Convert non-gluten flour to AP flour

[Darienne]

How to do it?  I have a bag of non-gluten flour...probably just run-of-the-mill white...and a bag of gluten.  Both go back a time or so.  And really I have no use for either. 

 

The question is one of ratios.  I know that one probably can't get it bang on and I won't be using it for baking cakes, but rather for making sauces or adding it here and there where 1/3 cup of flour is added to the mix and the gluten content is not paramount to the finished product. 

 

I Googled it seven different ways and found nothing useful.  Some advice please. 

[Lisa Shock]

You could always make seitan with the gluten...

 

Ok, for a real answer, I'd go with weights and percentages. So, weigh the low/non-gluten flour. Then add the gluten to make the final weight contain the proper percentage. That percentage can be gotten from a chart like THIS ONE - protein content is approximately equivalent to gluten content.

 

So, for 100g total AP flour, use 9-12g gluten (your choice) with 88-91g non-gluten flour.

 

If the non-gluten flour is made of rice or potato flour or something else instead of wheat, remember that it will have different properties from regular AP flour when mixed. (might make good tempura batter, though)

[chromedome]

You probably don't actually need to add quite that much gluten to your GF flour, because those are typically blended with some gums or other ingredients to provide the same kind of elasticity you'd get with conventional flour. I'd say you can probably treat it like a lower-gluten wheat flour and add a tablespoon per cup, then add more if you find you're not getting the result you want.

 

I'd avoid using the mix for a yeasted bread, ideally, but for anything else it should work fine.

[Lisa Shock]

9 hours ago, chromedome said:

You probably don't actually need to add quite that much gluten to your GF flour, because those are typically blended with some gums or other ingredients to provide the same kind of elasticity you'd get with conventional flour.

 

 

I forgot about that part. Yeah, if it's some sort of flour replacement gluten-free flour as opposed to a plain bag of rice flour which just happens to be gluten-free it has performance enhancing chemicals.

[MelissaH]

I'm just wondering why you're doing this in the first place, since bags of regular wheat flour aren't usually super-expensive. If the GF flour isn't something you need, I'd either find someone who does need/want it, or dump it.

 

This is assuming that what you're referring to as "non-gluten flour" is in fact some form of gluten-free flour, rather than a wheat flour that isn't specifically meant to be stronger or higher in gluten.

[Darienne]

15 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

I'm just wondering why you're doing this in the first place, since bags of regular wheat flour aren't usually super-expensive. If the GF flour isn't something you need, I'd either find someone who does need/want it, or dump it.

 

This is assuming that what you're referring to as "non-gluten flour" is in fact some form of gluten-free flour, rather than a wheat flour that isn't specifically meant to be stronger or higher in gluten.

I guess the reason that I'm doing it is that it's sitting in two containers, one small and one larger, in my cupboard and I can just combine them and use them in non-baking recipes as noted above.

I guess another reason is that I don't know anyone in my acquaintance list who uses gluten-free flour.  Most of my immediate neighbors...we live in the country so we are not exactly 'surrounded' by neighbors...work full time and don't really cook much anyway. 

 

And I guess probably the most important reason I'm doing this is that I'm closing in on 80 years old and have been frugal my entire life, along with my husband Ed, and I can't imagine dumping something which, with a bit of work, can be used satisfactorily. 

 

You did ask.

Edited September 1, 2018 by Darienne (log)

[MelissaH]

19 hours ago, Darienne said:

I guess the reason that I'm doing it is that it's sitting in two containers, one small and one larger, in my cupboard and I can just combine them and use them in non-baking recipes as noted above.

I guess another reason is that I don't know anyone in my acquaintance list who uses gluten-free flour.  Most of my immediate neighbors...we live in the country so we are not exactly 'surrounded' by neighbors...work full time and don't really cook much anyway. 

 

And I guess probably the most important reason I'm doing this is that I'm closing in on 80 years old and have been frugal my entire life, along with my husband Ed, and I can't imagine dumping something which, with a bit of work, can be used satisfactorily. 

 

You did ask.

 

I did ask.

 

But, while I understand frugality, I wouldn't bother with something that might have cost all of $5 and is likely to lead to more frustration (and other costs) if you don't get it right. (This is particularly true if the flour has gums or other stuff added to help it bake more like wheat flour.) Who can measure the price of the juices from a roast, if you try to thicken them into gravy but it goes south on you and then you have none?

 

As far as combining to reduce the number of containers: I'm having a hard time seeing how that's going to work, given that it's unlikely you'd use them in a rate proportional to their container size and you'd probably still have a container of mix and a container of whatever extra stuff is left over.

 

I'd personally hang onto the gluten, as you can use that to boost AP flour for making bread if you don't want to keep both AP and bread flour on hand. But if the GF flour doesn't work as it comes for whatever you'd want to use it in, get rid of it unless you think that playing to get the mixture right would be fun and profitable. If you feel guilt over the $5, then make it up by not doing something optional that would have cost you $5: go without the fancy coffee drink, or don't buy the container of ice cream that you'd desperately like, or stay home from a single-purpose trip to town, or bump the thermostat in your house by a couple of degrees in the appropriate direction, or something like that.

 

I'd  just toss the flour without a second thought and without guilt, if I couldn't find someone else who wanted it. But it's your kitchen, so do what you like. 😀