This recipe for homemade gluten-free plain flour is a vital ingredient for most of my gluten-free baking recipes. I test every single recipe using this exact blend. On most occasions, the results turn out better than some store-bought gluten-free plain flour.

It takes literally less than five minutes to measure, whisk and store this homemade gluten-free plain flour. If you bake often, you can relate to how pricey store-bought gluten-free flours are. This is why I created my own blend using basic ingredients found in most supermarkets.

About each ingredient:

White Rice Flour

This flour is ground finely from white rice and has a neutral, mild flavour. It is a common substitute for wheat flour as the nutrients in both flours are very similar. Rice flour is rich in calcium and choline, which helps maintain a healthy liver.  It is also rich in carbohydrates and low in fat. As the flour is ground from white rice, this does categorise this ingredient as refined.

A higher-fibre content and more nutritious alternative is brown rice flour, ground from brown rice. This is not added to my regular homemade blend as the texture and colour interfere with the final results, especially in cakes and biscuits. However, I have included it in my homemade no-corn gluten-free flour blend to support the lack of cornflour in the blend. Use this blend when the recipe suits this switch or you are allergic or sensitive to corn. Both flours can be found at most health stores, Asian supermarkets and occasionally regular supermarkets.

Tapioca Flour

Tapioca flour is ground from the root of the cassava plant and is very helpful in binding flours together. Used on its own, it works well in savoury bakes, puddings and as a thickener in soups, sauces and casseroles. This flour is sometimes labelled as starch (they are the same thing) are found at most Asian and International supermarkets as it is used in many Asian dishes especially puddings. If you can’t find tapioca flour, it can be made by grinding tapioca pearls.

Cornflour

Cornflour is ground from the endosperm of the corn kernel. This is a well-known and widely available flour used in gluten-free flour blends, making crispier fried coatings and as a thickener/slurry for soups, sauces and casseroles. This is due to its neutral taste and binding ability. It is known as cornflour in the UK and corn starch in the US and is not to be confused with cornmeal, which is dried, ground corn.

For those with allergies or sensitivity to corn, I have a homemade no-corn gluten-free plain flour recipe blend to substitute my regular gluten-free plain flour blend.

Potato Starch

Potato starch is ground from the dried starch component of peeled potatoes. This starch is not to be confused with potato flour, which is made from ground dried whole potatoes.

Although potato starch is tasteless, it is used extensively in gluten-free flour blends for sweet or savoury baking, especially to make steamed dumplings. It usually needs to be combined with other flours to work effectively.

These are some of the many recipes using the homemade gluten-free plain flour:

Gluten-Free Bagels

Gluten-Free Dutch Apple Pie

Gluten-Free Asparagus Tart

Gluten-Free Corn & Cheese Waffles