Substitutions for ingredients in my gluten-free recipes

jeff GF FAQs

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Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day tries to accommodate a wide variety of food sensitivities but some readers asked about substitutions for what’s called for in the book’s flour mixtures, and so here are swaps for flours that some of our readers don’t eat. Others may be possible, but these are the gluten-free substitutes that actually worked.

Flour Mixture #1 is based on rice, sorghum, tapioca, and potato, with xanthan gum or psyllium providing structure. If you’re sensitive to the bold-faced ingredient in the list below, you can try swapping in one of the suggested gluten-free substitutes. But keep in mind that if the recipe already has some of that ingredient, you may throw off the flavor or consistency. Are other substitutions possible? Maybe, but it’s risky.

White rice flour can be replaced by brown rice flour, but increase the water by 2 tablespoons per full batch of our dough recipes. It seems that at least some rice flour is pretty much a requirement for a good result, whether white or brown. If you can’t use rice at all, you probably need to try a different method.

Sorghum flour can be replaced with oat or amaranth flour.

Tapioca starch/flour can be replaced with arrowroot starch/flour or cornstarch. However, cornstarch cannot be omitted from the brioche recipe–substitutions there just did not work.

Potato starch: You can try proportionally increasing the other starches/flours in the flour mixture, but you may have to adjust the water to keep the consistency at about the level that you see in the video.

Corn starch: In testing, it was tough to decrease corn starch in these recipes, despite much experimentation. You could start trying partial swaps, or combination swaps for other powdery starches or GF flours, but as I say, this was frustrating. On the other hand, if you can tolerate a little density, or are willing to settle for flatbreads only, you could end up with something acceptable to you. For the books, the doughs had to be multi-purpose, including working well in sandwich loaves and other lofty breads. The flatter you’re willing to accept–the more leeway you’ll have when you experiment with swaps for corn starch–but I can’t make any guarantees here.

Finally, some readers have asked about ingredients like almond, millet, or quinoa. Though those appear in small amounts in some of the book’s recipes, they don’t make a good yeasted bread when you start to use more significant amounts.

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178 thoughts to “Substitutions for ingredients in my gluten-free recipes”

  1. In flour mixture #2, is there a good substitute for the teff flour? I can’t find this flour anywhere…and would actually prefer not to have to buy yet another flour. I’ve already got 3 kinds of rice flour, potato flour and starch, sorghum flour and millet flour. All in silly tiny bags, LOL. I see there’s an asterisk next to it in the book and a reference to subs on a prior page, but then no mention of a teff sub on that page. I’m not familiar w/teff so have no idea what it tastes like. Would millet flour work? White rice flour along with the brown in the recipe for the mixture? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Yes, you’ve found a typo– there’s not supposed to have been that asterisk next to the teff, because we didn’t test a swap for it. We both like the flavor of teff, and find it has an earthy sweetness like rye (which has gluten, though less than wheat). My guess is that you can swap millet– but we can’t vouch for the water requirement in the recipes, because we haven’t tested it. I know that white rice and brown can be swapped (but white takes less water, see page 61).

      Reply

      1. Oh dear I substituted quinoa for the teff , I have a very small amount of teff in grain not flour can I add to mixture 2 as a seed to give it flavor? Will try and let you know.

      2. Well… no idea if this is going to work in terms of taste and texture, but worth a try? I’ve never seen or tried teff grain, don’t know how it’ll bake up. Beware of hard kernels…

  2. If you exchange psyllium powder for xanthan gum is it alright to keep the dough in the refrigerator for 10 days? I’m using your new GF book.

    Reply

    1. Depends on the recipe, but correct– we didn’t find differences in acceptable storage time between Xanthan Gum and Ground Psyllium Husk.

      Reply

  3. Is there a substitute for the Oat flour in the Mixture #2 in teh GF book. My doctor in Canada still doesn’t want us eating oats yet (even the certified gluten free ones)

    Reply

    1. Hi Christine,

      You will get a similar texture to the bread if you use sorghum or amaranth, but obviously the flavor will not be the same.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  4. I am baking bread for our family get-together over the holidays and didn’t want to exclude the gluten-intolerant few. I also didn’t want to purchase a lot of ingredients which I may never use again. I noticed in the grocery that Pillsbury now had a gluten-free flour that contains rice flour, potato starch, pea fiber, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. The obvious difference is the pea fiber and not knowing the ratio of ingredients. Do you feel this would have worked in your master recipe (other than a possible flavor difference)?

    Reply

    1. Hi Dorothy,

      Without knowing the ratio of flours, it is impossible to know. If you do try it, I suggest you make a small batch and make sure you like the results.

      Thanks! Zoë

      Reply

  5. I’ve been a fan of yours for several years but only started to bake GF bread in the last month as my daughter is now in need of it. I’m so glad you’ve taken on the challenge!

    I realize you’ve used Bob’s Red Mill for all your tests, but I’m hoping I can use a finer milled rice flour that I get at the asian food store. It’s not sweet/glutinous rice flour, it’s just less gritty. I don’t know if this would affect the weight measurement, or any other aspect of the recipe and would appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. I do weigh the ingredients.

    Thank you and Happy New Year!

    Reply

    1. Hi Carolyn,

      When I first started testing the GF recipes for Healthy Bread in Five I tried the extra fine rice flour from Asian markets. I was advised against it from several of my GF friends because the bags weren’t labeled GF and there are not the regulations in some Asian countries that we can rely on. Having said this, here is a conversation that may interest you: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/71687-can-i-buy-gluten-free-flour-at-the-asian-market/ As a result of the advice I got, I didn’t test any of the recipes in our GF book with the Asian product, so you will have to test it to see. I’d start with a small batch.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      1. Thank you Zoë — such a quick reply! That link provided some good input. As one person pointed out each Asian country is unique and they shouldn’t be thought of as one group. I’ll be careful, and when making any substitutions I’ll stick with small batches.

      2. Hey – a tip on using finely ground flours (more than Bob’s) go by weight, or use 3/4 of a cup of the finely ground vs 1 cup of Bob’s. I don’t know how that works in these breads, but I find that works for my muffins, cakes etc. (Authentic Foods have excellent find ground flours for cakes/muffin – no I don’t work for them – but not sure how they would work in bread).

      3. Hi Christine,

        The superfine flours absorb water differently, so the results will not be the same. We tested with the Bob’s products and not superfine flours, so I’m not sure how to guide you. We had one reader say that the superfine flours resulted in breads that came out gummy. Perhaps you can try to reduce the hydration, but it’s only a guess. I’d try a small batch to make sure it works.

        Here is a post about using the egg white version of the master recipe, which may also help? https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5

        Thanks, Zoë

  6. Authentic Foods makes a gluten free superfine rice flours. Makes incredible texture for cakes, cookies etc. But I’ve never tried it with bread. You can get this on Amazon or at a local heath food store. The rice is grown in California. Celiac and gluten free for 15 years – 30 years to diagnose it. :/

    Reply

    1. See our GF FAQs page and click on “Substitutions for ingredients in our gluten-free recipes.” But don’t try this for recipes where cornstarch is a major constituent, like brioche.

      Reply

      1. There doesn’t seem to be an answer to what can we substitute for cornstarch in the FAQs. What can be substituted for cornstarch in recipes other than brioche?

      2. Hi Carol.

        Here is the info for substituting starches. You can use tapioca or arrowroot for our flour blend, but don’t try it with the brioche, as it says here.

        Tapioca starch/flour: can be replaced with arrowroot starch/flour or cornstarch. However, cornstarch cannot be omitted from our brioche recipe.

        Thanks, Zoë

      3. Thanks for the information Zoe . Just got the book and can’t wait to start. Used to make bread from your other books before we had to give up gluten so I’m really excited about the prospect of great bread again!

  8. Hi, I am not gluten free but your gluten free whole grain seeded bread on p. 272 in the new AB in 5 sounds amazing. I love all the seeds in there. Can I substitute this with AP or WW or even rye flour?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Lindsay,

      We have a bread that is very similar in our Healthy Bread Book called Betsy’s Seeded Loaf, which is based on whole wheat. If you want to add the seeds to a bread in this book, I’d try the Pain d’Epi on page 75 because it is made with bread flour, so it is strong enough to hold up to all of those seeds. You may find that you need to add a tablespoon or so more water to compensate for all those seeds. I’d start with a half batch and see how you like it. You could also try it with our American-style whole wheat on page 137, but use bread flour instead of AP and again add more water.

      Let me know how it comes out. Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      1. Hi Zoe,

        Thank you for your suggestions. I have the healthy bread book and Betsy’s loaf sounds perfect, however, I do not have vital wheat gluten. Can I tweak this recipe at all to be made without VWG? For example, maybe a cup more of all purpose and a cup less of whole wheat flour? Also, if I wanted to add seeds to the pain d’epi, how much do you suggest? 1/4 cup of each?

      3. Sorry one more question. I love the measurements by weight you have in the new book. Is there any way to tell how many grams are in 1 cup of APF, WW or Rye flour? I tried to divide it based on the recipe but it seems like it was slightly different in each recipe.

      4. Hi Lindsay,

        Here are the weights per cup for those flours:

        AP flour = 140g
        Whole wheat = 130g
        Rye = 120g

        There may be some slight rounding errors in the recipes, but nothing so large that it will effect the recipe at all.

        Thanks, Zoë

  9. I used to bake gluten free (I am celiac with a cross-sensitivity to corn), and loved your recipe with the sorghum, which, to me, tastes a bit like wheat, the flavor I miss so much from all GF breads. And when I suddenly became allergic to SORGHUM (!!!), I got very depressed.

    I kept trying for some time, but eventually gave up. Because of my corn problems, I had also been trying to avoid ingredients made from corn, which includes almost all xanthan gum (except for Authentic Foods), pretty much anything ending in ‘ose’ (glucose, sucrose, etc.), corn flour, of course, maltodextrin, vanilla (due to the alcohol) and on and on.

    FInally I gave up.

    Recently I have found that some of my trouble (which trouble I had been attributing to corn-derived ingredients) is from SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), and that some tiny amounts of corn-derived ingredients, such as alcohol and maybe xanthan gum, may not be such huge obstacles. I’m not sure yet, but am willing to check these things out individually.

    But sorghum, alas, I think is over for me. It gives me hives.

    I really dislike the flavor of amaranth, and cannot eat oats, so if you ever come across another substitution for sorghum, I will jump up and down with glee!

    Thanks for your great recipes.

    Reply

    1. Hi Ellen,

      It is always an experiment to find flours that behave well together. You may need to mix several flours to replace the sorghum. Have you tried millet or quinoa? I find they are pretty strong flavors, so I’d cut them with some rice flour. If you do it, start with a small batch, since you can’t be sure you’ll like the flavor or texture until it’s baked.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  10. Hi – Loved reading your recipes in the new GF book. For health reasons I must avoid all gluten. My other issue is with yeast – it seems that yeasted GF breads cause a nasty reaction (bloating, discomfort)and I read the reference in your book to some yeasts incorporating wheat enzymes? Are there any yeast brands which do not? And is there a substitute (like sourdough or other?) so I can omit the yeast altogether? I realize it will impact end product lightness; I’ll get a heavier loaf w/o the ‘rise’. I’ve heard separating eggs and whipping/folding in egg whites last thing can add lightness to GF recipes. And this might impact how one stores the batch in the fridge? Also, could a yeast-free version of the dough work in a bread machine with a GF setting? Many thx for any suggestions.

    Reply

    1. Hi Janet,

      Most commercial yeasts do not contain wheat enzymes, it is typically only those that have “dough enhancers” in them. Red Star yeast is labeled gluten-free and that is what we use. I have not yet created a gluten-free starter to test the breads. If you find a GF starter, it will likely work. Like you said, it may not come out as light, but it will still work.

      Here is a recipe from the book that contains egg whites. I find that it gives the loaf a bit more oven spring. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5 There is no need to whip the whites, since the dough is stored in the refrigerator for a number of days they would deflate anyway.

      I have never used the bread machine, so I am not sure if it will work. Our recipes are based on making several loaves at once, so I am not sure how to adapt it to a single loaf bread machine?

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      2. substitutions for gluten free in five minutes a day: found I am also allergic to yeast…what to do?

  11. hi, correction on my prior post. In the book it says to use potato flour but the ON LINE recipe says to use potato starch and NOT potato flour. which one do i use?? Thanks

    Reply

  12. I just made the gluten free master recipe on page 268 of book New Artisan bread in five minutes a day.My question is, there seems to be more liquids then flours. When I mixed it together with the mixer, I had to add some fava flour. This is my first time making gluten free and I’m a little nervous.

    Reply

  13. Hi,

    I just received the Gluten-Free A B in 5 book after trying out the recipe on this website. The basic recipe is fantastic, just trying to get the liquid balance right!
    2 questions:
    1. I can’t find Bob’s Red Mill Rice Flour here in Australia. Do I understand that it is a coarser grind than the Asian rice flours? Can anyone in Australia suggest a different brand? The Erewan Asian rice flour works to a degree, but gives me such a hard crust I can barely cut through it.
    2. Is there anything you could substitute for the cornstarch in the Brioche and Buttermilk recipes? I’m assuming not, given that it’s such a large proportion of the flours used, but thought I’d ask just in case.

    Many thanks!
    Claire

    Reply

    1. Hi Claire,

      The Asian rice flour is much finer than the Bob’s so it will absorb water differently. It may work after playing with the amount of water, but I’m afraid we didn’t test it, so I’m not sure how to advise you.

      I tried the brioche with Tapioca and arrowroot, but the result was too gummy for my taste.

      If you experiment with the recipes I just suggest you make a small batch until you get a result you like.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  14. Thanks Zoe! I’ll experiment with coarser rice flours for the main recipe and stick to the challah recipe for enriched breads.

    Many thanks!
    Claire

    Reply

    1. Hi Claire

      I’m in Australia and waiting on my first batch of rolls from the master recipe to come out of the oven. I also couldn’t find the Bob’s rice flour and used McKenzie’s rice flour from the baking aisle.

      I only came across the mention of the book 2 days ago so this is all new to me even though my daughter has been a diagnosed coeliac for 11 years. I thought my days of cooking where over!

      So Claire, if you have any hints regarding ingredients for people in Australia, please share, because this could be a very exciting discovery!

      Thank you Zoe and Jeff for taking the trouble to cater to coeliac’s.

      Nicole

      Reply

      2. I did get the consistency of the dough, but need to play with the heat now. I used fan forced, lowered the temp, but still think it was too high. I also took the bread rolls out far too early as they were getting too brown. In short, I think I cooked them too quickly, for too short a time as they were still very dense and slightly moist inside. On to the next batch now!

      4. Hi,

        I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the USA recently, and was able to use Bob’s Red Mill rice flour to see what the recipe is supposed to be like! I’ve been using McKenzies in Australia up until now but I’ve switched to Lotus (available in various places online) which gives a result much more like BRM. The batter is far more like dough and less like cake batter. The resulting bread is more moist and goes stale much more slowly.

        Many thanks,
        Claire

  15. Im using your gluten free book and my breads are not coming out as nicely browned as the ones in your pictures. Can´t brush them with eggs cause I´m allergic. I´ve tried brushing them with water and with almond milk but they don´t seem to work…Any suggestions?
    thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Eliezra,

      Which recipe are you using? If it is the master recipe, you can dust them with flour, which gives a different look. Or you can use a solution that is used on pretzels, which is a mix of baking soda and water. 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 tablespoons water. If you are using a sweeter dough you can try a honey solution. It will help the loaf brown and add a sweetness to the bread. 1 teaspoon honey mixed with 1 tablespoon water.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      1. Thank you solo much! I am using the master recipe. I tried both of your suggestions and the honey- water glaze worked perfectly. Thanks for your help and for your amazing work!

  16. I have an egg allergy and was wondering if eggs are required for your recipes before i buy the book.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Sabrina,

      Most of our recipes don’t call for eggs. A few of the sweet, enriched doughs do call for eggs. Most of them can be made with egg replacer.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      2. Hi Sabrina,

        Yes, you can use any dairy substitutes you like. I’ve done this for both butter and milk.

        Thanks, Zoë

  17. 30 years ago i was diagnosed with wheat and corn allergies. Your bread is such a Godsend! It’s the first wheat and corn free bread that tastes and chews like wheat bread.

    One of the things I really miss is eating a hot dog or hamburger on a bun. On your website you recommend using the brioche dough. In another place you say the cornstarch can’t be replaced with anything. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply

    1. Hi Pj,

      Thank you for the lovely note, we’re so glad you are enjoying the bread!

      I would try the challah dough for your buns. You can make it without the cornstarch in the flour mix.

      Enjoy, Zoë

      Reply

    1. Hi Jessica,

      Every flour blend is different and they all behave differently. We tested our recipes with several store bought flour blends and never had much success. Which one are you using?

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  19. Hi, I didn’t read through all the comments, but I’m interested in knowing if there’s a substitution for corn meal? I would love to make the pizza crust, but we can’t eat corn. What might you suggest replacing the corn meal for?

    Thanks!

    Reply

      1. Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day on page 172

        I’m assuming the corn meal helps with the crunch factor, but we can’t eat corn. I didn’t know if millet or even almond flour could be substituted for the cornmeal.

      2. Ah, thanks. There’s a lot of cornmeal in that one, and we haven’t tried swapping anything in there, so you’d be in experimental zones. Yes, it does create a crunch.

        But you can make a fine GF pizza with the other lean doughs in the book–as we say on page 174, anything in the book except the doughs in chapter 9.

  20. We found a number of gluten-free all-purpose flours (1-to-1). Can I substitute that in any of the recipes (like from the first book)? What do I need to add, if anything. In our case, the issue is not the gluten, but the fructose in the flour.

    Reply

    1. We have not had great luck with commercial GF flours, in particular the 1:1 product. We developed our own gluten-free AP flour mixture, based on a mix of Bob’s Red Mill GF flours– for our gluten-free book that we released in 2014 (click on the book image above), but even that mixture can’t just be swapped into our wheat-based recipes.

      Turns out it’s much more complicated than that, you need to create structure with an agent like xanthan or psyllium.

      Reply

      1. Thanks Jeff. One brand I seen, Bob something, said it was specially blended to be just like real flour. It had xanthan in it. I might try a small batch some day just to try it.

    1. Hi Brigitte,

      This is a tough one, since our flour mixture is based on rice. You can substitute some flours, like sorghum for the rice, but the flavor of that flour is more intense. Millet flour is another one to try. It will require some experimenting, so I recommend you start with a half batch of dough until you get a loaf you like.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  22. Hi Jeff and Zoe,
    I’m a Vegan and would like to know what’s a good egg substitute for the WW Brioche in HB5MD. Bought all 4 books except GF on iTunes. Thx for helping me break bread with family again!

    Reply

      1. Hi Jeff – thx for the prompt response! I’m on the same vegan plan as Pres Clinton (Dr Esselstyn’s Reversing Heart Disease) after a heart attack. Ener G claims its product can act as a direct sub for eggs in baking but wanted to know if anyone has tried it b4 I venture out into unchartered waters!
        On the 3rd loaf I’ve ever baked and I’m being heralded a baker! Thx – u guys are geniuses! Yes, I was hiding under a rock, eating out all the time! Just heard about you! 🙂

      2. Great. See what you think with the swap– but you’ll be in uncharted waters. Small batches as you test?

  23. I have purchased coconut flour, mistakenly thinking it was used in bread. What can it be used for? I don’t see any mention of it in the GF Artisan Bread book, but can it be used in other recipes? Thanks

    Reply

  24. I have looked through the comments and did not see any comments about Sweet Rice Flour. Can this be used in place of (partially or fully) White Rice Flour.

    Thanks! Can’t wait to make bread again!

    Jamie

    Reply

    1. Only a fraction of our books’ content is here on the website (our publisher would kill us if we put everything!). What you’re looking for is on the top paragraph of page 20 of “Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.”

      Reply

  25. I LOVE< LOVE< LOVE your Mixture #1 recipe, but the crust is soooo hard, it's almost impossible to cut and I'm getting very flat loaves. I'm using oat flour. I've tried both with water and with eggs. the egg recipe was super flat, but the dough almost climbed out of the pan from the first rest.

    Reply

    1. Hi Beth,

      Do you have a Dutch Oven? If so, try baking in that. It may help your crust a lot and may also help with the spreading. Did you see our video? If so, is your dough about as wet as ours or does it seem wetter?

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  26. Hi! I’m reading through the book right now before I attempt any of the recipes and have a question about using a cloche. I’ve just won one in a drawing! I’m a little confused on the method with this. If I use the cloche does that eliminate the need for steaming? Not sure if I am understanding that correctly from page 33. Will you clarify that for me?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Shelley,

      The nice thing about baking in a Dutch Oven or Cloche is that you will not have to add water to create steam. The moisture from the dough itself creates the steam within the vessel.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  27. Hi, I have just bought your gluten free book and although generally gluten free I find that I can tolerate rye, I’m using mixes of wholemeal and refined white rye flours with other flours for general use. I see that you don’t use any rye in any of the recipes as technically I guess that there is a form of gluten as with oats. It would be really helpful if you could help me by letting me know where I could substitute with rye as unfortunately I cannot tolerate some of the other flours.
    Am basically only using rice, quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet, with linseeds, chia and egg to bind.
    Would really appreciate any top tips.
    Happy Easter

    Reply

    1. Well, not a form of gluten– it’s just gluten. But there’s a lot less of it in rye than in wheat.

      Unfortunately, we’ve never tested rye in the GF recipes, because celiacs can’t eat it. Likewise we’ve never used linseed, and haven’t had great results with chia, so we gave up on our chia-tests early on. Basically, sounds like you might be able to swap in rye for one of the flours you can’t tolerate in Mixture #1 or #2. My guess is that it’ll be a dense result, but see what you think. If it is, you can often get away with it in flatbread.

      Reply

  29. Hi,
    For Gluten Free Free-Form Loaf (p. 64), it notes that the recipe can be halved. On page 73, there’s notes about using it as a sourdough starter, stating that up to 2 cups of dough can be used. Can I use 2 cups of dough as a sourdough starter if I’m halving the Free-Form Loaf recipe?

    And thank you so much for writing this book! It has been a true God send!!

    Sherri

    Reply

    1. Hi Sherri,

      If you have going to make a half batch, you’ll want to halve the amount of the older dough as well.

      Thanks and enjoy! Zoë

      Reply

  31. Hello, I just got your Gluten-free book and I am so excited to try out the 100 percent whole grain recipe. My first try with the master recipe went great. My question is: can I soak the whole millet overnight before I add it to the dough? I have been soaking all my grains for better digestibility. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Shawndra,

      Yes, that will work too. It may require you add a couple more tablespoons of the flour mixture, since we were accounting on some of the water being absorbed by the millet.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  32. I’m new to GF baking and my daughter, who I am baking for, is reacting to xanthan gum and psyllium husk digestively. I’m a little concerned and wanted to know if you’ve come across any other possible substitutions for these since your book has been published. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Meredith,

      I am not familiar to other binding agents that work well in our recipes. I have only worked with xanthan and psyllium successfully. Guar gum never worked for me. Maybe some of our readers will have some suggestions for you.

      Thank you, Zoë

      Reply

  33. I have your book containing the gluten free recipes, but my friend is also allergic to eggs. Can I use an egg replacement or ground flax instead?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Which of our books are you using (what recipe and page number)? All of our books except one contain GF recipes.

      Reply

      1. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Do the other books give options without eggs? Thanks!

  34. Hello! I have your GF Artisan bread book and tried one of the flour mixtures and my bread came out really tough, was heavy like a brick and didn’t rise, etc. I tried things a few times and then gave up 🙂 I am not sure what I did wrong, I was pretty sure I followed the instructions as they were written. I really want to try again since Christmas is just around the corner!

    Anyhoo…I have started using cassava flour and am wondering if that could be a replacement for any of the flours in the gf flour mixture blends?

    Reply

    1. Amy:

      We only tested with Bob’s Red Mill GF flours–any swaps and we have no way to advise you–these flours and their mixtures are temperamental–one change and the water requirement completely changes.

      For your “bricks”… did you make any changes at all? Did you leave out the gum or the ground psyllium husk? If you used a different brand of flour–even that change– it’s probably why the result was “bricks.”

      Reply

      1. Hello Jeff, I followed the recipe exactly as it was written with no substitutions. That is why I was a bit bummed when the loaves didn’t turn out. I will try again and do a double check on all ingredients. Thanks again for your help!

        Amy

    1. We found that substitutions for flours that were not Bob’s Red Mill didn’t work well–you’d have to start experimenting. Bob’s doesn’t make a “superfine” variety. More on this on page page 19-20 in the book (https://amzn.to/1msOBmY).

      Reply

  37. How much psyllium powder it takes to substitute xantham gum in your recipe? I haven’t read your gluten free book yet, but want to try gluten free recipe in The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Only there’s no mention about how much psyllium powder used to substitute xantham gum. Thanks.

    Reply

  38. Hi, I’ve been having great success with the GFin5 master recipe and the 50% whole grain. It’s wonderful to have crusty boules again. I am allergic to eggs and hope you might be able to answer a couple questions. 1) Will the 100% Whole Grain Loaf recipe work with a flax egg or soaked chia? 2) Do you think the cinnamon raisin bread recipe in Chapter 9 could work with GF Master Recipe dough instead of enriched? If so, how hot do I bake it? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Well, we never tried that, so I don’t know. My guess is that the egg substitutes don’t add any loft (gas formation) to the loaf the way eggs do (there’s a chemical reaction going on there, which the seeds aren’t likely to provide). That said, this is a dense loaf in the first place, so maybe it hardly matters.

      About cinnamon raisin– you should probably be able to follow the general directions for Crusty White Sandwich Loaf on page 85. Note that non-enriched doughs can be baked hotter–but raisins that poke out may burn a bit, so may want to experiment with the lower temp–but baking time will be longer. Not sure how much.

      Reply

      1. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. I’ll try a water/oil/baking powder egg substitute to get some leavening. Double acting baking powder should still have some rising power after an overnight refrigeration. I doubt it would stay active for multiple days but that’s OK.

        I know what you mean about overbaked raisins! I’ll try the Sandwich Loaf directions and baking at 375F and figure on it taking a while longer. Once the bread is brown I can check the middle with my Thermapen.

  39. Hi,
    There are some recipes in the book that use both Gluten Free Flour Blend #1 and also Gluten Free Flour Blend #2. I used xanthan gum in #1 and psyllium husk in #2. Would I be able to use these two mixes I have on hand for the recipes that use both flours (ie “rye”, “pumpernickel” or limpa)?

    Reply

    1. I can’t see why that would cause a problem, assuming you’re happy with the results from both (when you bake with them separately).we haven’t specifically tried that, so you’ll be on your own with this experiment, to some extent.

      Reply

  40. In your mixture #2 wholegrain. Is there a substitute for oat flour? I am one of the 8 to 10% of Coeliacs who can’t have oats (even gluten-free) as the immune system mistakes the avenin for gluten. But I much prefer to eat wholegrain. I look forward to your reply.

    Reply

  41. Hello! I’ve scrolled through the comments not seeing my question. I’m trying to substitute for (sadly) potato starch in Mixture #1 because of a nightshade sensitivity. In the book (received it today) it says you can’t substitute potato starch. I see online here that it’s possible to add other starches to compensate. Has anyone experimented with this to produce a stabile loaf. I’ve had dreadful luck with non-potato starch gluten free breads.

    Reply

    1. Hi Cray,

      I wish I had a more definitive answer for you, but my tests without the potato starch were not quite what I’d hoped for. I think arrowroot may be the best bet, but I would start with a small batch and make sure you like the results.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

    2. Hi Cray,

      I also had to substitute the potato starch due to my kid’s nightshade sensitivity, and did so with great success! What I did was increase the other flours proportionally. Note that I also use oat flour rather than sorghum because it’s a staple in my house and I always have it on hand.

      For the 2kg of flour mixture from page 60, my amounts look like this:
      1155g white rice flour
      515g oat flour
      255g tapioca starch
      10 g (1 Tbsp) xanthan gum

      I’ve used this mixture to make the master loaf, olive oil loaf and maple oat loaf and all three have turned out fantastic.

      Good luck!

      Reply

      2. Hi CJ,
        Excellent advice! I’m looking forward to testing it out. I have all the ingredients to get started. I’ll need to substitute the white rice for fine brown rice.

        Now that I’ve perfected my gf pancakes I’m ready for bread!

        Thanks for taking the time to share 🙂

  42. Hello, I’ve had great luck with all of your recipes in GF Artisan Bread so far, even substituting a different sorghum flour brand while waiting for the Bob’s Red Mill to arrive. I’ve made the master recipe and the flatbread recipe each a few times, all successes. I found that using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature to 210F did help me avoid a soggy interior—and I learned from the oven thermometer that my oven is sometimes off by up to 75F!

    I am now looking to branch out into enriched doughs. Did you find that the brand also matters significantly for corn starch? Bob’s costs over double the 365 Whole Foods cornstarch per pound, but I will get Bob’s if need be. I imagine Bob’s is probably the way to go, but I thought I would check with you first!

    Reply

    1. Hi Nicole,

      Cornstarch doesn’t seem to vary as wildly as some of the other flours/starches, so I’ve had good luck with many brands.

      So glad you are enjoying all the bread! Zoë

      Reply

      1. Thank you, Zoë! I will try the 365 brand and report back if there are any issues. Thanks again!

      2. Hi, I just wanted to leave a comment for any future readers — the 365 (Whole Foods) cornstarch worked great. The loaf pan brioche turned out perfectly, but it took me a couple of tries to get the cinnamon rolls right. It turns out I needed to use much more rice flour to keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper. But I think that was entirely about learning the right technique rather than the brand of cornstarch. Thank you again! Besides gluten-free store-bought frozen breads and pizzas, I hadn’t eaten proper yeasted bread for 8 years. For me, finding your book a month ago and baking with my toddler has been the silver lining to the pandemic.

      3. Hi Nicole,

        Thank you so much for the note and letting us know you had success with the whole foods cornstarch!

        Enjoy, Zoë

  43. Hello. Thank you so much for this book! I used to bake bread as a hobby and thought I had to quit forever when my husband suddenly developed a wheat allergy. Then I found your book! The first time I made the master loaf, he took a huge bite, heaved a big sigh, and exclaimed “finally, real bread again.” I’m even able to make bread for our toddler, who is sensitive to both gluten and nightshades. Your recipes and method have been a huge gift to our entire family.

    I would love to start experimenting with the loaves in Chapter 9 (enriched), but both husband and toddler are also sensitive to eggs. Is there any way to adapt those recipes to be egg-free? I have an arrowroot-based egg replacer powder that I use for cookies and quick breads but I tried it in the master loaf and saw no change from the egg-free version. Flax and/or chia eggs won’t work because I can’t have those (cooking is fun in our house…). Could I maybe just…omit the eggs? I appreciate any guidance or suggestions!

    Reply

    1. Hi CJ,

      I am so thrilled you are enjoying the bread and baking! The eggs help to give the breads a lighter texture, which is even more important when making the enriched breads. If you omit the eggs those breads will be too dense. I will try to come up with some other alternatives.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  44. Any suggestions for substitution for Teff flour in mixture #2 from the GF book? Trying to avoid oxalates for kidney stones. Would oat flour work (even if the flavor changes)?

    Reply

    1. We weren’t successful with teff swaps, So you’d be in uncharted territory on that experiment. Sorry!

      Reply

    1. Hi Sue,

      I haven’t had good luck with that in breads. They may have some new products I haven’t tried, but they were gummy when I tried the all-purpose and pizza flour. If you try ti, start with a small batch until you get the bread you like.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  47. Can I use maple syrup or honey in gluten free master dough recipe #1 from book instead of sugar. I do better with those sweeteners than sugar.

    Reply

    1. Hi Amy,

      If it is just a tablespoon or two, you can replace the sugar with a liquid sweetener without any changes. If it is more than that, you will want to reduce the amount of water by the same amount, so the dough isn’t overly dense.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  48. Since your GF cookbook was published years before all-purpose 1-1 GF flours came to market; subsequently have you adapted your recipes to incorporate the pre-mixed flours? If not, have you gotten any feedback on how substituting 1-1 commercial GF flours work in your recipes?

    Reply

  49. Is it possible to make GF Brioche without milk or butter? I often use Earthbalance butter or oil, and I rely on several types of non-dairy “milks” depending on what I am making—I wonder about soy milk or oat milk or cashew milk for the Brioche. If not I may just rely on your GF Challah, but wanted to check just in case.

    Reply

    1. You can try that, but the flavor of brioche is defined by the butter… None of our brioche recipes use milk, so that’s not a problem. This may take some experimentation, and my guess is it will make a dough that’s a bit on the loose side, so you may need to bake your brioche in a pan.

      Reply

  50. Hi – is there a substitution you recommend for cornmeal? I have a corn allergy and am hoping to try the flatbread recipe. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Any rough-cut GF product would work as a coating on the pizza peel… which flatbread recipe are you talking about?

      Reply

      1. I was looking at the base pizza & flatbread dough, it calls for 9 oz of cornmeal. Thank you!

      2. Got it, the pizza book’s GF recipe. This is complicated–you can’t just swap out an ingredient in a GF dough recipe when there’s this much in the first place–it takes a lot of experimentation. You could try starting with our basic GF dough see https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2015/03/03/gluten-free-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-the-video/ …
        That might be OK for pizza, but you can experiment drying it out a bit with other coarse GF flours/grains. We didn’t test this, so you’d be in uncharted territory. More on GF doughs in our GF book, see https://artisanbreadinfive.com/gf

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