Ditch those expensive store bought flours. And make this best gluten free all purpose flour to use in all your recipes. 

There are many good store bought flour blends out there, but you will pay more for them. If you are buying bulk flours, you can always save money making your own, which was what got me started. 

It is not a secret. For years I would buy Cup 4 Cup in a 25lb bag every couple months to use in all my recipes. Back then it cost me about $95 every time I purchased it. 

My frugal heart couldn’t stand it any longer, so I went out on a hunt to make the best gluten free all purpose flour that worked just the same in all my recipes. I wasn’t interested in creating a flour that wasn’t up to par but knew some pantry staples in my home was gluten free flour, so I needed to make a good one. 

Not only did it have to work in all my recipes and baked goods, but I needed to be able to make it cheaper than I could buy it. I wanted this gluten-free flour blend to be cost effective and taste good! At the heart of gluten-free baking, is a good gluten free flour.

Gluten free all purpose flour blends are just that… a blend. This means they are made up of different grain flours, starches, and a binding agent. I wanted this flour to use the flours I was already buying in bulk on Azure Standard for my breads. That would be the best way to keep the cost down. You may be able to find these flours in your local grocery stores, but likely can’t buy them in bulk so the cost will be higher. 

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You will need to invest in a kitchen scale to make this flour. I have not done it using measuring cups, only measuring in grams on a scale.

You will also want a container with a lid to store your flour in. I have these 8 quart food grade buckets with lids to store my flour in. I can triple the below recipe to fill an entire 8 quart bucket. If you wish for one smaller, these 4 quart buckets would work great too!

How did I choose which flours to use?

Gluten free all purpose flour blends are not all the same. 

They are a blend of flours that make up an all purpose flour. This means that the different flours that are in the blend will give off different tastes and texture. 

When I am looking for flours to add to my blend, I want them to be mild in taste and have a smooth texture, not have a grainy or gummy texture. This makes it so versatile to use in all recipes. I don’t want the taste of my flour to overpower whatever it is that I am making. 

Your all purpose blend needs to have a good combination of grain flours and starches. So let’s talk about which ones are good to use. 

Grain flours:

There are a number of gluten free grain flours to choose from such as buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, oat flour, millet flour, teff flour, brown rice flour, and white rice flour. 

Each of these grain flours will give off a different texture and taste. Millet flour, buckwheat flour, teff flour, and sorghum flour have a very rich and strong flavor. It is not a bad flavor but it does seem to overpower in an all purpose flour. I don’t use them for this reason.

While oat flour has a mild taste and a nutty flavor, I choose to use brown rice and white rice flour in my all purpose flour blend because of their mild subtle flavor. The main ingredient of my flour blend is white rice flour because it is finer in texture and gives your products a lighter white color. 

You could also use sweet white rice flour for a sweet flavor. Some people prefer to purchase superfine rice flours. I don’t worry too much about making sure they are superfine. 

Starches:

The main starches that are used in gluten-free flours are tapioca flour or starch, potato starch, and corn starch. I use all 3 of these in my blend. 

Side note, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing. Don’t let the labels trick you! 

However, potato starch and potato flour are two different things. Make sure you are using potato starch in this recipe. 

If you can’t do potato starch, feel free to substitute with arrowroot powder. I have done that many times and it works great! What I love the most about this blend is it can be adapted for different dietary needs and still make your products turn out great!

What binding agent is the best binding agent to use in an all purpose gluten free flour?

There are 3 different binding agents when on a gluten-free diet. The most popular ones are psyllium husk, xanthan gum, or guar gum. 

I won’t get into what all 3 do here, but check out this post on what gluten free binding agents are and how to use them. 

In short, the best binding agent in this best gluten free all purpose flour is xanthan gum, which is what I use. Guar gum would be my next option if xanthan gum wasn’t available. I would save psyllium husk for breads, as they bring your dough together the most like a bread dough should be. 

Ingredients:

• 360g white rice flour
• 290g cornstarch
• 170g tapioca starch
• 160g brown rice flour
• 120g dry milk powder
• 40g potato starch or arrowroot starch 
• 20g xanthan gum

​This recipe easily doubles or triples so you don’t have to make flour all the time. You can remove the dry milk powder, if you need to be dairy free. I have done it both ways, but prefer the way my products turn out with the dry milk powder in it. 

How to make the best gluten free all purpose flour:

1. Measure flour into a food grade bucket with lid, using a digital kitchen scale.
2. Cap your bucket securely and give it a good shake making sure everything is well incorporated. I find that shaking it works better then trying to stir it all to mix it. 
3. Label and store in your pantry to use in all your gluten-free recipes.

What recipes are the best recipes to use this flour blend in?

This flour blend is what I use in all my recipes, besides breads. I have found that no gluten free all purpose flour blend will work in a gluten free bread. But if you want to make some banana bread, pumpkin bread, cookies, pie crust, or thicken a sauce this flour will be your go to!

You can take any recipe that calls for traditional flour, and replace it with this gluten free all purpose flour and your product will turn out great! 

Finally a gluten free flour that has a neutral taste, works great in all recipes, and is cost effective!

If you are looking to use some of these grain flours and starches in bread recipes, check out how I make bread with them. This whole grain gluten free bread is a family favorite, along with my gluten free sourdough. 

YouTube:

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