Gluten free baking

[NightOwl19]

Hoping for some tips or advice about gluten free baking.

I want to bake some gluten free cakes/cookies but the recipes online are so complex with ingridents that I can't get locally from a big Asda but they do have gluten free plain and self raising flour, can I just substitute then amount of normal for gluten free flours or will this turn my bakes into disasters?

Yes just substitute. Add xanthum gum if you can (1/2 teaspoon ).

Yes you can.

Gluten free flours don't tend to absorb fat as easily as wheat flour. That's why in converting high fat recipes (for example, cookies or cakes) to gluten free, a 1 to 1 flour replacement doesn't work, as you'll end up with a very greasy mixture. To get around this, reduce the amount of fat by a few tablespoons, whether using butter or oil. To compensate for the loss of richness and moisture that the oil and butter brings, replace what you've removed in fat with full-fat yoghurt, cream cheese, soured cream or even almond flour.
It might be necessary to add water water to cake mixture made with gluten free flours. If the mixture looks drier or firmer than usual, add water a tablespoon at a time until the mixture reaches dropping consistency. Due to the extra liquid needed to rehydrate the gluten free flour, your cake may need an extra 5 minutes in the oven.

Yes, I find shortbread made from gluten free flour is nicer because the texture is slightly grainier.

100g butter
50g sugar
150g gf flour
pared rind of 1 lemon

Once you have mixed your batter, allow it to rest for a bit to allow the liquid be absorbed properly.

I usually mix the batter and then turn the oven on for the preheating and it works ok.

Allow it to cool completely before slicing. Gf baking throws off a lot of moisture. Allow it to cool on a rack or it will sit on puddles.

It has taken me about five years to be confident in my skill. If it doesn’t work, tweak your recipe and try again.

www.elizabethskitchendiary.co.uk/gluten-free-brownies-2/

This brownie is to die for! I cook it for everyone and always get asked for the recipe. It’s so so easy and uses ground almonds rather than flour.

Thank you for the tips everyone! I have a few days off work so going to try a few things