Herbal Remedies - gluten and glutenfree = info

[Guest guest]

Some grains are just gluten free!

 

Cooking with Gluten Free Flour and Grains

 

 

 

 

Author: Lucy ShriverPublished on: October 1, 2000 Related Subject(s): Gluten-free diet Celiacs must avoid all forms of Gluten. Gluten can be found in Wheat, Spelt, Rye and Barley. Cakes, pies, cookies, and candies can be made for various gluten free grains and flours that often taste like they were made from wheat. In order to cook gluten free, one must understand the various gluten free flours and how to use them. Below is a guide for a variety of gluten free flours and starches.

Soy is made from roasted ground soybeans that are ground into a fine powder. Soy is rich in protein, and it is an excellent source of iron, vitamin B, and calcium. Soy has a very strong taste, so it is not recommended to substitute equal portions with wheat flour. If used in large amounts soy affects the taste of baked goods and causes them to brown quickly.

RiceA. Brown Rice Flour is milled from unpolished rice. It has a nice texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Brown rice flour is higher in nutrients than white rice flour. Rice Flour has a short shelf life, so store in your refrigerator or freezer to increase shelf life.B. White Rice Flour is milled from polished white rice. White rice flour often gives baked goods a grainy texture. It also has a short shelf life, so store in your refrigerator or freezer to increase shelf life. C. Rice Bran is the bran flour obtained from polishing brown rice. Research indicated that rice bran is high in soluble fiber and is effective in lowering cholesterol. It is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, calcium, iron, and B complex vitamins. It gives a nice texture when added to muffins and breads. It also has a short shelf life, so store in your refrigerator or freezer to increase shelf life. D. Glutinous or Sweet Rice Flour also known, as Mochi is Japanese and it is made

from grinding high starch, short grain rice. It is often used in Asian cooking to thicken sauces and desserts. It makes a fabulous white sauce.

CornA. Corn Flour is milled from the whole kernel. It is actually finely ground cornmeal and it comes in yellow or white. It is great for breading and/or used in combination with other gluten free flours in baked goods. In many British recipes the term corn flour is used synonymously with cornstarch, but in the U.S. corn flour and cornstarch are two different textures. Corn flour gives a great texture to corn bread, corn muffins, and some baked goods when mixed with other non-gluten flours. B. Corn Meal is dried corn kernels that have been ground to a fine, medium, or course texture. Cornmeal can be yellow, white, or blue. Yellow is slightly higher in Vitamin A. Corn meal is great for breading fish, and chicken, or making cornbread, hush puppies, and Corn meal dumplings. C. Corn Starch is dense powdery flour obtained from the endosperm portion of the corn kernel. Mostly used in thickening sauces, soups, and puddings, cornstarch is often used in Europe in combination

with wheat flour to create fabulous cakes and cookies. It produces a finer texture and a more compact product. Some individuals even use pure cornstarch in exchange for wheat flour in recipes with some success; however, the texture is often dry. D. Masa Harina – Masa is the Spanish word for dough, and Masa Harina is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. It is made from dry corn kernels, which have been cooked in lime water. The wet corn is then ground into a thick masa.

Amaranth - This nutritious high protein food was once considered a simple weed in the United States. Amaranth greens are delicious with a slightly sweet flavor. It can be used in both cooking and salads. The seeds are used as cereal and are also ground into wonderful flour. Amaranth flour can be found in Caribbean and Asian markets. Amaranth is gluten free, but it is often avoided by celiacs from fear of cross contamination. Cross contamination is when two grains are grown in the same field using a rotation method. Example: wheat and buckwheat are often grown in the same field and you may get cross contamination from one crop to the next.

Buckwheat is native to Russia, and it is often thought of as a cereal, but it is actually an herb of the genus Fagopyrum. Buckwheat groats are hulled, and often crushed and then cooked in a manner similar to rice. Groats come in fine, medium, and coarse. Kasha is roasted buckwheat groats that have a nutty flavor. The triangular seeds of this plant are used to make buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is gluten free, but it is often avoided by celiacs from fear of cross contamination.

Tapioca Starch or Flour is a starchy substance extracted form the root of the Cassava plant. Available in several forms, granules, flakes, pellets, flour, and/or starch. Tapioca flour/starch is used as a thickener or binder for soups, sauces, fruit fillings, glazes, cakes, and cookies. The flakes, granules, and pellets are often used to make pudding

Chickpea and/or Garbanzo Bean Flour are stone ground and are very popular in mid-eastern cooking. Chickpea or Garbanzo bean flour adds a unique flavor to gluten free breads, cookies, and cakes.

Teff – Native to Northern Africa, Teff is about 1/32 inch in diameter. It is a staple in Ethiopia and it is now being grown in Idaho in the United States. The mild nutty flavor of Teff is high in protein, iron, calcium, and carbohydrates. Teff is used to make injera, a wonderfully spongy textured bread native to Ethiopia. Teff is gluten free, but it is often avoided by celiacs from fear of cross contamination.

Millet is very popular in Asian and African cooking. Many varieties of millet exist, most of which are rich in protein. Millet has a bland flavor so it mixes well with other flours and seasonings. Millet is prepared like rice by boiling it in water; it is used to make hot cereals and main dishes. Ground Millet is used as a flour to make bread, pancakes, cakes, and puddings. Millet is gluten free, but it is often avoided by celiacs from fear of cross contamination.

PotatoA. Potato Flour is heavy flour with a potato taste. It is made from ground-dehydrated potatoes. Do not confuse this with Potato starch they are not interchangeable. I rarely use this in baked goods, but it is quite good in thickening soups. B. Potato Starch is made from the starch of the potato that is ground into a fine powder. It has a bland taste so it is great for baking cakes, cookies, and breads or thickening sauces, or soups.

Oats A. Oats - After the oats have been cleaned, toasted, hulled and cleaned again, they become oat groats, which still contain most of the original nutrients. Oat groats can be cooked and served as cereal, or prepared in the same manner as rice and used as a side dish or in a dish such as a salad or stuffing. When steamed and flattened with huge rollers, oat groats become regular rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats). They take about 15 minutes to cook. Quick-cooking rolled oats are groats that have been cut into several pieces before being steamed and rolled into thinner flakes. Though they cook in about 5 minutes, many think the flavor and texture are never quite as satisfying as with regular rolled oats. Old-fashioned oats and quick-cooking oats can usually be interchanged in recipes. Instant oats, however, are not interchangeable because they're made with cut groats that have been precooked and dried before being rolled. This precooking process so softens the oat

pieces that, after being combined with a liquid, the mixture can turn baked goods such as muffins or cookies into gooey lumps. Most instant oatmeal is packaged with salt, sugar and other flavorings. Scotch oats or steel-cut oats or Irish oatmeal are all names for groats that have been cut into 2 to 3 pieces and not rolled. They take considerably longer to cook than rolled oats and have a decidedly chewy texture. Oats are high in vitamin B-1 and contain a good amount of vitamins B-2 and E. B. Oat Flour - Oat flour is made from groats that have been ground into powder. Oat Flour has a relatively high protein content, 17 percent, but does not form gluten. Oat flour can be substituted for as much as 1/3 of wheat flour in bread.C. Oat Bran- Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat and is particularly high in soluble fiber, thought to be a leading contender in the fight against high cholesterol. Oat bran, groats, flour and Scotch oats are more likely to be found in health-food

stores than supermarkets.

Most Celiacs avoid oats because of the fear of cross contamination, not because they contain gluten. Oats are gluten free, and it is often recommended that one use steel cut oats. I typically avoid oats until and will continue to do so until more research on the subject is gathered and proven or disproved.

 

Basic Substitution Chart

The following chart is a basic guide to substituting gluten free flours for wheat flour. When you first start cooking gluten free, you can play around with the various gluten free flours using this basic chart; however, I usually make my recipes by taste and feel of the product I am making. If I have followed the substitution chart and my pancake batter is too thick, I add a little more liquid until I get the desired consistency.

For 1 Cup of Wheat Flour substitute one of the following: -- 7/8 Cup Amaranth7/8 cup Bean Flour (Garbanzo or Chickpea) 7/8 cup Buckwheat Flour1 cup of Corn Flour1 Cup Cornmeal¾ Cup Millet Flour¾ cup Oat Flour5/8 Cup Potato Flour3/4 Cup Potato Starch7/8 Cup Rice Flour¾ Cup Soy Flour

--

Additional Substitutions: 2 Teaspoons of Arrowroot equals 1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch equals 2 Tablespoons of Wheat Flour2 Teaspoons of Tapioca Granules equals 1 Tablespoons of Wheat Flour

 

Hanneke <blosshan wrote:

 

A question which came up out of curiosity. I only use gluten free grains if I need grains but then it occurred to me that I don't have a clue how that works. I mean, what do they do to grains to make them gluten free.

 

Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes