Exploring different ways to bake some of your favorite recipes may offer valuable health benefits besides adding a new flavor to your food. Baking with gluten-free flour may take some practice, but there are many tips and tricks to consider to encourage a tasty outcome. Whether you’re looking to cook with new ingredients such as watermelon seed oil to looking for ways to improve how you bake with gluten-free flour, there are things you should avoid to prevent ruining your recipe.
Cutting Corners When Following a Recipe
If you’re in a rush or trying to stretch a recipe to accommodate more people or lack ingredients, don’t expect the recipe to come out perfect. Baking requires patience and a thorough review of the recipe. If you don’t measure the ingredients correctly, it may affect how it cooks and tastes. Take your time and follow the recipe carefully to ensure the best result.
Using an Egg Substitute and Lack of Moisture
When using gluten-free flour, it is necessary to add enough moisture to ensure it doesn’t dry out. Sometimes a recipe calls for an egg for added moisture. Eggs are great for this type of flour, but you can add other forms of moisture depending on the recipe, including watermelon seed oil, applesauce, coconut milk, etc.
Oven Temperature Set Too High
When you discover your baked item is undercooked in the middle and overcooked around the edge, chances are the oven temperature was set too high. Gluten-free foods, including some with flour made from watermelon seeds, may brown faster but require more time in the oven to cook. Consider turning down the over a few degrees so the inside cooks thoroughly. In some cases, it helps to reduce the temperature by up to 25 degrees to give your baking item 15 minutes more to cook.
Leaving Food to Cook Too Long
Gluten-free foods such as muffins may need more time in the oven, but too much time will lead to dried-out or burnt food. Some conventional recipes may recommend using the toothpick method to check for doneness in the center. It shows moisture in the middle, but also that it is cooked just right. Instead of looking for the toothpick to come out clean, you want some crumbs on it when done.
Skipping the Starch
Sometimes a little starch is necessary for a gluten-free baking recipe to be successful. The starch creates a fluffy and light texture. While tapioca or potato starch lacks nutrients, consider using a substitute with fiber or protein such as chickpea flour or brown rice. Some recipes, such as snickerdoodles, may benefit from the switch.
Only One Type of Flour was Used
Did you try and switch an all-purpose flour for a quinoa or rice flour while doing a cookie recipe and get disastrous results? Gluten-free flours are made with different ingredients, so they are suited for different recipes based on what they are made with and they may not produce the same results when used on their own. It is possible to mix your flour with another gluten-free option. Also, certain gluten-free flours may need more moisture, so a lack of moisture and changing the flour could be problematic for your recipe. Whether you use flour made with watermelon seeds or wheat flour, you should understand their differences, so you’ll know how they will bake.