As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some recipes may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
How can gluten-free bread flour be made at home?
For gluten-free bread flour to work well, it needs to have whey protein isolate (acts as a replacement for gluten), a modified tapioca starch (a thickening starch that helps create elasticity and texture to the dough), and xanthan gum powder (to bind everything together).
If you intend to bake your homemade bread, pizza crusts, focaccia etc, it is worth your time to source the ingredients needed to have a regular supply of gluten-free bread flour handy.
What is whey protein isolate?
Whey Protein Isolate is an unflavoured protein powder with a high percentage of casein (a milk protein). This casein is what successfully replaces gluten in baking. As they say, “Gluten is the glue for dough”, so I have great respect for casein as its replacement!
I buy whey protein isolate at my local drugstore/chemist, otherwise, most sports stores will sell them. They come in many flavours, but for the purpose of making bread flour, make sure you only buy the natural/neutral flavour and not strawberry or vanilla.
Is there lactose-free protein isolate?
Is there lactose-free protein isolate?For those who are lactose-intolerant, look for soy protein isolate. This may not be readily available at regular shops, but I found plenty of brands online at Amazon.
What is modified tapioca starch?
What is modified tapioca starch?This is often confused with regular tapioca flour. Modified tapioca starch is a chemically modified product, which is why it cannot be replaced with regular tapioca flour. It is a thickening starch that helps create elasticity and texture to the dough. The addition of this ingredient makes it much easier to handle and for shaping the dough.
Unfortunately, sourcing this ingredient is tricky. Not many stores sell this “off the shelf”, but the two main brands that I know of, are sold on Amazon as Expandex (for the US market) and Ultratex (Europe and other countries). I use Ultratex in my bread flour blend.
What is Xanthan Gum?
Xanthan gum comes as a powder and is an excellent binder and stabiliser in general baking. It is made by fermenting corn sugar with Xanthomonas campestris. This type of bacteria is paired with corn sugar and once fermented; it creates a gooey-like substance that gives it a unique binding quality.
In very rare cases, it can sometimes cause digestive issues, especially for those who are allergic to corn. Arrowroot powder or psyllium husk are good substitutes as a gluten-free binder in baking.
Here are some of the many recipes using homemade gluten-free bread flour:
Gluten-Free Pizza
Gluten-Free Walnut Baguette
Gluten-Free Soda Bread
Gluten-Free Naan Bread
Homemade Gluten-Free Bread Flour
Ingredients
- 450 g store-bought or homemade gluten-free plain flour
- 120 g whey protein isolate, natural/neutral flavour
- 20 g Ultratex- modified tapioca starch
- 8 g xanthan gum (leave this out if your store-bought plain flour already has xanthan gum in it)
Instructions
- Measure all the ingredients and place them in a large bowl.
- Whisk together thoroughly and transfer to an air-tight container. Store in a cool or chilled area if preparing during hot weather.
Excellent and thorough description of all of the ingredients necessary to make gluten-free bread flour.
Thank you, Laurie! This flour blend makes an excellent Foccacia bread. Have fun baking!
Love all your recipes.
Could you tell me where in Vienna can I buy the ingredients for the bread.
Thanks
Thanks, Mady! Here is where I buy each ingredient: Rice flour at Denn’s or Asian stores at Naschmarkt. Tapioca flour at Asian stores. Potato flour and cornflour (Maizena Maisstärke) at Billa. Whey Protein at DM or Bipa (and some supermarkets). Ultratex and Xanthan Gum were ordered from Amazon.de. I have never seen them on sale in any Vienna shops, but you could also try Metro or Multikauf wholesale shops since they sell catering supplies to restaurants. Once you have all these ingredients…you’ll be amazed how well your gluten-free bread recipes work. I have more bread recipes coming soon on the blog. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hello Sandra. My 9 years old daughter has got coeliac disease. I know that whey powder (or other protein powders) is not recommended to kids but is it OK if given in bread like this?
Thank you
Hi Sara! That is a great question! Before I answer your question, I just want to clarify that my recipe asks for whey protein isolate, not powder concentrate. Isolate has had most of the fat and lactose removed, leaving a higher concentration of protein behind (90%) compared to powder concentrate. It is more digestible for those sensitive to dairy as it has a minuscule amount of lactose. In general, flavoured whey protein powders are not recommended to children as a drink especially if it contains additives and flavours to make it tastier to drink. As well as the addition of caffeine and in some cases, muscle-building ingredients and even gluten (make sure it says gluten-free on the packaging). Using unflavored whey protein isolate in baking is not bad for children, in fact, it is beneficial if they lack protein. The only problem lies if they have too much protein in their diet. 9 to 13-year-old children need between 20-35g (3-5oz) protein a day. 120g of whey protein isolate is used in my bread flour which has 2.6g protein per 10g, a total of 31g in 600g of my bread flour mix. To make my small sandwich bread loaf, you only need 320g bread flour, so even if your daughter ate the whole loaf, she would be consuming only 15g of protein from the whey protein isolate. Please let me know if you have any more questions.