HYC All-Purpose GF Flour Blend, gum free

For cookies, cakes, tart and pie crusts, quick breads, muffins, and pâte a choux— anything that you'd normally use cake or AP flour for—this is a trusty sub.

The enthusiastic image above reflects how thrilled I was to finally come up with a reliable ratio for a DIY gluten-free flour blend that works beautifully in everything cookie/cake/pate a choux/muffin-related, and one that has easy-to-find ingredients. All of the recipes on HYC have been tested with it, although many of the recipes have been tested with some commercial flours as well, like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure and they work well too.

I’ve found store-bought blends to be all over the map in quality and texture; some have gums, others use bean flours which have an awful flavor, and most contain grains that are not milled finely enough and result in a crunchy texture. Ok for a cracker, not ok for cake.

Some of the flours that I make my blend with come from specific companies that mill to a finer degree than either of the two brands mentioned above, and it’s really worth it to seek them out (available on Amazon; links below)

Gums do have their place. There are times when adding a little xanthan or guar gum is necessary in GF baking to get the best crumb for something like focaccia, where you want to develop big, billowy air bubbles when the dough proofs, and an open crumb structure that holds when baked. It’s simply not possible to get that effect without using something to mimic the way gluten traps CO2 during fermentation, so we have to add it.

The good news is that most GF baking wants a softer flour (in wheat terms, “softer” meaning less gluten). Shortbread and other cookies, cakes, muffins, tea cakes—all want a more starchy flour to create their delicate crumb.

If you are thinking “it’s too time-consuming to make my own blend,” I used to think that too. I even wrote Tartine All Day recipes with ingredient lists of three to five different flours—if you do any amount of baking, that’s time consuming! Think of it like making soup to last for the week—faster to make it once and store it as opposed to making it fresh each time you want a bowl. As an added benefit of making your own blend, it’s less expensive than a pre-made mix.

The sources I’ve found for superfine flours are below. Authentic Foods is slightly finer than Anthony’s, but only by a slim margin. The starches are all finely milled and are easily found—Bob’s Red Mill makes them all and you can find the brand almost anywhere now.

I’m still looking for organic brands of rice flours, and there’s certainly many more than the two I’ve listed. I’ll update the list as I try out new brands.

Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour

Anthony’s brown rice flour, finely ground

Authentic Foods superfine white rice flour

Anthony’s white rice flour

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RECIPE

Yields 1000 grams / 2.2 pounds / 7 cups

• 375g / 2 1/2 C + 1 tsp superfine white rice flour

• 150g / 1 C + 5 Tbs tapioca starch

• 150g / 1 C + 2 Tbs corn starch (cornflour in UK) (substitute with arrowroot or white rice flour)

• 150g / 3/4 C + 1 Tbs potato starch (not potato flour)

• 100g / 3/4 C superfine brown rice flour (or sorghum)

• 75g / 1/2 C + 1 tsp dry milk powder, non-fat or whole (use dry soy milk powder for vegan, or omit)

Mix all flours well and store in an airtight container. Mix will keep in a cool, dry place for up to three months, and three months longer if refrigerated.