There are some wonderful prepackaged gluten free flours available at health food stores and grocery stores that are very easy to work with. But most proprietary mixes rely heavily on white rice flour, potato starch, or corn flour plus they often contain guar gum or xanthan gum which are not necessary for all recipes.
I opt for mixing my own, so I can adapt the mix depending on the recipe. It is a little bit more time consuming, but a lot more interesting.
Gluten Free Flour Mix
1 ½ cups brown rice flour
1 ½ cups sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot powder
Combine all ingredients and store in airtight container.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can also try substituting with other gluten free flours such as quinoa, teff, buckwheat, millet, amaranth or bean flour.
Gums: If you are new to Gluten Free Baking you may find yourself wondering, “What is the difference between Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum?” Both ingredients are frequently called for in gluten free recipes and both serve the same general purpose as thickeners and emulsifiers. You can use just one or the other; or sometimes for the best results, you can use them in combination together. My preference is to use guar gum. Guar gum is made from a seed native to tropical Asia, while xanthan gum is made by a micro organism called Xanthomonas Campestris.
How much Guar Gum for Gluten Free Baking? (as per Bob’s Red MIll)
Cookies………………………………¼ to ½ tsp. per cup of flour
Cakes and Pancakes………………..¾ teaspoon per cup of flour
Muffins and Quick Breads………….1 teaspoon per cup of flour
Breads……………………………….1-½ to 2 tsp. per cup of flour
Pizza Dough…………………..…….1 Tablespoon per cup of flour