hidden in reply to maidforit]

Thanks maidforit. I'll try it on its own and see if it's any better. Frankly, I'm really pleased with the outcome so far, but I'd love to improve on it just that little bit.

[Penel]

I use Dove's Buckwheat flour and gf baking powder, and the usual eggs, butter, sugar for a sponge. It's got more body than the Doves self raising flour. I like the taste, but to be honest I can't remember what regular sponge tastes like. I don't use xanthan gum as it gives me the runs.

[Hidden in reply to Penel]

Thanks Penel.

I use buckwheat flour for pancakes sometimes but I can't see using it alone in a cake because the taste is so distinctive. It might be the kind of thing that you get used to though.

I don't think xantham affects me, but in any case I've left it out by mistake and it doesn't seem to make much difference to the recipe.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Meant to add that I've been using a genoise recipe (no butter) instead of the victoria sponge I've made in the past and I find I prefer it. Somehow the eggs help disguise the taste of the gf flour, but I guess in a victoria sponge, the butter probably helps do the same.

[Hidden]

I have a flour mix that works very well - it uses urid lentls which don't taste in the baked good urid lentils 40% tapioca 40% and cornmeal 20%. Very versitile and doesn't go sandy the way Doves Farm does. (blog at blissglutenfree.blogspot)

I also have the same propblem with xanthum gum and never ever use it.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for that. Is that a mix you make yourself? I might give it a go, and I'll definitely have a look at your blog.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

yes, I make that myself (though currently also trialling a new mix without tapioca). Shipton Mill said they would start making it so I could then just go a shop and buy a bag, but they seem to be taking a long time over this.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Having a look at your blog. Brilliant site! I'm so impressed! I will certainly try lots of the recipes.

I used to make all my own baked goods, including sourdough bread, and I was quite sad when I thought I was going to have to relearn it all or resort to eating the junk from the Free From section of the supermarket. So nice to be back baking, perusing recipes and looking forward to trying them.

[Apricot]

Only use Wellfoods flour.

Find certain other brands gritty...and not as fine a texture as I would like.

Make all sorts of things, Victoria Sandwich...Swiss rolls, Choux pastry buns...etcetc. If I knew how to post the evidence...I would...

[Hidden in reply to Apricot]

And if you could post the evidence I would make sure I left room after lunch to try it all!

Great to know you're successful with so many different recipes. I can't wait to make choux buns!

[HelenJ14]

I would recommend mixing your own flours. I use mix from Gluten Free Gobsmacked website and never had anything fail. I make bread, cakes and pasta so it is very flexible.

[Hidden in reply to HelenJ14]

HI Helen.

Do you mean you mix your own flours as well as using a mix? What flours do you use when you mix them? Or does it vary?

[HelenJ14 in reply to Hidden]

I mix my own flours. My favourite mix which I use for most things is as follows;

2 1/4 cups rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca flour

3/4 cup glutinous rice flour

1/3 cup cornflour

2tsp xanthan gum

There are other blends i use for specific recipes, but this one seems to be fine for most recipes.

I get glutinous rice flour from the oriental supermarket and the others from Gluten Free Direct, or the bigger supermarkets.

I hope this works for you too.

[Hidden]

Thank you all! I'm so heartened by this. I don't think I realised how much I missed baking.

[Hidden]

I bake obsessively - even set up a business for a while (but too gluten intolerant to be able to go to food fairs etc) Gluten trashed my joints so much I couldn't do any of my other hobbies. Always feel sad that standard gf flours are so poor that many people give up baking as too depressing to have all those failures

[Apricot]

That dear Lois is the whole point of my baking...

I am not a trained baker (my Mum was Cordon Bleu)...I missed my baking too...so I tried..and find that I can.....

In the deep and distant...maybe 11 years ago...I spoke at the Womens Institute Regional meeting...(scary!)...and made one Victoria Sponge with ordinary wheated flour...and one with gluten free flour...and asked the ladies there to tell which was which....Womens Institute ladies know a thing or two about baking...

Holly et al dont have to give up anything...food is still very much a fun occasion... and so it should be. (but dont encourage me to bake as I am also diabetic...) I can play in the Norty corner for England....

Holly....if there is a way for me to help you...lets do it....

Janet

[Hidden in reply to Apricot]

Hi Janet. Thanks for your comment.

I've come a long way in the few months of gf living. Initially I felt bad about my sourdough, that I wouldn't be making it anymore, because I took so much pride in it and probably enjoyed making it more than eating it. I didn't want to eat processed gf junk instead of 'real' bread. Now I see I was just adjusting and there are many brilliant recipes for gf bread as well as lots of naturally gf options.

Now the only thing I miss is a pint of real ale in my local, but I'm working on that.

[Hidden]

i like using the doves farm sr flour. i have now got a decent victoria sponge that i make and no body seems to notice the difference that its gf. i've made 60 muffins today for my son to take into work, 24 of them are gf.... and i made a batch of cheese and spring onion scones to have with dinner.........thats if theres any left... my shortcrust pastry is ok..ish...........but i still can't make a decent loaf of gf bread..........i've only had a dozen goes so far.....so watch this space when i get it mastered......still tryin different blends of flour....think i now own every type of gf flour they make.....and some..........lol

janie..