Vegan baking can sometime feel a little daunting if you haven’t done it before but then throw gluten-free into the mix and it can get a little scary. Here are the top 5 issues that happen with vegan gluten-free baking and how you can fix them.
1. YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING
a.You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you’re converting a recipe to gluten free. b. Your cake may not have enough structure due to using only one type of gluten-free flour. I recommend using a combination of gluten-free flours and starches to create a strong structure for your cake. I would also suggest to review what your egg replacer you’re using. For gluten-free baking I usually use xanthan gum or a flax seed egg as my egg replacer if I’m wanting to help create structure and bind the ingredients together. b.Over beating your mixture. Even though it’s gluten-free and doesn’t have a gluten structure that we need to be delicate with, over beating your cake can still cause issues. So be very gently with your batter and beat only until just combined. c.Your bake is too large. I always recommend making cakes no larger than 6 to 7 inchesor thinner larger layers. I find that the smaller the cake, the better the bake.
d. Your oven is too hot and it’s causing the cake to rise too quickly before it’s had time to create the cake structure underneath to hold it up. I bake in a convection oven and I usually bake at 160C/320F in a convection oven. I find this temperature doesn’t bake my cakes too quickly and stops that hard brown crust from forming.
2. YOUR BAKE IS DENSE AND LIKE A BRICK
a. This can also be caused by only using one type of gluten-free flour. Using a combination of gluten-free flours will assist with giving your cake a better structure as each flour can action different results. As an example I will use almond meal to create a fluffy cake crumb, I will use rice flour to help create structure and a starch will hold onto moisture and assist to bind the ingredients together. b.Your cake has too much moisture or too much fat. c.Using the wrong egg replacer. An example of this is if you’re using apple sauce as your egg replacer. It will add moisture but won’t add structure by assisting the binding process causing it to be more prone to a dense result.
a. Creating a great tasting gluten-free vegan cake can be tricky. It’s all about the gluten-free flour. All flours taste different. An example of this is buckwheat flour is quite nutty so I will use this flour in a chocolate cake as it pairs well with this flavour. If I’m making my famous vegan vanilla gluten free cake I want to use a combination of flours that is more neutral tasting like white rice flour mixed with potato starch for structure and an almond meal to help create that fluffy texture.
b. Because we tend to use a lot of nuts and seeds in gluten-free baking I recommend using extra high quality vanilla bean paste when baking. It will help balance out those nutty, sometimes bitter flavours.
4. TOO DRY
a. If you’re finding your gluten-free cake is coming out dry, try using oil instead of vegan butter as your main fat source, this can add extra moisture. Adding a thick vegan coconut yogurt or whipped aquafaba is also another option.
b. This can be caused by over baking or your oven is too hot. Don’t be afraid to under-bake your cake slightly. You want to retain extra moisture in your cake as gluten-free cakes can be a little dry. I usually bake it for 5 minutes less and test it with a skewer. If the skewer still has a few crumbs and a tiny bit of moisture on it, it’s ready to come out of the oven. If you’re converting a recipe to gluten free, experiment with adjusting the temperature of your oven 10C/50F lower. Also, it’s good to remember some gluten-free flours absorb more moisture than others. An example of this is coconut flour, it absorbs more moisture in baking than rice flour.
5. TOO CRUMBLY
If your baking is falling apart once baked this can be because you have used the wrong egg replacer, or not enough of an egg replacer. You want to make sure your egg replacer is acting well as a binding agent and binding all the ingredients together to give a firm result. I would recommend a flax seed egg or xanthan gum for this issue.
If you want to learn more about gluten-free baking check out my Recorded Gluten Free Baking 101 Workshop
Here is a list of my Gluten Free Recipes to get you started:
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.
There are many ways to increase moisture in a recipe. In general, recipes that call for pureed fruit, sour cream or yogurt are ones you can rely on for a moist product. In case your recipe does not call for these things, using brown sugar instead of white sugar to add moisture.
However, these alternative flours do not have the same properties as wheat flour, which can make baking gluten-free bread a challenge. One of the main challenges in making gluten-free bread is achieving the same texture and rise as traditional wheat bread.
Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture. The best way to do this? Longer baking times.
Gluten-free goods tend to brown faster and take longer to cook through. So they need to be baked at a slightly lower temperature, for a slightly longer time. Every recipe is different, but in general, try lowering the temperature by 25 degrees and baking the item for 15 minutes longer.
If your “all-purpose” gluten free flour blend does not have a gum in it already, you should add it, and in general you should add 1/4 tsp per 1 cup of gluten free flour.
When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent (the stuff that makes baked goods puff up in the oven) by producing carbon dioxide gas. If you ever run out of baking powder, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder.
The lack of wheat flour and gluten in the products significantly reduces the moisture retention capacity of the product, thereby resulting in gluten-free products typically having a very low shelf life.
Best Overall: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
This mix, which has all recognizable ingredients (including sweet white rice flour, which is the main ingredient in mochi, a nice light, powdery, starchy flour that doubles as a binder), worked well in all three of our tests.
What type of yeast should be used to bake Gluten Free Bread? Active dry yeast and instant yeast both work well and are often interchangeable. Be on the lookout for any Rapid Rise yeast that is best for one rise. For most of us that's the way gluten free bread is baked, a single rise in the tin.
Aaron Reed, senior food technologist, Cargill, echoed that bread is the hardest product to replicate when developing a gluten-free product. To help maintain loaf form, he suggested using setting ingredients, such as egg whites or other proteins, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or methylcellulose.
Keep in mind that some processed gluten-free foods contain high amounts of unhealthy ingredients such as sodium, sugar and fat. Consuming these foods can lead to weight gain, blood sugar swings, high blood pressure and other problems.
If the flour you are using doesn't already contain xanthan gum, combining quarter of a teaspoon to every 200g/7oz of gluten-free flour will help to improve the crumb structure of your bake. You can also use guar gum or a combination of the two.
Made from finely milled white rice, rice flour is a great substitute for wheat flour. It works very well as a thickening agent because it prevents liquid separation – it is particularly good for soups, gravies and sauces but can also work for cakes, cookies and crackers.
Substitute by weight, not volume. Moreover, because they are finer, they weigh less than all-purpose flour, so it is a good idea to substitute your blend for the all-purpose by weight, rather than by volume. If the original recipe calls for 260 grams of all-purpose flour, substitute with 260 grams of your blend.
Each gluten-free flour blend reacts slightly differently with ingredients, and some desserts are too delicately calibrated to handle a blind substitution. So when can you swap? As a general rule, any wet, sugary batter with less flour can take a gluten-free blend and leave no one the wiser.
If a recipe calls for self rising flour, you can easily make your own gluten free version. Simply whisk together my gfJules Gluten Free Flour plus a leavening agent (baking powder) and a touch of salt.
Introduction: My name is Allyn Kozey, I am a outstanding, colorful, adventurous, encouraging, zealous, tender, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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