People who must avoid gluten, a protein in wheat, rye and barley, cannot eat muffins made with traditional white flour, wheat flour, spelt or even oats. A gluten-free version of muffins may be made using a mix of alternative flours made from gluten-free sources like tapioca and sorghum. Using a mix of flours optimizes the texture of the muffins. Once you have mastered a basic recipe, you may add flavorings of your choice notes, Celiac.com. The sorghum flour blend was developed by Jennifer Cinquepalmi, author of "The Complete Book of Gluten-Free Cooking."
Step 1
Create a basic sorghum flour mix. Stir together 7 cups of sweet white sorghum flour, 2 cups of potato starch and 1 cup tapioca flour. Measure out 4 cups for the muffins and put the rest in a sealed container or bag for later use.
Step 2
Preheat a conventional oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3
Combine one large egg, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sour cream and 6 tbsp canola oil in a large bowl.
Step 4
Stir together the 4 cups of the sorghum flour mix, 1 cup granulated sugar, 5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp xanthan gum in a separate bowl. Add all at once to the egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until ingredients are just combined--there may be some lumps.
Step 5
Fold in your chosen additions. Use 2½ cups of fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries, 1 cup peeled and diced apple, 1 cup dried cherries or 1 cup chocolate chips.
Step 6
Fill muffin tins lined with muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes to make about 24 muffins.
Tips and Warnings
- Be sure to use potato starch, not potato flour. You can decrease the milk to two tbsp and add 2 mashed bananas for a banana muffin recipe. Expect the batter to be rather gluey due to the xanthan gum. You may spray the muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray, but gluten-free batter tends to stick, so muffin cup liners work better.
- Xanthan gum is essential to create a cake-like texture for your muffins. Measure it carefully--too much or too little will adversely affect your muffins.
Things You'll Need
- 2 mixing bowls
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Two 12-cup muffin tins
- 7 cups sweet white sorghum flour
- 2 cups potato starch
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- Fresh or frozen berries, dried fruit, bananas, chocolate chips or apples
References
- Celiac.com: Magic Muffins, Universal Gluten-Free Muffin Mix
- "The Complete Book of Gluten-Free Cooking;" Jennifer Cinquepalmi; 2006
