For those of you new to gluten free here are the flours to avoid that contain wheat derivatives– spelt, kamut, emmer, einkorn, wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed wheat protein, barley, rye and triticale (which is a cross between wheat and rye). Also avoid bromated flour, durum flour, enriched flour, farina, graham flour, self rising flour, semolina, white and plain flour. In general, it is also a good rule to avoid processed foods as they may contain hidden wheat such as products with soy sauce which can sometimes contain wheat in fermenting. Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food” suggests as a general rule to avoid any product with more than 5 ingredients. A good idea.
So what can you use? Well here is the great news – your repertoire of possibilities has now grown from the mundane to the exotic. Some flours I have used successfully in combination are flours made with amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat (no, this is not wheat and one of my favorite flours), cassava, corn, flax, legume flours (fava, garbanzo etc.), millet, potatoes, nuts, quinoa, rice (brown, white and sweet rice), sago, sorghum, soy, tapioca, teff and yucca. Quite impressive a selection!
Oh, don’t forget the nut based flours like pecan, almond, soy, sesame, walnut,etc. All these range in crumb from the thickness of meal fours to the powdery quality of fine coursed nut flours. You will be amazed at how many options there are, just try browsing any of your local ethnic food stores.
What this means is that we have a world to explore and until the rest of the industrial world catches up In the meantime, enjoy the discovery of new foods!
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