Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Understanding the components of gluten-free baking

gluten free pizza

Wade Vandervort

Mrs. Bickels Gluten Free Baking Company’s pizza crust with toppings is pictured Wednesday, April 11, 2018.

In the ’80s, Katie Harkins was diagnosed with celiac disease and her husband, Dan, was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. For years, the couple hunted for the perfect gluten-free pizza, and one night after serving their friends their own homemade recipe, they decided to sell their product to others. The couple started Mrs. Bickel’s Gluten Free Baking Company.

Did you know?

Celiac disease affects at least 1 percent of Americans, or nearly 3 million people, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.

Twenty minutes away, commercial bakery GlutenZero shares a similar plot line with Clarissa Parry at the helm.

Neither the Harkins nor the Parrys set out to run gluten-free bakeries, but both felt a personal need to fill gaps in the market with some of their favorite foods.

Here are some of the tips and tricks they’ve learned on their decadelong journey for tasty treats for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

What’s the difference between gluten intolerance and celiac disease?

Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disease that affects the digestive process of the small intestines when gluten is consumed. Gluten-intolerant people may experience symptoms similar to those with celiac disease, but have negative diagnostic tests for celiac disease or food allergies, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. Celiacs and those with gluten intolerance can’t digest the gluten proteins that are found in wheat, rye, spelt and barley. But it’s the gluten protein that binds the dough and adds the stretch to baked goods, Parry said. To successfully bake gluten-free, you have to have something that serves a similar role as gluten.

Navigating gluten-free flours

Pro tip

Mix a combination of flours for more flavorful dishes with dynamic textures.

• Corn: Finely milled and used for thickening recipes, frying and sauces. It has a bland taste and it’s best to check the label to ensure it’s gluten-free and free from contamination.

• Rice: It’s the most commonly used flour in gluten-free baking, but many find that it can be dry and heavy.

• Coconut: Comes from dried, defatted coconut meat, has a light coconut flavor and can be used for savory foods as a coating (for instance, on fish or chicken) or in sweet baked goods. Coconut flour absorbs water at a higher rate than other flours and usually requires equal amounts of water to flour ratio.

• Almond: Produced by grinding almonds that have had their skins removed and often used in pastries and treats such as macaroons.

• Chickpea: Comes from ground chickpeas and has a strong, slightly nutty taste. It’s great for crispy, tempura-style batter and is not often used on its own.

• Amaranth: Made from the ground seeds of the leafy vegetable amaranth. This flour is very high in protein, has a bit of an earthy, peppery taste and is used best for pancakes or slightly sweet breads.

• Buckwheat: Made from the small seeds of the rhubarb plant, which are ground into a flour that has a strong, nutty taste. Because of its bitter flavor, it isn’t often used on its own.

• Millet: Created by grinding seeds of millet grass, it has a slightly bitter aftertaste before being baked, but it absorbs flavors while baking. It tends to have a crumbly texture.

• Teff: This flour is from a grain and has a light, buttery taste. It originated from North Africa and is used in the equivalent of an Ethiopian crepe.

Tips and Tricks

• Try to only experiment with one thing at a time, be it switching out the flours or starches or using a different fruit puree.

• Use oil to coat your hands so the dough doesn’t stick too much.

• Keep a notepad nearby to record successes and failures so you can refer back to them in the future.

Gums and starches create familiar textures

Pro tip

Parry suggests using lots of spices. In her carrot cake, she uses lots of cinnamon, and in her chocolate treats, she uses lots of cacao.

Fruit purees—apple, dried plum puree or dozens of others—can also add moisture to baked goods.

Starches or gums can be added to baked goods or meals to thicken products, help stabilize, extend their shelf life or act as an emulsifier and help unify oil and water to prevent separation.

• Gums: To add the stretch and bounce that gluten contributes to baked goods—from pizza to cupcakes— gluten-free bakers have a few options, one of them being gums. Some celiacs and those with gluten intolerance have a hard time digesting gums, according to Harkins.

Xanthan: A fermented corn-based product that is ground into a fine powder. It acts as a stabilizer and a thickener. It’s best not to use too much xanthan or your baked goods will go from moist to slimy. Xanthan is more expensive than guar gum.

Guar: The milled seeds of a bean-like plant called guaran. Guar gum acts similar to xanthan and is a stabilizer and thickener. It’s high in fiber and can cause stomach rumbles. Only a small about of guar gum is needed, otherwise the baked goods will become heavy.

• Starches: Flours that are heavily starchy are thickening agents. Four gluten-free starches are corn, arrowroot, potato and tapioca—they differ in the time it takes for them to thicken, how much they thicken and the flavor they produce after the thickening process.

Modified Food Starch

Any food starch, including potato, corn and tapioca, that has been physically, enzymatically or chemically altered to change its normal properties. While most modified food starches are gluten-free, they can be made from wheat, which is why it’s important for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance to examine the food packaging label.

Disclosure: The reporter works at Mrs. Bickel’s Gluten Free Baking Co.

This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.