(We buy our starches and grind our flours. I like to imagine it balances out the nutrition: starches=worthless, whole grains=very good).
We choose to grind our grains not b/c of “increased nutritional value” (We’re not that dedicated. More is required than we do– like soaking and/or using immediately– for those perceived benefits).
We grind our own simply because it is exponentially cheaper to do so.
In the dry bowl I combine:
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup millet flour
- 1½ cups tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup buttermilk powder
- 2 t baking powder
- 1½ tsp gaur gum
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
In the “wet” bowl (I use my 4-cup Pyrex) combine:
- 2½ cups water
- 3/4 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup corn oil
- 1 Tb vanilla
Combine wet and dry bowls and proceed as usual to cook pancakes.
ETA: Grease your pan. Especially if you substitute another oil for the corn oil, the GF batters always stick more than you expect.
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When my millet/rice flours get low I sub in another med-weight flour like buckwheat or sorghum.
The main thing to be aware of in substituting is that different flours taste different, and some very strongly. Gluten-free flours can certainly be an acquired taste, which is why these hit pancakes use milder grains.
Gluten-free baking traditionally uses more components than regular baking. Over the last several months I’ve gotten used to it. I use some pre-mixed dry goods (like for muffins) but I still prefer this recipe from scratch-scratch.
10/19/11 ETA: I removed the “best” from the title, because we’ve been making new (and better) versions in our kitchen for a while now. Generally with more eggs, since we have an abundance of those now.
Between school-teaching and life-management I am not in a state to make any ultimatums or outline any principles for success.
What I will continue to offer is specifically what worked for us, and what I’m discovering. Maybe I’ll even get to adding pretty pictures.
I’m learning so much so quickly I’m beginning to be afraid to assert anything, but as food continues to turn out well, is something I can offer: our successes.
I don’t think I’d use alternate grains often enough to buy in bulk and grind…at least not at this point. I think I’d like to do more bread baking in the future, including grinding grains fresh. Even from a taste perspective, it makes sense to grind them fresh. I know it makes a difference with coffee beans. I’m sure I can get these flours pre-ground at Whole Foods as a start.
I recently made some non dairy, non egg, non nut cookies for Easter. It was my first foray into that type of cooking. I bought a vegan cookbook. I’m not converting, I just want to work on recipes for people I know who have dietary restrictions. But the difference in taste of these foods is amazing. I really did have to get used to it. In addition the non dairy “butter” changed the texture of the cookies. It drove me nuts trying to use the cookie cutters.
It is pretty tricky.
Two things I’ve heard are useful– 12-24 hours of refrigeration, and coconut oil, rather than synthetic butters.
Good recipes help too. Maybe when my kids are teens I’ll have time to put a series of recipes up. I’m finding that managing my own food is pushing my limits.
And I found I could give up dairy *or* gluten. Both was too hard.