Gluten Free Flour Blend

Most flour contains gluten - wheat, barley, rye all contain gluten and are unsuitable flours for celiacs and gluten intolerant or allergic people. Many people with GI and other health issues, such as myself, even go one step further and remove all grains and grain-like seeds, so even the usual gluten free baking flours and flour blends are not useable. You will also see that many paleo cookbooks call for almond or coconut flour. Unfortunately I find that these alone often give you less than ideal texture in paleo treats. (Or even a slight coconut flavor in the case of coconut flour). So I decided to make a paleo flour blend, similar to other gluten-free flour blends. It's not a perfect cup for cup replacement for all-purpose flour in recipes and the texture is still different than gluten containing flours but comparable to most gluten-free blends. If you are going grain free but want to indulge in the rare baked treat, here is my recipe for a gluten free paleo flour blend.

Ingredients

2 parts finely ground coconut flour

2 parts finely ground blanched almond flour 

1 part finely ground tapioca flour

The recipes is listed as ratios, so you can make as much or as little of this flour blend as you'd like. You may substitute almond meal for blanched almond flour, but the texture will be a bit grainier and your baked goods will turn out a bit darker because almond meal includes the brown skins of the almonds, where blanched almond flour does not. I recommend sifting the ingredients together a little bit at a time for the best blend. If you refrigerate a large batch (one that you won't be using up within a couple days) it will last longer. In any case it should be stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place until needed. (Almonds contain PUFA oils including omega-3 and 6 which can go rancid in warm temperatures or when exposed to too much light).

You may use this cup for cup in most traditional recipes. Just keep in mind that you may need to add a little more liquid to your regular recipes because of the coconut flour. And again, the texture will still be a bit different than with regular all-purpose gluten flour. Still you'll be able to enjoy more of your favorite baked goods as rare treats while staying grain free. Bon appetit!