Xanthan Gum

Well, I'm continuing on the basics of Gluten Free recipes from last Saturday. If you want more information on what xanthan gum is you can refer to this wikipedia article. And if you need to purchase it and don't live close to a health food/gluten free source, it is relatively easy to find online.

To modify recipes for gluten free, I’ve found that it is relatively simple. Use ¾ tsp. xanthan gum to 1 c. GF flour. So, if your recipe calls for 2 c. flour, use 1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum. If you find that it’s too crumbly add a little more xanthan gum. But, use less first as it can get really clumpy and not spread out in the pan. Also, give your batter a little time after adding the liquid to the dry ingredients because it takes it a minute or two for the xanthan gum to thicken.

Another tip I've found is that when you use xanthan gum wash the pan soon after use or you'll spend a whole lot of time later soaking it. The xanthan gum makes the flour stick together, but it also makes it stick to the pan!!!

I’ve also found that the best recipes to modify are the ones that you’ve had in your family because as a rule they are time tested and good! Don’t be intimidated, just try it! You might find that you’re really good at it! I went through a lot of specialty (allergy) food cookbooks to find I didn’t like the taste. Only to find out that once I knew how to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, I modified my mom’s, grandma’s and mother-in-laws recipes and they turned out wonderful.