Successful Swapping – A Flour Farm Tutorial
We love to interact with our customers! They really help us dial in and get to know our product. Many of our customers are gluten free savvy, and have been experimenting with gluten free flours for several years. However, most customers who reach out to us are new to the gluten free scene and need a Flour Farm tutorial. They have several questions about the best way to replace all-purpose wheat flour (AP) with Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend. So, we thought we would make it easy and provide a cheat sheet!
BTW: It is important to note here at the beginning that our Flour Farm tutorial is for an all-purpose, wheat flour swap out. If you need advice on how to replace a gluten free flour with Flour Farm, please contact us as other gluten free flours contain ingredients that we do not have. It is best not to try to substitute Flour Farm flour for another GF flour in a recipe that is not specific to Flour Farm. We cannot guarantee the results if you do.
The Gluten-free Challenge
The good news is that gluten free swap outs do not need a past life regression with Einstein to create a success story. The challenge – gluten free, chemically speaking, is not the same as gluten. Hence the word, “free.” Gluten proteins are unique. They provide their own stretch, structure, and texture characteristics. They act in a way that no flour without gluten can behave. Trying to mimic that behavior can stump the best of us. However, we can get close in a clean, organic, and nutritious way. The Flour Farm tutorial is here to make the transition easier.
Enter Flour Farm! Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend contains only five ingredients: sweet white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour and almond flour. That’s it!
Click on each photo to be directed to a recipe page.
Steps to Success: A Flour Farm Tutorial
Step one, you must have a delicious, gluten-based recipe. You can not successfully swap out flours if the original recipe stinks. Period. Our Flour Farm tutorial will not be of any use. The next step, view our complete measurement guide, which you can access by clicking on the link. We use this guide every time we adapt a recipe to make our lives easier, and to avoid mistakes. Third, invest in a kitchen scale. Accurate measuring makes gluten free baking easier, and creates less waste. Finally, know your gluten free flour blend. Does it contain gums, starches, leavening and/or sugar? The percentages of these ingredients can vary by blend and change your recipe drastically. Flour Farm does not contain any gums, extra starches, sugar, dairy, or leavening so that you can control the amount you need for each individual recipe. BONUS!
Measuring
How to measure: We recommend measuring by WEIGHT using a digital kitchen scale. One cup of Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour weighs only 108g per cup. In order to swap 1:1 by weight, you will need to add an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons of Flour Farm to equal the weight of one cup of all purpose wheat flour (120g.) Now, not all recipes use 120g per cup of all purpose flour. King Arthur, Gold Medal and White Lily AP flours weigh 120g per cup. Pillsbury AP weighs 124g per cup, so to adapt a Pillsbury recipe you will need to increase the amount of Flour Farm to 124g per cup.
To measure by volume: we use the spoon and level method. Spoon Flour Farm into the measure cup until the amount of flour is overflowing. Then, level with a straight edge utensil. If you dip the measure cup into the flour and then level, you can have up to 1/4 cup more flour than needed. We have had customers who experienced success once they measured Flour Farm correctly.
Best Advice: Swap 1:1 by Weight
1 Cup AP Flour (120g) = 1 C + 1.5 T Flour Farm (120g)
This Chart Assumes AP Wheat Flour Weighs 120g/4.2 oz Per Cup
Successful Swapping
In order to obtain the rise, flavor, texture, etc of gluten containing products, we play with leavening, fats and sometimes gums to make delicious gluten free food. How we do this varies on the type of product that we want to make. Not every baked good needs gum added, such as xanthan gum. There are some recipes that you can swap out 1:1 by volume (such as 2 T of AP for 2 T of Flour Farm) with Flour Farm, and others – don’t even think about it. Use the product descriptions below to assist you.
How to Make the Best Gluten Free Has to Offer
Thickening: Gravy, Sauces & Soups
Typically, you can switch out all-purpose flour and use Flour Farm for these types of products 1:1 by volume, (1 T AP = 1 T Flour Farm,) or by weight. We generally prefer Flour Farm as a thickener to arrowroot, cornstarch, or tapioca flour. The flavor profile that Flour Farm provides compared to these starches tastes superior in our opinion.
Yeast Bread & Sourdough Bread
Making gluten free bread is both an art and a science. The presence of coconut and almond flours in Flour Farm offer a unique, but tasty, baking perspective. Therefore, a 1:1 swap, either by weight or volume, works with neither yeast, nor sourdough breads (refer to our recipes for additional support). Yeast and sourdough breads require gums and/or additional fiber for rise, texture, elasticity, and structural support. We have discovered that a combination of xanthan gum and guar gum are best, as they work synergistically to provide an excellent bread product. Tara gum is another excellent option, and can be purchased as certified organic. The percentage of gums in our bread recipes varies from 1% to 2.5% depending on the type of bread. For example, sandwich bread recipes require a higher percentage of gums than baguettes. Also, we may use acacia powder (a natural pre-biotic and soluble fiber) and citrus pectin to enhance texture and chew.
Several of our bread recipes use Flour Farm as part of our Bonus Flour Blend to provide a more delicate crumb. For best results, please follow our posted yeast bread recipes as they are designed specifically to work with Flour Farm. Our Bonus Flour Blend can be found by clicking on the link – it is not sold separately at this time.
Quick Breads
Quick bread recipes, such as muffins, biscuits and banana bread, do not require gums or psyllium husk. They rise beautifully without them. Exceptions to this rule: scones and vegan quick breads. You may bake scones without a gum, but you will get a bit more rise and tenderness with a very small amount added. We generally substitute 1:1 by weight (120g Flour Farm per cup of AP) with quick bread recipes, but sometimes the leavening needs adjustment. For example, we may increase the amount of baking powder, or add a small amount of baking soda to a recipe. We may also use an acid such as apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sour cream or buttermilk.
Drop Cookies & Biscotti
You can substitute 1:1 by weight (120g Flour Farm per 1 C AP) for drop cookies such as chocolate chip, oatmeal, ginger and nut butter. For biscotti, we also used a 1:1 swap by weight exchange. None of our drop cookie recipes contain gums or psyllium husk. We have not found the need to add them.
Cut-out/Roll-out Cookies
Cut-out cookies, such as sugar cookies, may use a 1:1 by weight (120g Flour Farm per 1 Cup AP) substitution. However, the recipe will require a gum in order to roll them out (we do not recommend psyllium). For our recipe, we add 2% xanthan gum times the weight of Flour Farm. Without a gum, the dough just shreds when we try to roll it out, and doesn’t hold together.
Pie Crust, Tortillas and Roll Out Products
We have successfully swapped out all-purpose flour for Flour Farm with these products, 1:1 by weight (120g Flour Farm per 1 Cup AP). However, remember that if any product you attempt to make requires rolling or pressing to maintain form, you will need a gum or psyllium to keep it all together. The percentage differs by recipe; this is not a one gram fits all scenario. Please refer to posted recipes as a guide.
Pancakes, Waffles & Crepes
We have successfully substituted Flour Farm 1:1 by weight (120g Flour Farm per 1 C AP) with many pancake, waffle and crepe recipes. An acid, such as lemon juice, and an increase in leavening aid in creating fluffy products. Note: vegan pancakes and waffles require a completely different approach. The coconut flour in Flour Farm traps moisture, which makes using a flax egg or other vegan binder difficult. Use of a gum is your best bet to get the rise and fluff you need without eggs. Please refer to our vegan recipes for success.
Cakes, Cupcakes, Brownies & Doughnuts
Cakey baked goods use 1:1 by weight (120g Flour Farm per 1 C AP) substitution; however, you may need to add a gum and/or fiber to prevent caved in cakes. Our cake recipes with vegetables added, such as with carrot cake, do not need gums. Please refer to the recipes posted as each requires a different percentage of gum, if needed. We always aim to use the minimum amount of gums or psyllium. You will find these types of recipes listed under the link Dessert and Sweets. To make cake flour: measure out 120g (1 C + 1.5 T or 4.2 oz) of Flour Farm and remove 2 T (16g). Replace with either 2 T of Tapioca Flour or 2 T Corn Starch (2 T of either weighs about 15g, so you are not off the weight mark) per cup of cake flour required.
Pasta & Pizza
We have not been able to swap out AP flour for Flour Farm 1:1 by neither weight nor volume for a pizza or pasta recipe – yet! For best results, we suggest that you view the recipes provided as they are designed to taste delicious with Flour Farm. Our pasta is firm, not slimy. Our pizza crust tastes crispy and chewy – just the way pizza should. Click on this link to view our main recipe page. There, you will find links to our GF Pizza and Pasta recipes.
Vegan Recipes
Using Flour Farm in gluten free vegan recipes is admittedly tricky. If a baked good lacks eggs or gluten to give it structure, building a strong scaffold for it often takes the use of gums or psyllium. We do not recommend the use of flax eggs. The reason for this is that flax eggs plus coconut flour create a moisture vacuum. Your finished product will taste gummy and not set properly. Trust us on this. Instead, we use vegan egg-replacer, tofu, pumpkin puree, or leavening and acids to create the structure we need. Please refer to individual vegan recipes to use as a guide.
Summary
To sum it all up, many foods that we frequently make such as cookies, muffins, soups and gravies may use a 1:1 by weight replacement with Flour Farm, assuming that the four in the original ll Purpose recipe weighs 120g per cup. The more complex a gluten containing food product is to make, the more attention to detail is required. You may need to increase the amount of leavening and liquid, or add gums and acids to get the desired end result. An interesting piece of Flour Farm trivia: only 30% of our recipes require a gum for structure. WOW! That stat rocks socks.
If we missed a food type that has you stymied on how to swap, the BEST way to handle that situation is to contact us. We strive to answer every email personally within 12-24 hours. We’re here to help! It takes a village to be successful, and we want you to be happy with your creations.
Share the Love,
Teri & Dave, Founders Flour Farm LLC and Flour.Farm
Click this link to access our main recipe page.
All photos were taken in our kitchen by DuPree Productions. We only use Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend in our baked goods.
To purchase Flour Farm on Amazon, click here, (affiliate link to Amazon.) To purchase at Azure Standard, click here.
Hi
I have used your Flour for all of my GlutenFree baking and love it. I have successfully with your directions converted many of my regular recipes to Gluten free using your Flour. I am wondering this time my recipe calls for Cake flour instead or AP flour. If I want to substitue your flour do I need to do anything differnt than what you suggest for AP Flour replacements.
If it helps I was going to use Sally’s baking addiction Strawberry cake recipe then my daughter asked me to make it Gluten free and I have your flour so I thought maybe I can?? Thank you so much for your help!!
Denise! Thank you so much for your kind words. I will add cake flour instructions to this page (remove 2 tablespoons of my flour and replace with 2 T of tapioca flour or corn starch per 120g.) In the meantime, I have a strawberry cake recipe adapted with my flour already. It IS AMAZING! I used Sally’s recipe as a guide, (loved her advice on how to make puree,) but ultimately used my own vanilla cake recipe as the foundation because we preferred it. Here is the link: https://flour.farm/gluten-free-strawberry-cake-very-berry-delight/. My recipe is for a single layer, so double it for two layers or a 9×13″ pan. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at teri@flour.farm. Best- Teri
Thank you so much for answering!! I will be trying it for sure! :o)