Wheat and other grains contain a protein known as gluten. In bread products, gluten acts as an elastic strengthening agent that binds the dough together, giving bread its light and airy texture. To make bread that is gluten-free an alternative binding agent must be found. There are several options available for this, and gluten-free flour can easily be made from scratch or bought commercially.
Substitutes for Wheat Flour
In addition to wheat, gluten is found in rye, barley, some oats, spelt, and bulgar. This excludes most traditional flours from being used in gluten-free recipes. Although they do not provide the exact same properties to bread as wheat flour, flours made from rice, potato, corn, quinoa, tapioca, buckwheat, yams, teff, amaranth, and arrowroot are common substitutes. Xanthan gum or guar gum can be added to flour mixtures to replace gluten as an active binding agent. Like gluten, these gums keep bread from crumbling by giving the dough the proper elasticity.
Nutritional Quality
The traditional replacement for wheat flour in bread making tends to be rice, potato or corn flour. However, these flours are often refined and unfortified, making them more likely to have lower levels of important nutrients like B vitamins, iron, protein and fiber, then their whole-wheat counterpart. Amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat flours are healthier options because they have higher levels of protein, fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. With a little patience and recipe tweaking, these flours can produce delicious breads that are packed with nutrients.
Commerical Flours
Carol Fenster, Ph.D. and author of Gluten-Free Quick & Easy, suggests replacing wheat flour with a flour mixture containing 1.5 cups sorghum flour, 1.5 cups potato starch, and 1 cup tapioca flour. For those who prefer to not make their gluten-free flour blend from scratch, there are many wheat- and gluten-free flours currently available on the market. However, just because a product claims to be wheat free does not mean it is gluten free. To be certain, read the list of ingredients carefully and look for certified gluten-free logos on products labels.
