How to Convert Any Recipe to Gluten-Fee: Your Handy Guide

When you first go gluten-free, it’s usually your baking that takes the hardest hit. How can you convert a beautiful layer cake recipe to gluten-free and still expect it to be good? Believe it or not, there are some easy recipe hacks that allow you to nix the gluten — and still keep your baked goods delicious.

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Almost all recipes can be altered to be gluten-free. Give these tips and swaps a try.

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1. Swap the flour

Substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose regular flour at a ratio of 1:1. Try Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour. If you are baking items such as cakes and/or breads, add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum.

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2. Eliminate the flour

Try omitting the flour altogether. If you are craving peanut butter cookies, for example, try this simple recipe without the flour.

Simple gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe

Yields 6 – 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 – 2 eggs (depending on how moist you want them to be)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Blend the ingredients, and place the dough on a cookie sheet.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes.

3. Create a gluten-free flour mixture

In place of flour in a recipe, try this combination.

• 3 parts white or brown rice flour
• 2 parts potato starch
• 1 part tapioca flour/starch
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum for every 1-1/2 cups flour mixture

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4. Consider arrowroot powder

Arrowroot powder can be used in place of xanthan gum if you are having a hard time finding the latter. As a general rule, use 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder for each cup of wheat flour called for in any recipe. Note: Round up if the recipe calls for a partial cup.

5. Experiment with ingredients

Other ingredients in the recipe may need to be adjusted when trying new flours and flour combinations. For example, use 2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder for every cup of flour used in a recipe. Some flours may be a bit drier, so you may have to add additional liquid ingredients, such as water or oil, depending on what the recipe calls for.

A version of this article was originally published in October 2014.