Elizabeth Chambers' Go-To Flour For Gluten-Free Baking (And Why She Loves It)

Bob’s Red Mill has multiple gluten-free flours, but the easiest swap for wheat-based flour is its Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. The “1 to 1” in the title means that you can use it in the same culinary ratio as any recipe using wheat flour; the same thing as “cup for cup.” This is important because, for a long time, adapting wheat flour-based recipes to be gluten-free meant using different volumes and ratios of alternative flours, and experimenting with leaveners, liquids, and extra ingredients like plant starches and xanthan gum. Bob’s Red Mill flour already contains a balance of ingredients to make it work just like wheat-based flour, eliminating a lot of work on the baker’s part.

It’s still a good idea to sift any gluten-free flour before you use it because it can get a little clumpy if it’s been sitting in the pantry for a while. Elizabeth Chambers never skips this step. “[I] firmly believe in combining all dry ingredients then sifting before incorporating,” she said.

Measure all your dry ingredients into a fine mesh sieve placed over your mixing bowl, then use your hand or a spoon to push everything through. This will break up any clumps in the flour and ensure that your gluten-free pie crust, cakes, and muffins always have the perfect texture.