Substitutions
1. What alternative flours can I use to replace Gluten containing ones?
2. What can I use to replace Egg?
3. What can I use to replace Milk?
1. What alternative flours can I use to replace Gluten containing ones?
There are a number of Gluten Free flours that can be used during baking, these are:
Amaranth flour
Amaranth flour is made from the seed of the Amaranth plant, which is a leafy vegetable. Amaranth seeds are very high in protein, which makes a nutritious flour for baking. Alternative names: African spinach, Chinese spinach, Indian spinach, elephants ear.
Arrowroot flour
Arrowroot flour is ground from the root of the plant, and is very useful for thickening recipes. It is tasteless, and the fine powder becomes clear when it is cooked, which makes it ideal for thickening clear sauces.
Brown rice flour
Brown rice flour is heavier than its relative, white rice flour. It is milled from unpolished brown rice so it has a higher nutritional value than white, and as it contains the bran of the brown rice it has a higher fibre content. This also means that it has a noticeable texture, a bit grainy.
It does have a slight nutty taste, which will sometimes come out in recipes depending on the other ingredients, and the texture will also contribute to a heavier product than recipes made with white rice flour. It is not often used completely on its own because of its heavier nature.
Buckwheat flour
Buckwheat flour is not, despite its name a form of wheat, buckwheat is actually related to rhubarb. The small seeds of the plant are ground to make flour.
It has a strong nutty taste so is not generally used on its own in a recipe, as the taste of the finished product can be very overpowering, and a little bitter. Alternative names: beech wheat, kasha, saracen corn.
Chick pea flour (also known as gram or garbanzo flour)
This is ground from chick peas and has a strong slightly nutty taste. It is not generally used on its own.
Cornflour
Cornflour is milled from corn into a fine, white powder, and is used for thickening recipes and sauces. It has a bland taste, and therefore is used in conjunction with other ingredients that will impart flavour to the recipe. It also works very well when mixed with other flours, for example when making fine batters for tempura. Note: Some types of cornflour are milled from wheat but are labelled wheaten cornflour. Alternative name: cornstarch.
Cornmeal
Ground from corn. Heavier than cornflour, not generally interchangeable in recipes.
Maize flour
Ground from corn. Heavier than cornflour, not generally interchangeable in recipes.
Millet flour
Comes from the grass family, and is used as a cereal in many African and Asian countries. It can be used to thicken soups and make flat breads and griddle cakes. It’s not suited to many types of baking.
Potato flour
This flour should not be confused with potato starch flour. Potato flour has a strong potato flavour and is a heavy flour so a little goes a long way.
Potato starch flour
This is a fine white flour made from potatoes, and has a light potato flavour which is undetectable when used in recipes. It’s one of the few alternative flours that keeps very well provided it is stored in an airtight jar, and somewhere cool and dark.
Quinoa flour (pronounced ‘keen wa’)
Quinoa is related to the plant family of spinach and beets. It has been used for over 5,000 years as a cereal, and the Incas called it the mother seed. Quinoa provides a good source of vegetable protein and it is the seeds of the quinoa plant that are ground to make flour.
Sorghum flour
Sorghum is ground from sorghum grain, which is similar to millet. The flour is used to make porridge or flat unleavened breads. It is an important staple in Africa and India.
Soya flour
Soya flour is a high protein flour with a nutty taste. It is not generally used on it’s own in recipes, but when combined with other flours is very successful as an alternative flour. Can be used to thicken recipes or added as a flavour enhancer.
It needs to be carefully stored as it is a high fat flour and can go rancid if not stored properly. A cool, dark environment is recommended and can even be stored in the refrigerator.
Tapioca flour
Tapioca flour is made from the root of the cassava plant, once ground it takes the form of a light, soft, fine white flour. Tapioca flour adds chewiness to baking and is a good thickener.
Teff flour
Teff comes from the grass family, and is a tiny cereal grain native to northern Africa. It is ground into flour and used to prepare injera, which is a spongy, slightly sour flat bread. It is now finding a niche in the health food market because it is very nutritious.
White rice flour
This flour is milled from polished white rice so it is very bland in taste, and not particularly nutritious. White rice flour is ideal for recipes that require a light texture. It can be used on its own for a variety of recipes and has a reasonable shelf life, as long as it is stored in an airtight container to avoid it absorbing moisture from the air.
2. What can I use to replace Egg?
In a typical recipe for baked goods, eggs generally play one of two roles: binder (to hold the recipe together) or leavening agent (to help it rise). Sometimes eggs play both roles at once. Determining which purpose the eggs primarily hold in the recipe you are considering will help you determine what options for replacement you might have.
Eggs as a Binder
For recipes which use eggs primarily as a binder (such as drop cookies), possible substitutions for one egg include:
- 1/2 of a medium banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup of applesauce (or other pureed fruit)
- 3-1/2 tablespoons gelatin blend (mix 1 cup boiling water and 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, and then use 3-1/2 tablespoons of that mixture per egg)
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water; let stand 1 minute before using
- Commercial egg replacement products (see above)
Keep in mind that the addition of pureed fruit may impact both the taste and the density of the finished product.
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum can be added to egg-free cakes and cookies, as well as milk-free ice cream, to bind and add texture. Use about one teaspoon per recipe. Xanthan gum is a white powder derived from the exoskeleton of a bacterium. It is cultivated on corn sugar.
Eggs as a Leavening Agent
For recipes which use eggs primarily as a leavening agent you can try a commercial egg replacement product (see above) or the following mixture:
- 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil mixed with 1-1/2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon baking powder per egg.
Note: this mixture calls for baking powder, not baking soda. The two products are not interchangeable.
3. What can I use to replace Milk?
There are currently a number of commercially-produced liquid soy, rice, potato and oat milks, most of which are available in a few different flavors (such as “regular,” “vanilla,” “chocolate,” ). All of these milks can be substituted 1-for-1 in recipes.
