Gluten-Free Baking

Recently my sister was put onto an elimination diet which meant no gluten or eggs, both of which are key ingredients in baking. I made it a mission to find a way to bake cookies and breads that would still taste good and be egg and gluten-free. The first step towards this goal was to find out exactly what roles, gluten and egg play in baked products and to find substitute for them.

Gluten is a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. It is formed during the manipulation of flour with liquid (ie. Kneading and mixing). More development leads to a chewier product and less development yields tender baked good. Since gluten holds ingredients together and provides structure, then a binding agent needs to be added to serve as a gluten replacement.

Xanthan what?

Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide – a chain of complex carbohydrates produced during the fermentation of corn syrup by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It has been long used as a thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer in the commercial production of foods ranging from ketchup to salad dressing and ice cream. This powdery substance has the ability to add lift and gluten-like elasticity to baked goods.

Eggy situation

Eggs serves as a binder, leavener and/or tenderizer in baked products. In the case of cookies, the main role of eggs is to serve as a binder. I remembered my vegetarian friend once telling me that she mixed grounded flaxseed with water as a substitute for egg. So I decided to try this out and guess what happened? I ended up with a goopy and slimy mixture, which was exactly what I needed! I then experimented with chia seeds and it turns out that these seeds are also highly hydrophilic (ie. water attracting) so they create the same slimy consistency when water is added to it. The gel that is formed by either of these seeds, makes it a perfect substitute for replacing egg in baked products.

Okay, now after all this research I had to roll up my sleeves and start baking! How bad could it be, right? I figured that for my first attempt, the safest option would be for me to take my good old trusted chocolate chip cookie recipe and replace the wheat flour with a Bob’s Gluten-Free all purpose mix. I then replaced the egg with the slimy goop of grounded flaxseed and water.

Verdict

The cookies turned out to be amazingly delicious and were comparable in every aspect to the original ones, with the exception of being slightly softer and more delicate in texture. My entire family loved it and my sister devoured almost ½ a dozen of them within 2 hours! It certainly felt good to be able to provide her a treat that she was actually able to eat.

Stay tuned for next weekend, when I try using my own homemade gluten-free flour mix blend using:

• 2 cups rice flour (ideally brown rice flour)
• 2/3 cup potato starch
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour

Has anyone else tried making their own gluten-free flour mix?