These days, there are plenty of flours that claim to be "all-purpose gluten-free." But, as miraculous as these blends are, they should really be called something like varied-and-useful-but-not-quite-all-purpose gluten-free flours. Don't get us wrong—these flours are great! The truth is, not all baked goods can handle a straightforward cup-for-cup sub. 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. But when structure and texture are at stake? That’s going to need a whole new recipe, developed especially to combat the lower levels of gluten with different kinds of flours, like coconut or almond, or added extras, like xantham gum. Here's a cheat sheet for when you can sub in all-purpose, and when you should find a recipe that's intentionally gluten-free.
Swap in G-Free, Worry-Free
Banana bread: your G-free friend. Photo: Alex Lau
Muffins and Quick Breads
Muffins and quick breads like banana, pumpkin, or zucchini have wet enough batters to handle a less glutenous flour. In these instances, it's not so much about the flour as about the extras—buttermilk or yogurt, mashed banana or pumpkin purée—so a g-free flour will fit right in.
Pancakes Essentially a quick bread that you fry, pancakes are safe for one-for-one swapping. Plus, you can douse them in maple syrup if anything goes wrong.
Brownies The best brownies are fudgy anyway, and don't require a ton of flour. Sub g-free flour in our Cocoa Brownies, and no one will know the difference.
Seek Out a New Recipe
Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, you got 'em! Photo: Alex Lau
