Gluten free baking can be intimidating, even to a  professional baker or someone who has been baking for years! The general rules that apply to baking don’t always work for gluten free. I’ve been gluten free since 2014. Since then I’ve done a lot of baking and found some things that work, and some that don’t. So I put together a list of gluten free baking tips and tricks to help you on your gluten free baking journey. 

Gluten Free Baking Tips-Ingredients

Finding the Right Flour for Gluten Free Baking

Perhaps the most important of these gluten free baking tips is finding the right flour. In traditional baking, the most common type of flour is wheat flour. Wheat flour has properties that make it perfect for most types of baking. It will rise well, create a fluffy texture, have the right amount of moisture, and hold together well. Unfortunately, there is no single gluten free flour that has all of these properties. Because of this, the best way to get a good result in gluten free baking is to use a blend of flours, starches, and binding agents. You can make these at home, or buy a premixed all purpose gf flour blend from the store. 

Gluten Free Flour Blends

Each blend will have different ingredients, and will yield a different result. The best advice I can give is to experiment with different flour blends until you find one you like. If you’re following a recipe that’s designed to be gluten free, the creator of the recipe will often tell you which flour blend will work best. 

If a recipe calls for a gf flour blend, you can’t usually replace it with a single gf flour like almond or coconut flour and get the same result. You will need a blend of flours and binders that will work together to mimic some of the properties of wheat flour.

Most all purpose gf flour blends will state that they can be substituted directly for wheat flour in any recipe, but in my experience this doesn’t always work well. You may need to experiment with different measurements to get a good result. 

My favorite blend is Bobs Red Mill One to One. I know others have had success with Cup 4 Cup and King Arthur as well. 

Use a Binding Agent

Gluten is a protein found in wheat that acts as a binding agent which helps food hold together and maintain its shape. Since gluten free flours don’t have this, you need to add another type of binder. The most common are xanthan gum and guar gum. Some all purpose gf flour blends already contain a binding agent. Others don’t and you will need to add it to the recipe. Make sure to look for this when baking with gluten free flours.

Add Moisture

Gluten free flours tend to absorb more moisture than wheat flour. Because of this, you generally need more moisture in a gluten free recipe to keep the result from being dry. Moisture can come from sugar or brown sugar, milk, butter, oil, or eggs. If you are converting a regular recipe to gluten free and it comes out dry, try adding more of one of these ingredients. You may have to experiment with different measurements until you get the right amount. And remember adding more moisture may require a longer baking time.

Extra Flavor

If you’ve tried baking gluten free and don’t like the taste from the gf flour, try adding extra flavor to your bakes. Extracts and spices are a great way to do this. Vanilla extract can be added to just about any baked goods you could imagine, no matter what flavor your dessert is. Try adding or increasing the amount of vanilla. Cinnamon is another great flavor addition, it complements many other flavors. These will help balance out any unpleasant flavors you might have from the gluten free flour.

Gluten Free Baking Tips-Measuring and Mixing

Measure Carefully

Gluten free baking is much more sensitive than regular baking, so accurate measurements are important. Baking by weight (grams or ounces) is more accurate than by volume (cups). If you have one, a kitchen scale is a good tool to help you get the most accurate amount of each ingredients. But if you’re following a recipe, some recipes only give the measurements in volume. Make sure to carefully measure each ingredient as you add it to your baking. Don’t just eyeball it or haphazardly scoop it or you may end up with too much or too little of key ingredients.

Don’t Overmix Gluten Free Batter

One of the gluten free baking tips I have seen is that because there is no gluten in the batter, there’s no risk of overmixing. In my experience, this is not true. It could be true with certain types of flours, but when I’ve mixed a batter too much it comes out dense. You can experiment with this one, but my recommendation would be to only mix until your ingredients are blended. 

Let Gluten Free Batter Rest

If you’ve tried gluten free baking, you may have noticed a slightly gritty texture in the final result. Gluten free flour benefits from allowing the batter to rest for a short time so the flour can absorb moisture from the batter and prevent that gritty texture. Let the batter sit covered for about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. This will also help the flavors develop and allow all of the ingredients to fully incorporate. It’s especially helpful with gluten free cookies. Let your cookie dough chill in the fridge for about an hour, or even a whole day, and the result will be a much more moist and flavorful cookie.

Gluten Free Baking Tips-Timing and Storage

Increase the Baking Time

Because of the extra moisture needed in gluten free baking, it often requires a longer baking time. You’ll want to make sure your oven temperature doesn’t get too low, so try not to open the door. If you do, make sure to keep it open for as short a time as possible. Check for doneness in cakes, brownies, and muffins by using a toothpick and pushing it all the way to the bottom. When it comes out clean with no crumbs, you’ll know it’s ready. With most cookies you will know they are done when the edges are browned and the center isn’t shiny.

Let Gluten Free Bakes Cool

Gluten free baked goods can be more fragile than regular ones, so make sure to let them fully cool before handling them. If you try taking them out of the pan while still warm they will likely start to fall apart. Once they’re cool they will be more stable and you will be able to pick them up more easily. If removing cookies from a pan to cool on a wire rack, make sure to give them at least 5 minutes before transferring. Use a spatula to support them and be gentle to keep them from breaking.

Proper Storage for Gluten Free Baking

Be sure to store your gluten free baked goods properly to keep them fresh. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, but they will be best the first 2 days. If you won’t be able to finish them in that time, freezing is a great option. Some people think freezing baked goods will lower the quality, but in most cases the opposite is true. It will actually maintain or even improve the texture of things like cake, brownies, or muffins. Gf cookies don’t freeze as well, but cookie dough freezes beautifully and can be defrosted and baked for perfect gf cookies. Storing gluten free baked goods in the fridge may cause them to dry out, so unless they need to be refrigerated keep them at room temperature. 

I hope these gluten free baking tips are helpful for you! Gf baking can be easy and delicious once you get the hang of it. Let me know if you try any of these!

If you want some recipes to try, check out some of mine here.