Gluten-free basics

A wheat-flour cake recipe can take an extra 20 g of flour without anyone noticing. The same mistake in a gluten-free blend produces a sandy crumb or a center that stays wet. In France, we already weigh flour, so that is not the problem: it lies in everything we still […]

Gluten-free bread flour is not an all-purpose blend sold in a bigger bag. It already contains the binders that replace gluten, and it is formulated to absorb much more water. Four products cover most of what is available in France: two in mainstream shops and two in organic food stores. […]

Almond flour and coconut flour are not interchangeable. Almond flour absorbs little liquid and can be substituted roughly volume for volume; coconut flour absorbs four to five times as much and requires reworking the entire recipe. The choice comes down to the texture you want: tender and rich on one […]

Erythritol replaces sugar weight for weight, or so the packet claims. I put it to the test in three basic recipes: a meringue, a caramel, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Only one turns out reasonably well, one fails completely, and the third leaves an aftertaste that my tasters […]

The price of a macaron cannot be explained by its ingredients. Almond flour is expensive, but it accounts for only a small part of the bill. What you are paying for is failed batches, work that has to be done one piece at a time, and a pastry that needs […]

Gluten-free baking rarely fails by chance. In almost every case, the cause is one of these five: a poorly chosen flour blend, a wheat-based recipe converted blindly, dough handled too hastily, bread baked without steam, or ingredients measured by volume. All five can be corrected in a single session, and […]