This guide covers everything from Gluten Free Flours, To tips on buying/ using and subbing Various sugars, Dairy & Eggs for Classic Gluten Free , Paleo & Keto Baking and Cooking! Be sure to scroll through the entire guide so that you don’t miss out on important baking tips and tricks.

Gluten Free Flours

Blanched almond flour

I recommend using blanched almond flour in my recipes. It typically has a finer grind and therefore will absorb more moisture when baked. Recipes that use almond flour do not require as much liquid or fat, as almond flour is naturally loaded with those two things. Depending on how this flour is used, it can create a dense, chewy chocolate chip cookie or a fluffy bread with a crispy crust! It may be one of the most versatile flours and without question is my favorite to work with.

Almond flour is a gluten-free baking superstar. It’s no wonder the use of this extraordinary flour has become abundantly popular. While many gluten-free flours have their limitations, almond flour is different. It works extremely well on its own in most cookie, cake and pastry recipes. This allows for fewer ingredients in the recipe, which is always a good thing! If you go on one step further and add some starch the texture of your baked goods can mimic those with gluten exactly.

Baking tips. When baking with almond flour, be careful not to bake at high temperatures for long periods. Almond flour tends to brown more quickly than other gluten-free flours due to its high fat content, so keep an eye on your baked goods and cover them with aluminum foil as needed.

Almond flour recipes do not require as much liquid or fat as other recipes. Tip: Test a small portion of whatever you are making to see what happens when cooked/baked. Adjust the liquid content to meet your intended results before bak- ing the rest of the batch. A little bit of both fat and liquid will go a long way.

Because of its low carbohydrate content, almond flour on its own is not a suitable flour for yeast recipes. If you want to make something with yeast, another gluten-free flour or starch will be needed to help it rise. On the other hand, almond flour is a terrific ingredient to add to yeasted bread recipes that contain grains and starches. The protein in the almonds will help give structure to the bread.

Substitutions. If you are sensitive or allergic to almonds, I suggest that you try another nut or seed flour in place of almond flour. Choose one with a similarly low-carb/low-fat profile, such as pistachio, hazelnut, sunflower seed, or cashew flour. Sadly, none of these are available for purchase ground as finely as blanched almond flour. Try making your own by processing the raw nuts or seeds of your choice in a high-powered blender until they be- come powdery like flour. The finer you can get the flour, the better it will work!

Under no condition can coconut flour be substituted for almond flour in any recipe.

Storage. If you intend to use within a month or so, you can leave your almond flour at room tempera- ture in a sealed bag or container. If you buy the flour in bulk and wish to keep it fresh long-term, you can store it in the freezer for up to two years.

Brands to buy. Nuts.com, Honeyville.com, or Jkgourmet.com

Coconut flour

Coconut flour has a strong, sweet flavor. It’s one of those love-it-or-hate-it flavors. For this reason, I choose to neutralize the flavor in my recipes by adding starch, which also improves the texture.

Baking tips. When combined with starch and eggs, the fluffy texture of coconut flour works great for pancakes, cakes, cupcakes, and muffins. I use it in applications that require a soft crust. When working with coconut flour, use a little extra fat (shortening or butter) to further improve the texture of your baked goods. My recipes include the extra fat required to give them the perfect texture.

Substitutions. Coconut flour is unlike all other gluten-free flours. It cannot be exchanged with any other flour.

Storage. This flour keeps well and can be stored at room temperature in a sealed bag or container.

Brand to buy. Nuts.com, bobs red mill.

Chestnut flour

This flour tastes like Christmas! Its flavor works incredibly well with warm spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. This grain-free flour is extra-special because it’s one of the only flours in this category that does not need eggs to create a light, soft, cakey texture. I especially love using it to make egg-free muffins.

Baking tips. While chestnut flour fluffs up beautifully and creates a tender crumb, it can lead to somewhat crumbly baked goods. For this reason, I like to add a little xanthan gum or guar gum to help it hold together and to give my baked goods a nice structure and shape. The flavor of chestnut flour is distinct; some people love and others don’t. To moderate its flavor, you can mix chestnut flour with starch. The more starch you add, the less you’ll be able to detect the flavor of the chestnut flour in the baked good. I typically use a 50/50 blend of starch and chestnut flour.

Substitutions. No flour substitutes perfectly for chestnut flour at a 1:1 ratio; rice flour is probably your closest bet.

Brand to buy. Authenticfoods.com. Avoid Bob’s Red Mill rice flour, which is coarse and gritty. Your baked goods may end up too moist if you use Bob’s. If you want to save some money, look for white rice flour at an Asian grocery store. Despite the fact that the rice flour at these stores is not labeled “superfine,” it technically is, and it will work great in my recipes.

Potato flour

This flour, commonly confused with potato starch, is made from whole, peeled, dehydrated potatoes rather than just the starch portion.

Baking tips. I use potato flour when I want a Chewy , Crispy or Flaky texture. For example, the addition of potato flour helps give my croissants a flaky exterior. I also like to use it in bagels and soft pretzels to help give them the classic skin. When using this flour, you only need a small amount, never more than a tablespoon or so. It soaks up a lot of liquid and has a bit of a potato flavor. It also works as an all-purpose binder and does a pretty sturdy job of helping gluten-free baked goods hold together. Adding too much potato flour can create an extremely gummy texture. Fun tip: try adding a tbsp to a waffle recipe- they should become crispier!

When using potato flour you will notice that the texture of your baked goods will change quite a bit at different temperatures. Straight out of the oven the baked good using it may taste too gummy- but as it cools down to room temperature it may become the perfect texture. Then when chilled it takes on a harder texture. This is the case for many gluten free flours (rice in particular) but I have notices it happens especially with potato flour.

Substitutions. There is no substitution for potato flour; if it is called for in a recipe, you must use it.

Brands to buy. Bob’s Red Mill or Nuts.com

Sorghum flour

This is hands down one of my favorite gluten free flours. I always keep a bag in my pantry. In smaller quantities sorghum works incredible in place of wheat flour. Its my go to anytime I’m making gravy or a roux of any kind! If you do research on sorghum google will tell you that it can be used as a direct sub to wheat flour- while this technically MAY work (with some gums added) I just really honestly find that a blend of gluten free flours is ALWAYS the way to go. You always have better results combining a starch and a flour. Sorghum really is a great option though- Im surprised not to see it in more. It rises really well and can play a part in creating fluffy baked goods. Its mild tasting and an all around good choice to use!

Baking Tips: Every flour has what I call a weight. This weight represents how easily the flour rises or is heavier and dense by default in baked good. In my experience sorghum is somewhere right in the middle. If you mix it with starch it will create really fluffy baked goods. The higher the percentage of starch the lighter the baked good will be. Sorghum performs beautifully in all purpose flour blends. I love to use it when making gluten free breads, muffins & pancakes. To make a really simple all purpose flour blend you can use 1 Cup of Sorghum Flour + 1 Cup of Brown or White Rice Flour + 1 Cup of potato starch.

Substitutions The closest sub possible for sorghum would be brown rice flour. It has a similar “weight” when baked and they both are mild tasting. You may also sub Millet, Garbanzo, Teff & white rice flour. Just keep in mind that these flours have a different flavor & “weight” when baked so the results will vary.

Brands to buy: Most brands of sorghum seem to be a very close if not identical product. For the sake of convenience I typically buy it from Bobs Red Mill.

Millet flour

Millet is a lightweight whole grain flour with a corn-like flavor. It’s reminiscent of the flavor and texture you get from using Bisquick. Think of the soft flaky biscuits or delicious fluffy pancakes that your mom used to make. It rises well and makes your recipes soft and flaky. It’s a great all-purpose flour that works well on its own and when combined with other flours.

Baking Tips: Millet flour tends to go rancid quickly and will develop a bitter aftertaste. We suggest giving your flour a little taste test before using it in your recipes to check for bitter- ness. Store millet in the freezer to give the flour a longer shelf life and buy in bulk if you use it often.

• In yeast breads, balance millet flour with flours that have a higher protein content to help retain the bread’s structure and to prevent collapsing after baking.

Other fun uses:

• Millet is delicious in its whole grain form and can be used as a gluten-free replacement for couscous due to its small circular shape.

• The millet grain can be cooked and used in vegetarian bean burgers, lending a sweetness to the overall flavor.

• Millet flour can be used to thicken sauces or gravy.

Substitutions Sorghum and white rice flour will give your recipes a similar rise to millet but do not have the characteristic corn flavor and ability to produce flaky baked goods.

Teff, Quinoa, Brown Rice and Garbanzo Bean Flour. These all rise similarly to millet but they have their own distinct flavors that will dramatically affect the taste of any recipe. The flavor of brown rice is mild, but it will change both the texture and color of your baked goods.

Brands to buy: The majority of brands were similar, but my favorites were Dakota Prairie and Bobs red mill.

Brown & White Rice Flour

Baking Tips: Brown rice flour and white rice flour work similarly, but white rice flour is lower in fiber and other nutrients. Brown rice flour will make your recipes taste just a bit heartier, which is why I like to use white rice flour in recipes that I want to be especially fluffy or delicate.

Substitutions : Replace it with sorghum flour or millet flour for the most comparable results.

Brands to buy: Look for the word superfine for a flour that performs the best. . There is a huge difference between regular rice and superfine rice flour. The difference is in the milling process in which the grain is ground into flour. Superfine is far superior in quality as it has been finely ground. This superfine flour has many benefits in baking. It absorbs more liquid, and gives baked goods great texture and a better rise. A number of our recipes were designed to use superfine rice flour. It is absolutely essential that it is used in these instances; neglecting to do so will result in poor results.

Both brown and white rice flour can be purchased superfine. I once did extensive testing with a number of brands and discovered that several companies do an exceptional job milling their flours. I noticed they had superfine qualities without being called superfine. Dakota Prairie rice flours fall into this category. Their brown and white rice flour worked wonderfully in all of our superfine applications.

The rice flour found at your neighborhood Asian grocery store also falls into the unla- beled superfine category. These are a terrific and inexpensive alternative (approximately $1 per pound) to some of the other flours. We use this flour cup for cup in place of superfine with perfect results every time.

Authentic Foods Superfine (brown or white rice flour), Dakota Prairie (brown or white) & or Rice Flour from Asian grocery stores.

Quinoa Flour

Quinoa is a magnificent flour. This is not something you likely expected to hear considering quinoa’s bad flavor reputation. If you want the health benefits and a mild tasting flour- I discovered that toasting it did wonders in removing the harsh flavor.

Preparing quinoa flour is an easy process.

• Preheat your oven to 215 degrees F.

• Cover two rimmed cookie sheets each with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil

• Pour 1 bag (1 pound) of quinoa flour onto the two covered cookie sheets. Spread it out so that it is no more than 1⁄4-1⁄2 inch deep.

• Place in the oven and set timer for 21⁄2 hours. During this time you will notice the quinoa’s strong smell diminish a little at a time until the aroma is gone.

• After the 21⁄2 hours, remove from the oven and store in a container. Due to its fat content, we suggest you store it in the fridge or freezer as quinoa has the tendency to go rancid quickly.

Substitutions: Sorghum and Garbanzo Bean flour: These two flours will provide a different texture, but due to their similar high protein count I found they could be replaced in a 1:1 ratio with fairly good results. Brown Rice Flour is another option. It can be used in a 1:1 ratio with quinoa flour. It has a lower protein content so recipes may not rise as well and will result in a denser product. Teff and Millet Flour may also be swapped but only as a last resort. in a 1:1 ratio. They will rise similarly to quinoa, but they will give your baked goods a vastly different taste and texture.

Brands to buy: This flour is harder to come by- Bobs red mill is a great option and the only I have seen in awhile.

Sweet White Rice Flour

When I tell you I LOVE this flour. If there is a gluten free pastry flour- THIS flour is it. It creates the most delicate, fluffy & soft baked goods. Cookies, Cakes, Flaky Pie Crust, doughnuts- it does it all. Its a popular flour especially in asian countries to make all kinds of delicious chewy foods both sweet and savory. Sweet Rice flour is the star ingredient in Mochi. Its made from sticky rice- and so therefore it has properties that help hold your baked goods together often without the use of any gums or a greatly reduced amount. I once created a pie crust using it that blew me away. It held the dough together making it easy to work with and also helped create a tender flaky crust.

Baking Tips: Using this flour alone unless you are seeking a chewy texture is not recommended for baked goods. Balancing its gluey nature can be done by blending it with 2 other flours. The magical combo for most gluten free blends is 3 flours. 2 grain or bean based flours and a starch. I have found that for light and fluffy baked goods pairing sweet rice flour with superfine white or brown rice flour OR sorghum + potato starch is a dreamy combination. Keep in mind that this flour absorbs more liquid than most due to the higher starch content. Recipes using it may need a slightly higher liquid ratio. On its own it does not provide much structure to baked goods adding to another reason why its ideal to mix with other gluten free flours.

Substitutions: There is no other flour that performs even slightly the same. This is one that should not be subbed.

Brands to buy: Almost all brands of sweet rice flour seem to be finely ground and work well. But if you would like to save some money head to your local asian market. They sell this flour and it is labeled as “glutinous rice flour”. Don’t worry though - it is still gluten free!

Garbanzo Bean Flour

This flour is an all-purpose superstar. It’s high in protein and allows recipes to rise by providing structure. This gives baked goods their shape and form. Because of this, it is a wonderful flour for making bread. Garbanzo bean flour has a strong flavor that subsides when it is baked. We’ve discovered that in isolation, this flavor can be off-putting to some. It works best when used with other flours. I like to use garbanzo bean flour in savory recipes or sweet recipes that have equally strong flavors to soften the bean flavor.

Baking Tips: This is a versatile flour. Can be used in almost any type of recipe.

• One of the best flours for making bread due to its high level of protein. This flour forms the best air pockets in our bread recipes and mimicked gluten-containing bread the most. The higher the percentage of garbanzo bean flour we used, the lighter and fluffier our bread became.

• Works best when combined with other flours.

• Ignore the strong flavor of your batters; it will dissipate drastically as it bakes.

• Can reduce the number of eggs needed in a recipe due to its high protein content

• Its a great addition in small amounts to low carb recipes.

Substitutions I don’t recommend substituting garbanzo bean flour for other flours in bread recipes. Its high protein content helps bread to rise and other flours are not likely to work as well. I\

For other non-bread recipes, garbanzo flour works similar in texture to sorghum or quinoa flour and should be used in a 1:1 ratio.

Teff, Millet, Brown Rice, and White Rice Flour can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio. However, they will change the texture.

Buckwheat Flour can be subbed 1:1, however buckwheat is really only best as a replacement for recipes that are meant to be dense (like brownies).

Brands to buy: Bobs Red Mill, Dakota Prarie.

Oat Fiber & Oat Flour

Oat Flour & Fiber are two very different things- but I find they often get confused. So lets dive in.

Oat Flour is quite simply just ground up oats. You can buy it in stores but its even easier just to make on your own by throwing it in a blender. Many websites will say that this flour can be swapped 1:1 with regular all purpose (gluten) flour. While you technically can- I personally think that blending it with other flours creates the best texture. Just like how oatmeal gets gloopy and sticky this can happen in your baked goods. To me this prevents a ton of rise and creates the flour from getting as fluffy as rice flour. If you were to make two banana oat muffins side by side and made one batch with 100% oats and made the second batch with half oat flour/ half white rice flour. The first batch would be hearty, really chewy and a little heavier whilee the second batch would be lighter & filuffier and mimic the classic muffin texture better. BUT, both ways will work.

Oat Fiber is simply just the fiber removed from oats. I use it on occasion in my lower carb/keto baked goods in place of starch. It can only be used in small amounts ( 1-3 Tbsp ) max. Otherwise its texture will begin to make your baked good have an odd texture. I find it helps give keto baked goods a little bit of a lift and can improve baked goods texture if used properly.

Baking Tips: For both oat flour and fiber measure by weight (grams) not by volume (cups). The weight of a cup of oat flour is heavier than a cup of all purpose flour. Therefore to get similar results you want to stick with the weight measurements.

Due to the sticky nature of oats when cooked you may get away with not needing to use gums in your recipes that call for oat fiber or, a lesser amount depending on what others flours it is being mixed with.

Substitutions : If you are going by weight with Oat Flour it can be subbed for most other gluten free grain based flours. However keep in mind that you may need more or less gum and potentially a little more or less liquid. No two flours are exactly the same. Its best to learn what various batters thickness and consistency should look like and then make slightly changes based on that as you are mixing things up.

There is no substitution for oat fiber. Usually its used in small amounts though and swapping it out for starch or an all purpose flour blend may work just fine depending on the recipe.

Cassava Flour

This flour has become increasingly popular the last 10 years. Some like to tout it as a perfect all purpose flour.. I disagree. However it does have some fabulous attributes and when blended with other flours and starches is can perform extremely well. As for grain free flour options I will say this one is the closest to an all purpose option that there is. I personally like to combine it with some starch - in doing so I have been able to create some incredible grain free Cookies & tortillas.

Baking Tips: Cassava is great to work with as it has some great “glue” properties. It does a great job helping to hold together baked goods. It became a popular flour to make gluten free tortillas as it allows for a sturdy texture-tortillas using it can bend without breaking just like traditional wheat based tortillas. Recipes using cassava require less or no gums. Recipes using cassava tend to require 25-50% less gums than baked goods using other gluten free flours (not including sweet rice flour). Cassava does have a bit of a flavor that you will love or hate. This is another reason that its great to combine with other flours or starches- doing so helps balance out the flavor so that it becomes less detectable.

Substitutions: There is no other flour that performs close enough to cassava for there to be a good substitution.

Brands to buy: Ottos cassava flour

Lupin Flour

About 2 years ago when I started writing the Ultimate Keto Cookbook I was determined to be innovative and find creative ways to make my low carb baked goods taste as close as possible to recipes WITH carbs. I have been baking long enough to know what Almond and Coconut flour are capable of- and truth be told I really prefer both of them when used with starch. On their own they aren’t the fluffiest of flours. Yes- they can make really solid cookies and more if you use eggs. So, I went on a deep dive into amazon trying to find some cool new flour options that had not been used by many or any other authors. Eventually I stumbled on lupin flour and was intriqued. It comes from the lupin bean which is snacking bean eaten most often in italy. It is mostly fiber and therefore extremely low carb. From past experience I knew that bean flours are AMAZING in baked goods so I had to give it a whirl. To my absolute shock- despite being very low in carbs this flour was creating baked goods much fluffier than almond flour or coconut had ever given me without starch. It allowed me to create a wider variety of baked goods.

Baking Tips: While lupin flour is awesome I must warn you- it goes rancid pretty quickly and can be extremely bitter if not properly prepared. The lupin bean as is- is BITTER. It must go through a soaking process which removed all bitterness and then it can be made into a flour. If you purchase lupin flour read reviews and store it in the fridge to make it last longer. My favorite brand is Lupina. While this flour is not an all purpose flour- for low carb options it is the closest you will get to mimicking an AP blend. It can be used alone with eggs to make fluffy pancakes without an eggy texture (eggy baked goods are common with keto). I also found that it worked nicely when mixed with almond flour.

If you have a favorite almond flour recipe that contains starch- you can try remaking it by subbing in the lupin flour in place of the starch quantity. The baked good wont be an exact replica but it will be a big improvement from using almond flour alone. Lupin flour improves texture dramatically.

Substitutions: There is no sub exactly like lupin flour at this time- but the closest best option would be garbanzo bean flour.

A note about Gluten Free baking blends from the store:

There is a difference between Cup for Cup (or Measure for Measure) Gluten Free Flour blends and those that are labeled as All Purpose. Cup for Cup blends are meant to stand in place of wheat based flour in recipes. So in other words you use the same recipe only with the gluten free cup for cup blend. It is important however to USE GRAM MEASUREMENTS. If the recipe called for 100 grams of all purpose flour then you sub in 100 grams of cup for cup. Cup for cup mixes typically contain xanthan or guar gum and are formulated to match how gluten works. Please keep in mind that these cup for cup blends are intended to be used in recipes such as : Muffins, Quickbread, Cake, Cookies ect. They will NOT work in bread recipes. There are too many differences in how gluten performs in bread to ever have a gluten free cup for cup work the same. More than just the flour needs to be changed to make the bread recipes work.

All purpose blends are different in that they typically do not contain any gums. Which means your baked good may end up crumbly. These blends allow you more room to make changes and experiment with the amount of gum you want to use- or other binders can be used such as psyllium or flax. Bobs red mill provides a chart to let you know about how much gum you’ll need using their all purpose blend with various types of recipes.

My favorite brands at the moment : King Arthurs measure for measure OR their All purpose blend. OR Bobs Red Mill Cup for Cup or All purpose blend.

Starches

Potato starch

Potato starch makes baked goods a little lighter and fluffier than tapioca starch. I use it in breads and pancakes for extra lift. I’ve also found that potato starch soaks up more liquid than the other starches do. If possible, stick to potato starch when a recipe calls for it. If you are sensitive to nightshades, feel free to use tapioca or arrowroot starch instead, but know that the recipe will turn out less fluffy and chewier than intended.

Tapioca starch

Tapioca starch, which is sometimes labeled tapioca flour, tends to make baked goods like cookies both crispy and chewy. Using too much tapioca starch in a recipe can result in a gummy texture.

Sweet potato starch / flour

Sweet potato starch is confusing because it’s called sweet potato flour. Making it even more confusing, there are two products available that are called sweet potato flour: one is orange and the other is white and starchy. The latter product, which is a straight starch, is what I use in my recipes and refer to as sweet potato starch. This starch works exactly the same as starch made from white pota- toes, and the two can be used interchangeably.

Arrowroot starch

Arrowroot starch is very similar to and can be substituted for tapioca starch. I do not call for arrowroot starch in any of the recipes in this book for one reason: cost. Tapioca starch is much less expensive and equally effective.

Starch Substitutions

All of the starches can be exchanged fairly well. Just keep in mind that your baked goods will be fluffier if you use potato starch or sweet potato starch/flour. Tapioca and arrowroot starch give less lift to recipes and instead make them chewy. But in a pinch, all of the starches will exchange well enough that your recipes may still turn out.

brands to buy : Bob’s Red Mill carries great potato starch, tapioca starch, and arrowroot starch. You can buy the white, starchy type of sweet potato flour that I use at most Asian markets or online from Barry Farm Foods (barryfarm.com) for a reasonable price.

Paleo Sugar Options

Sugar is more than a sweetener when it’s used
in baked goods. It’s an important ingredient that provides moisture, structure, and browning. There are many types of sweeteners on the market today. They come in two forms: liquid and granulated. Liquid sweeteners are, as their name implies, liquid in nature. Granulated sugars are crystallized. These different sweeteners come at a variety of price points, and each one offers its own health benefits. In this book, I use only the healthier varieties that are unrefined and unprocessed.

Coconut palm sugar

Coconut palm sugar is made from the sap of the coconut tree. The taste is similar to brown sug-
ar with a hint of molasses. It is sometimes called coconut sugar or, incorrectly, palm sugar. The latter is made from the sap of various palm trees, such as the Palmyra palm, date palm, or sugar date palm, depending on the region.

Baking tips. Use coconut palm sugar in recipes to which you wish to give a warm brown sugar fla- vor. Keep in mind that it will give your baked goods a light golden brown tint. Coconut palm sugar does not add as much moisture as white sugar; there- fore, you may need to add a little extra liquid to balance your recipes for baked goods.

Substitutions. Granulated maple sugar substi- tutes beautifully for coconut palm sugar.

Brands to buy. Wholesome Sweeteners, Nutiva, Big Tree Farms, Navitas Naturals

Maple syrup / sugar

As their names imply, maple syrup and granulated maple sugar are made from the sap that comes from maple trees. I love to use the granulated
form as a cup-for-cup replacement for white sugar because it’s lighter in color than the other Paleo- friendly granulated sweeteners, and it has a mild enough flavor that it won’t take over a recipe. I use it in my Angell Food Cake (page 314) because it allows for a beautiful light cake and a white color!

Baking tips. Use granulated maple sugar in rec- ipes for which you would typically use granulated white sugar. Maple syrup can be used in a baked good to help it hold together. I use Grade A maple syrup.

Substitutions. Honey or coconut nectar can
be substituted fairly successfully for maple syrup. They aren’t perfect substitutions, as each has a different thickness and therefore affects recipes differently. However, they are close enough that you can typically swap them with good results. Coconut palm sugar can be substituted for granu- lated maple sugar. If you use coconut palm sugar, your baked good will end up a little darker in color.

Brands to buy. For granulated maple sugar, I recommend Coombs Family Farm, Crown Maple, and Barry Farm Foods. Maple syrup is much easier to find, and I have been pleased with all of the organic grade A brands that I have purchased.

Honey

There is a big difference between raw honey, which you can often find locally, and the processed honey you find at the grocery store. The former is a natural sweetener full of vitamins and minerals. The latter is devoid of nutritional value and may contain high-fructose corn syrup.

Baking tips. It’s great to use raw honey as the sweetener in a dough that is crumbly because
it will act like glue and hold the dough together. Honey adds a lot of moisture. For this reason, it’s better suited to coconut flour recipes; almond flour already contains a lot of moisture.

Substitutions. Coconut nectar can generally be exchanged successfully with honey. If you can get your hands on some granulated honey, it could sub for coconut palm sugar or granulated maple sugar.

Brands to buy. The best honey to purchase is local raw honey, which has the side benefit of giving relief to those with pollen allergies.

Coconut nectar

Like coconut palm sugar, coconut nectar is made from the sap of the coconut tree. It is lower on the glycemic index than white sugar. It’s a syrup that is similar to honey in thickness but darker in color and a few notches less sweet.

Baking tips. Use coconut nectar in baked goods that you wish to be only moderately sweet. Due to the fact that coconut nectar is as thick as honey, it works well as “glue” in baked goods to give them a nice chewy texture. I find that it works well in cookie recipes.

Substitutions. Coconut nectar can be used as a replacement for honey in baked goods but has a milder, less sweet flavor. If you have a strong sweet tooth, it might not be the best sweetener for your palate. However, if you don’t need your cookies to be super-sweet, it is a great option. Use a 1:1 ratio when using coconut nectar to replace other liquid sweeteners.

Brand to buy. Coconut Secret

Keto Sugar Options

I find there is a LOT of confusion around the sugar free sugar options. People will often believe one brand works better than another or another not realizing that MANY brands create almost the same exact product using a sugar alcohol as its base. So lets talk about each type of sugar available and compare them!

Xylitol & Erythritol

Initially 10 ish years ago xylitol was all that you could really find for sugar free baking purposes. This sugar in particular is toxic to cats and dogs and I have seen it less in stores than I once did. Nowadays Erythritol is what is you’ll find on the ingredient list of almost EVERY brand of keto sugar. Lakanto, Swerve.. you name it. Take a look at the ingredients list its almost always erythritol.. sometimes with a little monk fruit or stevia added for an extra bit of sweetness. But the truth is that all of these brands and any brand that sells erythritol- you can count on it all working EXACTLY the same in your baked goods.

Baking Tips: A common misconception with these sugar alcahols is that you can and should use them cup for cup in exchange for white sugar. I STRONGLY disagree. Sure you can do it, but that doesnt mean it’s going to taste good. Sugar alcohols are known for having an aftertaste and cooling effect in your mouth. Some people dont mind it, others hate it (like myself). I get around this some by lowering the amount that I use. Say a cup of sugar is called for- I will usually use 3/4 cup of Erythritol. Less is more- the sweetness level wont change much but the after taste will. Another thing to understand is that these sugar alcohols are not going to perform exactly like sugar- baked goods are less likely to get a crunchy exterior or bite that you get with say a brownie. The crinkle on top of a brownie is made possible by sugar. So there will be differences. I find that sugar alcohols tend to give a softer texture (unless the fat ratio is super high in cookies for example).

Substitutions: Granulated Sugar alcohols all work almost the same and can be subbed for each other. Kombocha granulated sugar and Alluose granulated sugar will also work.

Brands to buy: Bargain hunt. Don’t just buy the most popular brand you can save real money finding another option. As i mentioned above they all work exactly the same. Find a good deal online and then pat yourself on the back for outsmarting the people spending way more on well known brands. I personally like to order from the brand Halefresh.

Kombocha

I am newer to this granulated sweetener but I liked it immediatly- for one very big reason. There is NO AFTERTASTE!! This sugar option is a bit pricier than the others but it works the same from what I can tell. Some people are really sensitive to or don’t digest well the various sugar free sugar options. This one is made form kombocha squash and may be a gentler on the stomach option. This option works as a 1:1 sub for real granulated sugar.

Baking Tips: TBD! I will update this as I experiment with it further..

Substitutions: Sugar alcohols (though use a bit less of them) or Alluose. You may also swap real sugar in cup for cup.

Brands to buy: Bocha Sweet

Alluose

This is a newer keto sugar option to hit the scene & and its a good one! It comes in both granulated sugar form and a syrup that is comparable to honey. Best of all there is no aftertaste with this sugar option in any form. The only potential negative I have found is that this one can be a bit harder to digest. For some reason I do ok with the granulated sugar form but no the syrup. So before you buy this in bulk get a smaller package and test it out to see if your stomach is on board. This sugar in both forms can be used cup for cup instead of regular white sugar.

Baking Tips: TBD! I will update as I experiment further.

Substitutions: Sugar alcohols (though use a bit less of them). or Bocha Sweet Cup for Cup.

Brands to buy: Any brand is fine- shop around for the best price. I typically buy splenda’s alluose on amazon. (It does not contain any splenda- its just that brand). Its a good price so.. no shame!

Monk Fruit

Monk fruit is one of those sugars that tends to cause confusion for people. It is an extract which means it is only used in very small quantities. It adds a burst of sweetness in a very small amount. Ive heard people say that they like to use Monkfruit Granulated Sugar… that technically does not exist. Sometimes a brand will add a little monk fruit to granulated erythritol to make it a tiny bit sweeter. But monkfruit on its on only exists in a liquid or packet form.

Baking Tips: Monkfruit on its own is not an option for baking. It however is an excellent sweetener for beverages or liquidy desserts (such as pudding, cheesecake, jello ect.) I really like to use it to sweeten chocolate or coffee!

Substitutions: Liquid or packets of stevia in equal amounts.

Brands to buy: Lakanto Liquid Monk Fruit.

Stevia

Stevia has been a sugar free option for decades.. its probably the first clean sugar free sweetener to go mainstream. Stevia can taste great or awful depending on the brand. Its also important not to use too much as that doesnt taste great either. I tend to avoid flavored stevia’s as they never taste the best. Keep it simple and only use 1-2 droppers max.

Baking Tips: Stevia on its own is not an option for baking. It however is an excellent sweetener for beverages or liquidy desserts (such as pudding, cheesecake, jello ect.) I find it works best used with a little bit of sugar or fruit as it will augment that sweetness. I also find that adding a little salt to a recipe using stevia helps give it a more balanced sweetness. Stevia does not combine well with chocolate.. the flavors clash.

Substitutions: Liquid or packets of monk fruit in equal amounts.

Brands to buy: Traders Joe’s liquid stevia or Nunaturals liquid stevia.

Subbing Dairy

This is probably the EASIEST allergen to sub! I have been dairy free for over a year so I have tried out most all of the current options in grocery stores.

Subbing Butter

In Cooking there is a lot of flexibility when subbing butter. It can be swapped for pretty much any other fat however. Ghee, Butter Flavored Coconut oil or Dairy Free Butter will match the flavor the closest. The brand ‘Melt” is my favorite spreadable butter for cooking purposes.

In Baking There are a number of great dairy free buttery stick options now! The most important thing is to stick to those butter sticks for baking purposes as they are formulated to behave as closely as possible to real butter as possible. Some work better than others- I have found that Earth Balance buttery sticks behave the closest to real butter in my cookie recipes. Cookies will spread more or less depending the melting point. Earth balance cookies spread just a tiny bit more than real butter cookies spread. But the differences are minor enough that you wont run into problems. Melt Butter Sticks melt too fast for my cookie recipes and make them spread too fast in the oven creating a thinner cookie than I intended.

Subbing Cheese

This is quite straight forward. Test out the various brands and see what you like. I am not a fan of daiya products. I always go for Violife or Follow your heart. Everyone is different but I tend to not heavily use the cheese subs and make recipes that are naturally dairy free. I have also found that I prefer the taste and texture of these dairy free cheeses if I only use a small amount.

Subbing Heavy Cream

I tend to stick with 2 options for this one. Either using full fat coconut cream warmed up so its a liquid OR Silks Heavy Whipping cream . There is a dairy free half and half product as well but I don’t see it as often in stores. While full fat oatmilk is a great dairy free option it is not as thick or creamy as heavy cream.

There are tons of brands of unsweetened canned coconut milk- targets good and gather blue can of coconut milk far surpasses the others as its almost completely all cream! Most other brands are half cream or even less and the rest is coconut water.

Subbing Whipped Cream

These have become my favorite options. Of course its possible to make it from scratch but I wont bother with these amazing products available

Silk Heavy Whipping Cream you pour it in a bowl and whip it up just like real heavy whipping cream!

Reddiwhip Coconut or Almond Milk Canned Whipped Cream. I find this doesn’t spray out as smoothly as real whipped cream does but it tastes decent and is a good option if you want it quickly and out of a can.

Vegan Truewhip (Tub whipped cream.) This one you cant even tell is vegan! It’s so delicious.

Subbing Coffee Creamer

This really comes down to personal preference and how much sugar you want to consume as there are SO many brands and options now. I personally think that nothing beats creamy oatmilk for coffee. I like it even more than I liked heavy cream. It tends to froth really nicely too. I find that target usually has the best selection.

My personal favorites: (I do half of each in my coffee every day to lower the amount of sugar.)

Silk Dairy Free Oat Creamer - it comes in 1 quart boxes and a few different flavors. Vanilla, Oatmeal Cookie and currently the seasonal flavor is Maple Brown Sugar. All 3 are delicious and froth like crazy.

Sown Organic Unsweetened Oat Creamer is SUPER thick and creamy. It reminds me of the creaminess of half & half.

Subbing Eggs

I do not recommend trying to remove eggs from my grain-free recipes OR Keto recipes. It’s a tricky business, and not worth attempting unless you are prepared to remake a recipe many, many times until you get it right. However when working with gluten free grain or higher carb flours/ starches omitting eggs tends to work much better.

Keep in mind : Eggs have a magical ability to deal with high levels of fat in recipes. Removing the eggs from high fat recipes can be problematic and the fat may not bind properly in the recipes and melt out in the oven. No egg replacer will work the same way in binding with fat so in high fat recipes you may need to cut down on the amount of fat if eggs are not being used. For example a cookie with an egg will spread the right amount, if you remove the egg the cookie may spread too much.

Eggs work wonders in gluten-free recipes. We love using them because they work as binders, leaveners, and also help your baked goods dry inside. This can create a light and fluffy cake that won’t fall apart. There are many options for re- placing eggs. When it comes to making a swap think about what egg properties you need. Are the eggs acting like glue to hold the dough together? Are they helping absorb liquid? Are they helping to create fluffiness? Then after you make that decision proceed forward choosing the appropriate egg replacement.

Note: It is not recommended to replace more than 2 eggs in any recipe.

To mimic the binding properties of egg try any of the following:

Flax, Chia or Psyllium Egg: Replace 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed meal, ground chia seeds, or whole psyllium husks. Stir in 3 tablespoons of boiling water and let sit. For flax and chia seed meal, you can let it sit longer, but psyllium will congeal too much, so you want to stir and then add it to your wet ingredients immediately. This option helps bind ingredients together, which is why we also use this substitution for xanthan gum, as described earlier. Because this will not provide the leavening properties of eggs, you can add a small amount of baking powder if you want a better rise (1⁄2 teaspoon).

Tapioca Gel: To keep your recipes from crumbling, you can also use 1 tablespoon tapioca starch mixed with 1⁄4 cup of warm water

Applesauce: 4 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce, plus 1 teaspoon baking powder. This will make recipes slightly more moist than an egg will, so adjust your baking time as needed.

Agar agar: Mix 1 tablespoon agar agar powder (not the flakes) into 1 tablespoon of water. Beat, put in the fridge for 15 minutes, then beat again before using in your recipe.

To mimic just the leavening properties of egg:

• 1 teaspoon baking powder + 1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (Note: DO NOT mix them all together or the baking powder will erupt right then and there and wont do its job in the oven. Instead just add these ingredients to the recipe.

I also really like Ener-G Egg Replacer ( Follow the directions on the box.)

To mimic Binding & Leavening properties use BOTH. Use a binding option and then add 1/2 tsp more of double acting baking powder and 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.

Leaveners

Yeast

Working with yeast can seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of a few simple concepts, it’s like riding a bike. The process is the same in all of my recipes.

Mix the yeast with lukewarm water and a little sugar to help it grow. The temperature of the water should be roughly 90 degrees. The water should be slightly warmer than your finger but should not come close to burning you. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast; if the water is too cold, it won’t activate the yeast. If you’ve gotten the correct temperature, your yeast will start to bubble up within a few minutes. If this doesn’t happen, either your water temperature is wrong or your yeast is dead. Try playing around with this process before you take on a bread recipe.

I use only one brand of yeast throughout this book: Red Star Quick Rise Yeast. I typically buy this instant yeast in a jar at Walmart. This type of yeast, which may be labeled “quick-rise,” “rapid-rise,” or “fast-acting,” allows the majority of the breads in this book to proof within 30 minutes.

It’s best to store yeast in the fridge to keep it fresh and ready to go at any time. This yeast will keep for years if stored in the fridge after it has been opened.

The beauty of gluten-free baking is that the steps of rising and proofing the dough are rolled into one, allowing you to have freshly baked bread in half
the time required to make traditional grain-based breads. I have designed all of the recipes in this book to be as fast to make as possible.

Baking soda

I use Bob’s Red Mill brand of baking soda in all my recipes that call for baking soda. Like baking pow- der, it is used to create a rise in baked goods, but it is different from baking powder in that when soda
is combined with wet ingredients, the reaction is immediate; therefore, recipes that contain it need to be baked right away. So be sure to preheat the oven before starting any recipe containing baking soda.

In order for baking soda to be activated, it needs an acidic ingredient, such as citrus juice or vinegar. For Paleo applications, apple cider vinegar is the best choice of vinegar.

Baking powder

I use Bob’s Red Mill double-acting, aluminum-free baking powder in all of my recipes. It tastes much better than baking powders made with aluminum. Double-acting baking powder produces bubbles immediately when the ingredients are mixed, but most of the rising occurs after being put into the hot oven. While the “double-acting” action is not required for the majority of my recipes, it does provide a nice cushion to help assure that the baked goods will puff up in the oven. If you can’t find Bob’s double-acting, any other type of baking powder will work.

When baking recipes call for baking powder, it’s best to mix it into the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding the wet ingredients to ensure that it is evenly distributed throughout the dough or batter.

Baking Tips & Tricks

Gram Weights versus Cups

In my recipes, you will see both gram weights
and cups. This is for a very specific reason: Gram weights are 100 percent accurate, and cups are not. How you fill your cup will vary slightly from the way I fill mine, which means that my recipe could turn out very different from yours. For this reason, I highly recommend that you pick up a baking scale and use the gram measurements when they are provided. Using gram weights is most essential with flour, which is why you will see a gram mea- surement every time a flour is included in a baking recipe. But for all of the batters and doughs in this book, particularly those in the bread and pastry recipes, I recommend using gram weights for
most of the ingredients, including liquids and fats. That said, I do not include gram weights for small amounts, such as those measured in teaspoons and tablespoons, because I have found that not all scales read the small amounts the same way. So, although you can dispense with measuring cups once you buy a baking scale, you should keep your measuring spoons handy for the recipes in this book.

How to use a baking scale

Simply place your bowl directly on the scale. Turn it on and click the “tare” button to zero the weight. Then add your first ingredient. When have the correct gram amount for the first ingredient, tare the scale back to zero and repeat this process until you have worked your way through all of the ingredients with gram weights. For accuracy and efficiency, I use this method to measure both dry and wet ingredients for doughs and batters.

How to measure flour

Though weighing ingredients is the best method for accuracy, not everyone has a scale. The second best option to ensure consistency is for you to use the same method of measuring flour that I use. I use the “scoop and level” method, which results

in a packed cup of flour. To get a packed cup, dip your dry measuring cup into the bag of flour and level off the top of the cup with your fingers or a knife. I use this technique every time I fill a cup with flour.

How to measure liquids in cups

If you don’t own a scale and are measuring liquids in cups, make sure to use a liquid measuring cup, ideally a 2-cup measuring cup. For consistency, this is what I used throughout these recipes. This may sound strange, but I’ve noticed that 1 cup of liquid measured in a 2-cup measuring cup does not have the same volume, and thus gram weight, as 1 cup of liquid measured in a 1-cup measuring cup (the 1-cup measuring cup holds more!).

How to Beat Eggs

whisked: Beat the eggs with a fork or whisk until the yolks and whites are well combined, about 1 minute.

frothy: Beat the eggs with a hand-held electric mixer or stand mixer on high speed. The eggs will increase in volume, the texture will go from liquid to thick and foamy, and the eggs will become light yellow in color. This takes about 5 minutes.

soft peaks: Beat the egg whites only with a hand-held elec- tric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until they are thick and white. To test for soft peaks, lift the beaters or whisk from the whites; if ready, the peaks should fold down. For best results, make sure that the bowl and beaters or whisk are free of oil and that the egg whites contain no traces of yolk. Even a trace of oil, fat, or yolk will prevent the whites from reaching full volume. A metal or glass bowl works best; avoid using plastic.

stiff peaks: Once the whites are soft peaks, continue beating on high speed until the volume increases further and the whites become thicker. To test for stiff peaks, lift the beaters or whisk from the whites; if ready, the peaks should stand straight up, and the whites should not move at all when the bowl is tilted.

How to Cut In Butter or Shortening

Begin with slightly chilled butter (firm, but not rock hard). Cut the butter into approximately 1⁄2-inch cubes so that it is easier to incorporate when added to the flour or starch. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, work the butter into the flour until the butter and flour come together into pea-sized pieces.

You can use an equal amount of room-temperature shortening or chilled bacon fat in place of the but- ter. These two options will obviously yield different flavors, so substitute depending on the flavor profile you are looking for.

How to Get Coconut Cream from Canned Full- Fat Coconut Milk

Not all cans of full-fat coconut milk are created equal. Some have more coconut cream in them than others! Do not buy cans labeled “light” when you are trying to get a good amount of cream. If you compare labels, snag the can with the highest amount of fat! I recommend experimenting with different brands to find out which one yields the most cream.

Trader Joe’s occasionally sells entire cans of co- conut cream—only cream, with no coconut water mixed in. If you ever come across that product, stock up!

To get coconut cream from canned milk:

1. Place a can(s) of full-fat coconut milk upright in the refrigerator overnight. Proper chilling time is crucial, as this is what causes the coconut cream to separate, leaving coconut water below it.

2. Once completely chilled, the coconut cream will have solidified at the top and separated from the water. Carefully scoop out the cream, leaving the water in the can. The leftover coconut water is perfectly good to use; feel free to refrigerate it and drink it later!

How to Make Powdered Sugar

1. Begin with your choice of granulated sugar. Depending on the type you use, your powdered sugar will be lighter or darker in color, which will affect the appearance of your baked goods.

• Pure cane sugar is very light in color, almost white.

• Maple sugar is also light in color, but darker than pure cane sugar. It is a great option
if you want a lighter color for Paleo baking options.

• Coconut palm sugar is the darkest in color, similar to traditional brown sugar.

• Organic/non-GMO xylitol can also be used. Although not technically Paleo because it needs to be processed in order to be made, it is a great sugar-free option.

2. Place the sugar in a coffee grinder, spice grinder, blender, or food processor (small or large, depending on quantity) and blend on high speed until the sugar becomes light and fluffy. This process typically takes about 3 minutes but can vary depending on your equipment.

Working with Fat

Butter (salted)

When a stick of butter if called for in baked goods in most cases an oil or ghee cannot and should not be subbed. Every fat that is solid when cold has a different melting speed and this can dramatically effect the results of your baked good. Especially cookies!!

Dairy free buttery sticks are the best option to sub- and even still I have found they have inconsistent melting rates. The best option I have found is Earth Balance buttery Sticks. They melt a tiny bit slower than real butter but the results are close enough.

If a recipe calls for MELTED butter in most cases it is perfectly fine to use a liquid oil or melted ghee. Just be sure never to add hot oil or hot melted butter to your batters (unless the recipe specifies to do so) or it can prematurely cook the eggs.

I use salted organic butter when baking or cooking. If you wish to use unsalted butter in this book’s recipes, you may need to add an extra pinch of salt to adjust the seasoning, depending on the quantity of butter used.

When using butter in solid form, as when cutting
it into flours to make dough, the ideal texture is softened but still firm—not hard—and the ide-al temperature is semi-chilled. To achieve this, I usually take the butter out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before making a recipe, depending on how warm my kitchen is that day. During the cold winter months, room-temperature butter works well.

Ghee

Ghee is a great option for cooking and baking. But as I stated above- in recipes that call for solid butter ghee cant and wont work the same. When ghee is made the milk proteins are removed. If made properly the casein and whey are fully removed. This often makes ghee an ok option for those with a dairy sensitivity.

If melted butter or oil are called for- then by all means sub in melted ghee if you wish to!

Spectrum vegetable shortening

Spectrum is the brand of vegetable shortening
that I use in all of my baking. It’s made from clean ingredients, is not hydrogenated, and works beautifully in any recipe that calls for shortening. It does amazing things to help make grain-free bread airy and fluffy. There is no substitute that will work exactly the same as shortening; I recommend that you use it when it is called for. If you want to use a brand of vegetable shortening other than Spectrum, check the label carefully, as most shortenings are made with low-quality ingredients.

Your next best option is to use lard as a sub. Its not exactly the same but works in a similar way.

Oils

My favorite oils to work with are coconut oil and palm shortening for frying, Avocado oil for baking, and olive oil and avocado oil when I’m looking for cooking . When I call for a mild-flavored oil in my recipes, I suggest that you use coconut oil, avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil.

Gums

Xanthan Gum & Guar Gum

Gums are essential to making grain-free bread taste like conventional bread and giving it shape and structure. Gluten is the glue in bread. In fact, bread flour is higher in gluten than all-purpose flour. So, to mimic the qualities of conventional bread as closely

as possible, I include xanthan gum in many of my recipes. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill brand.

Xanthan and Guar Gum can be used in the same quanitity. The two work almost exactly the same.

How to replace them:

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed meal + 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds (or whole psyllium husks) + 6 tablespoons boil- ing water (or room temperature full-fat canned coconut milk): Flax, chia, and psyllium all have incredible binding prop- erties. By mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed meal with 3 tablespoons of hot or boiling water, you’ll end up with an “egg” that helps bind your ingredients together and replace an actual egg. This is usually mixed in with the wet ingredients after it has had a few minutes to form a gel. But one flax egg usually isn’t enough to bind entire recipes together. You often need to add another egg made with ground chia or whole psyllium husks.

Bread Making Tips

General tips:

Gluten-free yeast breads are the most challenging aspect of gluten-free baking.

• Gluten-free yeast breads are not like yeast breads made with gluten. One difference is the kneading process. There are very few gluten-free recipes that will call for kneading. Generally I prefer to use a hand or stand mixer to do the kneading for us.

• Gluten-free breads only need to rise once whereas wheat-based breads need to rise several times. Thus, the preparation for gluten-free yeast breads takes less time.

• Xanthan gum and gum replacements like whole psyllium husks are very important in creating structure in bread recipes. Without it the height of bread can decrease dramatically.

• Focus on the protein. Protein gives yeast breads the structure they require. I have had great success when I combined a bean flour with superfine rice flour and potato starch. Other high protein flours can yield great results as well.

• Eggs are a gluten-free bread’s best friend. Beating eggs heavily in bread recipes can add some extra volume. We also like to add stiff egg whites to our bread batters.

• Superfine flours are recommended for gluten free bread because they help the bread poof up higher. These superfine flours have a smaller grain size and therefore are lighter in weight. This allows the yeast to spring up. Heavy grainy flours weigh the loaf down.

• Gluten-free yeast breads require more liquid than traditional bread recipes. If there’s not enough liquid, the flour will weigh the dough down and it will not rise. Too much liquid will cause your bread to rise too much. It will become a “poufy bread monster” with giant air pockets and it may also collapse.

• In most cases gluten-free breads need to be made in a pan to give them the proper shape. Since their batter is runny, they will spread rather than rise without the support.

• Gluten-filled recipes rise easily. You stick them on the stove and they just grow. This is not always the case with gluten-free. I give my gluten-free breads a fighting chance to rise by using specific proofing method .

How to Use the “Hot Box” Proofing Method

The process of rising and proofing grain-free dough is a little different from the process used when working with dough for gluten-based bread. When making bread with gluten-based flours, rising and proofing are typically accomplished in two steps (though sometimes a second rising is required): First the dough is allowed to rise, and then it is formed into the shape it will take when baked and allowed to “proof” before being baked. One of

the pluses of gluten-free baking is that these two steps—rising and proofing—occur at the same time, significantly decreasing the total time required to get fresh-baked bread on the table.

I’ve experimented with a ton of different proofing methods and settled on one that outperforms all the others.

When preheated and then turned off, the oven
can act as the perfect “hot box” to get a quick rise (generally about 30 minutes). You’ll find that my process is the same for many of my yeast-based recipes. I typically preheat the oven while I’m pre- paring the bread dough. Then, when the dough is in its appropriate shape or pan, I turn off the oven and place the dough in the oven, leaving the oven door open a crack so that the hot air can escape. After 15 minutes, I shut the oven door to trap the remaining heat. It’s important to leave the oven door open for the first 15 minutes, or the bread will get too hot and begin to bake rather than proof. (When proofing the pretzels, however, which have a shorter total proof time, the oven door is left open the entire time.)

It’s pretty standard bread-making practice to cover the bread with a towel while the dough is rising. I do it, but I’ve found that grain-free breads (particularly those made with rice flour) sometimes like to stick to the towel as they puff up. This won’t ruin the bread as long as you remove the towel carefully, but it may leave the top looking slightly imperfect.

If you don’t want to risk that, try using oiled plastic wrap instead! Here’s what to do:

Cut a piece of plastic wrap slightly bigger than the pan or tray you are using. Place the piece of plastic wrap flat on the counter and drizzle a little oil on it. With a paper towel, spread the oil so that the entire surface is lightly coated. Carefully place the plastic wrap over the dough in the pan with the oiled side touching the dough. The oil will prevent the dough from sticking to the plastic wrap. Loosely cover

the dough with the plastic wrap so that the dough has room to expand. Cut off any extra plastic wrap before placing the dough in the oven so it does not touch the oven racks.

After your bread has spent time rising, remove it from the oven and preheat the oven. Remove the towel or plastic wrap. Follow the baking times and directions in the recipes for further instruction. Just be sure not to place the proofed dough in the oven to bake until the oven has come to temperature.