Recipe Connection: Gluten-Free Cornbread (with no fancy flours) (2024)

FAQs

Why is it challenging to bake with gluten free flours? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

All gluten-free blends are different. Some are starch heavy, some have bean flours in them; some have a binder (like xanthan gum), some don't. This means that you might find a blend that's perfect for cookies, but makes your bread a tiny, solid lump.

Use xanthan gum or guar gum: Gluten-free flours lack the elasticity and structure that gluten provides, so adding a binder like xanthan or guar gum can help to hold the ingredients together and give your baked goods a better texture.

While corn is gluten free, most cornbread recipes also include regular, all-purpose flour which makes them not gluten free. That said, my recipe swaps all-purpose flour with a measure-for-measure / 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. I promise that nobody will ever know the difference.

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

Baker's/Fresh Yeast:

Fresh yeast requires two rises, so it is not ideal for gluten free breads, which require only one rise.

“Historically, gluten-free flour alternatives come from rice, pea, corn, tapioca, and potato. Even when finely milled, these flours are very gritty and/or rubbery in texture, making products taste substandard.”

A: Yes, cream of tartar can be used in gluten-free bread recipes to improve dough stability and rise.

You can use all-purpose flour as a 1:1 substitute for bread flour and vice-versa. For example, for 1 cup of bread flour, you can use 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Bread and pizza crust made with all-purpose flour may have a little less chew than those made with bread flour, but the results will still be good.

Texture and Rise: Gluten-free baking often requires a bit of finesse to achieve the desired rise and texture. Baking soda's reaction with an acid can help achieve that necessary lift, while baking powder provides an extra boost when the batter or dough is exposed to heat.

What to avoid for gluten-free baking? ›

Sesame (for US products made beginning January 2023)

Yellow Dye #5 (Tartrazine) Sulfites over 10 ppm. Gluten containing grains - including barley, rye, oats, spelt, triticale, and kamut.

Jiffy mixes are not gluten free, and the main ingredient of their corn muffin mix is wheat flour. Bob's Red Mill apparently makes a gluten-free cornbread mix similar to Jiffy's, and I suspect others do. Jiffy's corn bread mix is not vegetarian, so I have not tried it.

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Cornbread Mix has the same classically moist & grainy texture, and sweet, buttery, corn flavor as our traditional cornbread mix—but without gluten (brown rice flour substitutes for wheat flour in this version).

One of the main challenges in making gluten-free bread is achieving the same texture and rise as traditional wheat bread. Gluten provides the structure and elasticity that allows bread dough to rise and hold its shape, so gluten-free doughs can be sticky and difficult to work with.

Nutrient deficiencies

As a result of processing, gluten free foods are more likely to be low in essential nutrients such as calcium, fibre, iron and vitamin B12.

If you've suffered gluten-free baking fails – crumbly cookies, cardboardy cakes, or dry desserts – you're not alone. Gluten-free baking has quite a learning curve, and there are many subpar recipes out there. I've been there.

When to Swap All-in-One Gluten-Free Flours for Regular Flour. These gluten-free flour blends substitute well in batters that use baking powder and/or baking soda to leaven—such as cookies, muffins, and cakes—along with batters that are wetter in texture, like pancakes and quick breads.