HOMEMADE GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Baking has become much easier in the past few months than it did at the beginning of the year when we switched to a gluten free lifestyle. No one in my home is a Celiac, but two of my boys, as well as myself, have excema. After a bit of research, I decided to first eliminate the wheat/gluten from our diet. If that didn’t work, I was going to move on to eggs, dairy, etc.

Within two months of omitting the gluten, my youngest son’s legs were all cleared up. He used to scratch, obsessively, in his sleep, thus woke up with welts and blood on his sheets. His legs finally became the beautiful, soft skin that every six year old should have and he no longer scratched at night. I have always believed that food dictates how we feel, but this was a true testament to what I have believed for the past 25 years.

Relying on those that I consider the “masters”; Shauna, Aran, and Karina, I have learned so much. In the beginning, totally insecure, I relied on their recipes, solely. Yet, as I became more comfortable and understood the difference between a protein flour and a starch flour, I ventured out a bit more on my own and started recreating some of our family favorites.

Don’t go out and buy every gluten free flour on the shelves at your local Whole Foods (like I did). I had more flours I didn’t know what to do with and they crowded my pantry and drawers of my refrigerator. Find those few special flours that you like, experiment, and then stock up on those that work best for you. I am in love with Millet flour. I use it as much as I can and because I am so in love with it, I have incorporated it into my everyday, all purpose gluten free flour blend. Working off of ratios, inspired by Shauna, I have come up with a blend that happily resides in a glass jar, on my kitchen counter.