Flour Substitution For Cornbread?

[LisaM7]

I just found out a few weeks ago that I am gluten sensitive and am delving into this whole new arena. A bit daunting!

I need to find a good substitution for regular all-purpose flour in my cornbread recipe (my grandmother's recipe, which she developed -- the best cornbread I've ever had). The recipe uses twice as much white cornmeal as flour (1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour), along with baking soda, baking powder, salt, a pinch of sugar, a little bit of oil, 2 eggs and buttermilk.

Can anyone help me with the best gluten-free substitution for the flour that would not change the taste of this fabulous recipe? And would I need to use a different amount than the 1/2 cup of regular flour?

Many thanks!

Lisa

[freeatlast]

I just found out a few weeks ago that I am gluten sensitive and am delving into this whole new arena. A bit daunting!

I need to find a good substitution for regular all-purpose flour in my cornbread recipe (my grandmother's recipe, which she developed -- the best cornbread I've ever had). The recipe uses twice as much white cornmeal as flour (1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour), along with baking soda, baking powder, salt, a pinch of sugar, a little bit of oil, 2 eggs and buttermilk.

Can anyone help me with the best gluten-free substitution for the flour that would not change the taste of this fabulous recipe? And would I need to use a different amount than the 1/2 cup of regular flour?

Many thanks!

Lisa

I would think you could substitute 1/2 cup of rice flour or *Bette Hagin's rice mix and 1 t. xanthan gum and you would be all set.

Please share the recipe with us if it's not too much trouble to type up.

Thanks!

*3 cups White Rice Flour (or Brown Rice Flour)

1 cups Potato Starch

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

[BethJ]

My recipe calls for 3/4 cup yellow corn meal and 1/4 cup flour. I simply substituted 1/4 cup of Bob's Red Mill all-purpose baking mix and it turned out great. I never liked much flour in my cornbread anyway.

[LisaM7]

Thanks so much for the replies! And I will bring my grandmother's cornbread recipe tomorrow and type it up (with regular flour; I'll leave it to anyone wanting to try the recipe to use their own flour substitution). I must warn that the recipe is "a slightly rounded cup" of this and "slightly heaping" of that. My grandmother (an absolutely fabulous southern cook) never measured anything, and to get her cornbread recipe on paper my father literally put measuring cups and spoons under the ingredients as she put them in the mixing bowl to see how much of each ingredient she used. It took several attempts to get it right, but he finally did. This was many decades ago.

Lisa

I would think you could substitute 1/2 cup of rice flour or *Bette Hagin's rice mix and 1 t. xanthan gum and you would be all set.

Please share the recipe with us if it's not too much trouble to type up.

Thanks!

*3 cups White Rice Flour (or Brown Rice Flour)

1 cups Potato Starch

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

[Takala]

Almond meal with amaranth and sorghum - this baked with a little molasses and sweetener tastes very much like cornbread without any corn having to be in it. Heat the skillet with oil, pour in the batter, cook on stovetop, finish under the broiler. Almond meal and amaranth are "sticky" enough you don't have to use gums when cooked this way, and sorghum is a tasty gluten free grain. Nuts can be ground in the blender if you can't find almond meal and just need a small quantity.

Be sure your cast iron is dedicated to gluten free - may have to burn it off in the oven cleaning cycle, and then re season the pan, if it is not new.

[freeatlast]

Almond meal with amaranth and sorghum - this baked with a little molasses and sweetener tastes very much like cornbread without any corn having to be in it. Heat the skillet with oil, pour in the batter, cook on stovetop, finish under the broiler. Almond meal and amaranth are "sticky" enough you don't have to use gums when cooked this way, and sorghum is a tasty gluten free grain. Nuts can be ground in the blender if you can't find almond meal and just need a small quantity.

Be sure your cast iron is dedicated to gluten free - may have to burn it off in the oven cleaning cycle, and then re season the pan, if it is not new.

Are you saying you use equal parts of those three gluten-free flours? No salt? No baking powder? What do you use for liquid?

[LisaM7]

I was wondering that too ....

[freeatlast]

I just found out a few weeks ago that I am gluten sensitive and am delving into this whole new arena. A bit daunting!

I need to find a good substitution for regular all-purpose flour in my cornbread recipe (my grandmother's recipe, which she developed -- the best cornbread I've ever had). The recipe uses twice as much white cornmeal as flour (1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour), along with baking soda, baking powder, salt, a pinch of sugar, a little bit of oil, 2 eggs and buttermilk.

Can anyone help me with the best gluten-free substitution for the flour that would not change the taste of this fabulous recipe? And would I need to use a different amount than the 1/2 cup of regular flour?

Many thanks!

Lisa

Lisa, also I have a killer cornbread recipe that someone posted on here as Old Southern Granny's Cornbread - perfect everytime. It does not have flour in it. I just made some and it's cooling downstairs.

Two changes: I use a medium frying pan and mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with regular milk to equal one cup, scant,and wait for about 5 minutes before adding to the dry mixture.

Here it is:

Old Southern Grannys Cornbread

By Luvs2eat

I've been making cornbread... w/ my friend's old Southern granny's recipe... forever. The small cast iron skillet is a MUST, I think. In fact, when all my kids left home... they left w/ their own small cast iron skillet.

My ingredients are about the same:

1 cup cornmeal

1 egg

1 cup milk or buttermilk

1/4 cup sugar (I like it a little sweet)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

I put the skillet w/ a little oil in the oven to heat up to 400º and bake for 20 min. Perfect every time!

luvs2eat

Living in the beautiful Ozark mountains in Arkansas

[Takala]

Are you saying you use equal parts of those three gluten-free flours? No salt? No baking powder? What do you use for liquid?

Use water. You could use milk, buttermilk, (or add a bit extra vinegar to the plain milk) or other milk sub like nut milk if you wanted to.

Skillet bread in small 8" round cast iron pan, like cornbread:

I would be using those 3 gluten-free flours as part of the recipe, I use salt, and pure apple cider vinegar and baking soda to leaven it.

Dry, measure out in large measuring cup:

About half almond meal, then 1/4 amaranth and 1/4 sorghum by proportion, so that would be 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/4cup of amaranth and 1/4 cup of sorghum. You can add a bit more to make 1 and 1/4 cup total flours for thicker bread

1/4 to 1/2 teas baking soda

optional spices, such as pinch of cumin, cinnamon, chinese five spice, or 1/2 teas cocoa powder

pinch of salt to taste, maybe a 1/4 teaspoon

wet ingredients, mix in separate bowl:

1/2 half teasp (or more) apple cider vinegar

glop of olive oil, about a spoonful (depending on how moist you want this, teaspoon or more)

glop of molasses, maybe half to a teaspoon

glop or honey, agave, or other sweetener, to taste. (can use artificial or stevia, if going low sugar route) perhaps the equivalent of a tablespoon

add 1 egg and beat it up

You will be adding water to this, but add the flours/nut meals first and then see how much you need to add to get a thick batter, since flour mixtures vary in dryness and eggs vary in size

Stir until blended, adding water as needed.

Pour batter into your preheated pan that has more oil in it. Pan should be hot but not smoking, watch the oil carefully. Cook until bottom is done, then finish under broiler. Never leave it alone but watch carefully as it cooks, as nutmeals burn quickly.

The stovetop to broiler method makes wonderful crust, and it cooks quickly. It needs no gum with this mixture.

recipe was on this thread here

The same flour mixture could be subbed in as a "cornbread enhancer" for those looking for all purpose flours, or who want cornbread, but have discovered they can't eat corn. This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator without having to be frozen. I keep half amaranth and half sorghum gluten-free flour mixed up in the refrigerator as a sort of "all purpose." fallback.

Oh, and the skillet - yes, definitely the cast iron is the key to a good crust and moist interior.

[sb2178]

This is what I make:

Gluten-free Cornbread

1/2 + 1/3 c fine cornmeal

1 c milk

1/3 c corn flour

1/3 c rice flour

1 T baking powder

2 T sugar

2 large eggs

4 T oil

1/2 c grated apple, yellow squash or zucchini

1. Place 1/2 c cornmeal in a small mixing bowl with the milk. Stir well and let soak.

2. Grease an 8 by 8 in pan. Preheat oven to 375 F.

3. Mix 1/3 c corn meal, corn flour, rice flour, baking powder, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.

4. Add the eggs, oil, and grated apple to the milk mixture. Mix well.

5. Pour into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

[lovegrov]

There are really great and yummy cornbread recipes that don't use wheat flour, but I seriously doubt subbing non-wheat flour is going to taste EXACTLY like your grandmother's. Wheat flour tastes like wheat flour. gluten-free flour doesn't.

richard

[freeatlast]

This is what I make:

Gluten-free Cornbread

1/2 + 1/3 c fine cornmeal

1 c milk

1/3 c corn flour

1/3 c rice flour

1 T baking powder

2 T sugar

2 large eggs

4 T oil

1/2 c grated apple, yellow squash or zucchini

1. Place 1/2 c cornmeal in a small mixing bowl with the milk. Stir well and let soak.

2. Grease an 8 by 8 in pan. Preheat oven to 375 F.

3. Mix 1/3 c corn meal, corn flour, rice flour, baking powder, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.

4. Add the eggs, oil, and grated apple to the milk mixture. Mix well.

5. Pour into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

This looks relly good. What kind of pan do you bake it in?

[LisaM7]

Please share the recipe with us if it's not too much trouble to type up.

Thanks!

Here is my grandmother's cornbread recipe in case anyone would like to try altering it to omit the all-purpose flour. As I posted earlier, the amounts are not exact because she never measured anything when cooking, and my father held measuring cups and spoons under the ingredients as she put them in the mixing bowl many decades ago to try to get the recipe down on paper. I can attest that as made with her recipe (using regular flour), it is the best cornbread I've ever had. I'm really hoping I can make it gluten-free and have it taste as good. Thanks for all the suggestions on how to do that. A final note -- it is best if it's cooked in a heavy cast iron muffin pan ("ring" as Grandmom called them). She found one for me in the 1980s at an estate sale, which I still use. A cast iron skillet would work as well, I'm sure.

Grandmom's Francis's cornbread

Note: full recipe makes about 10-12 cornbread muffins; I make 1/2 the recipe and it makes 6 muffins (for 1/2 recipe I still use 1 egg)

1 slightly heaping cup of white cornmeal (I've always used stoneground white cornmeal so do not know how yellow would turn out)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (obviously needs to be altered to be gluten-free)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 rounded teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons oil (I use organic canola)

1 large egg

buttermilk (see below for approximate amount)

Put about 1 teaspoon of oil in each part of a cast iron muffin pan or a thin layer of oil in the bottom of a cast iron skillet and preheat in 500 degree oven (yes, 500 degrees) -- be careful not to leave in oven too long or oil will start smoking.

While cast iron is heating, mix dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add egg and oil and combine, then slowly add buttermilk until the batter is fairly thin. I don't measure it, but the batter should not be thick, but also should not be extremely thin. It doesn't have to be exact; I've used different amounts since I never measure it, and the cornbread always turns out fantastic.

Remove the cast iron from the oven and pour batter in -- pan should be hot enough that the batter starts sizzling immediately. This is what gives the bottom a lovely golden crust. Bake at 500 degrees for about 8 to 12 minutes, or until top of cornbread is golden brown.

If anyone tries altering this to be gluten-free and gets good results, please let me know!

[freeatlast]

Thanks, Lisa. I will try it soon and let you know how it goes and what kind of flour I use

[freeatlast]

Use water. You could use milk, buttermilk, (or add a bit extra vinegar to the plain milk) or other milk sub like nut milk if you wanted to.

Skillet bread in small 8" round cast iron pan, like cornbread:

I would be using those 3 gluten-free flours as part of the recipe, I use salt, and pure apple cider vinegar and baking soda to leaven it.

Dry, measure out in large measuring cup:

About half almond meal, then 1/4 amaranth and 1/4 sorghum by proportion, so that would be 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/4cup of amaranth and 1/4 cup of sorghum. You can add a bit more to make 1 and 1/4 cup total flours for thicker bread

1/4 to 1/2 teas baking soda

optional spices, such as pinch of cumin, cinnamon, chinese five spice, or 1/2 teas cocoa powder

pinch of salt to taste, maybe a 1/4 teaspoon

wet ingredients, mix in separate bowl:

1/2 half teasp (or more) apple cider vinegar

glop of olive oil, about a spoonful (depending on how moist you want this, teaspoon or more)

glop of molasses, maybe half to a teaspoon

glop or honey, agave, or other sweetener, to taste. (can use artificial or stevia, if going low sugar route) perhaps the equivalent of a tablespoon

add 1 egg and beat it up

You will be adding water to this, but add the flours/nut meals first and then see how much you need to add to get a thick batter, since flour mixtures vary in dryness and eggs vary in size

Stir until blended, adding water as needed.

Pour batter into your preheated pan that has more oil in it. Pan should be hot but not smoking, watch the oil carefully. Cook until bottom is done, then finish under broiler. Never leave it alone but watch carefully as it cooks, as nutmeals burn quickly.

The stovetop to broiler method makes wonderful crust, and it cooks quickly. It needs no gum with this mixture.

recipe was on this thread here

The same flour mixture could be subbed in as a "cornbread enhancer" for those looking for all purpose flours, or who want cornbread, but have discovered they can't eat corn. This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator without having to be frozen. I keep half amaranth and half sorghum gluten-free flour mixed up in the refrigerator as a sort of "all purpose." fallback.

Oh, and the skillet - yes, definitely the cast iron is the key to a good crust and moist interior.

Takala, I have no doubt you are probably a very good cook and can probably add a little of this and a little of that and everything comes out awesome. Thanks for writing this up. I think I understand your directions better this time. Question: So, are you saying to cook this in a heated, but not too hot, frying pan with a little oil in the bottom sorta like you would cook pancakes? Then, how long under the broiler? That's fuzzy to me.

[LisaM7]

Thanks, Lisa. I will try it soon and let you know how it goes and what kind of flour I use

Many thanks! This is a treasured recipe for my entire family, so I just have to find a way to continue to make it and have it taste as good as before (maybe not exactly the same as before but still as wonderful!). I will be interested to hear what type of flour(s) you use and whether you make any other changes (e.g., I'm not sure if the baking soda and baking powder are required because of the buttermilk, or if they have something to do with the gluten in the flour?).

I'm thinking of using one of the suggestions here to try Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour mixture and see how that turns out. That would be the easiest I think.

My grandmother taught me to cook from the time I was about 10 (I'm now 50), and she also taught me how to make pie crust. I have never used a store-bought pie crust, and I'm told mine are wonderful. So that is the next project -- a really wonderful gluten-free pie crust so I can continue to make homemade apple pies (which she also taught me how to make), my husband's and my favorite quiche (a recipe we developed), etc.

If anyone here has a great gluten-free pie crust recipe, please share! (Maybe that would require a new topic header?)

[freeatlast]

Use water. You could use milk, buttermilk, (or add a bit extra vinegar to the plain milk) or other milk sub like nut milk if you wanted to.

Skillet bread in small 8" round cast iron pan, like cornbread:

I would be using those 3 gluten-free flours as part of the recipe, I use salt, and pure apple cider vinegar and baking soda to leaven it.

Dry, measure out in large measuring cup:

About half almond meal, then 1/4 amaranth and 1/4 sorghum by proportion, so that would be 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/4cup of amaranth and 1/4 cup of sorghum. You can add a bit more to make 1 and 1/4 cup total flours for thicker bread

1/4 to 1/2 teas baking soda

optional spices, such as pinch of cumin, cinnamon, chinese five spice, or 1/2 teas cocoa powder

pinch of salt to taste, maybe a 1/4 teaspoon

wet ingredients, mix in separate bowl:

1/2 half teasp (or more) apple cider vinegar

glop of olive oil, about a spoonful (depending on how moist you want this, teaspoon or more)

glop of molasses, maybe half to a teaspoon

glop or honey, agave, or other sweetener, to taste. (can use artificial or stevia, if going low sugar route) perhaps the equivalent of a tablespoon

add 1 egg and beat it up

You will be adding water to this, but add the flours/nut meals first and then see how much you need to add to get a thick batter, since flour mixtures vary in dryness and eggs vary in size

Stir until blended, adding water as needed.

Pour batter into your preheated pan that has more oil in it. Pan should be hot but not smoking, watch the oil carefully. Cook until bottom is done, then finish under broiler. Never leave it alone but watch carefully as it cooks, as nutmeals burn quickly.

The stovetop to broiler method makes wonderful crust, and it cooks quickly. It needs no gum with this mixture.

recipe was on this thread here

The same flour mixture could be subbed in as a "cornbread enhancer" for those looking for all purpose flours, or who want cornbread, but have discovered they can't eat corn. This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator without having to be frozen. I keep half amaranth and half sorghum gluten-free flour mixed up in the refrigerator as a sort of "all purpose." fallback.

Oh, and the skillet - yes, definitely the cast iron is the key to a good crust and moist interior.

Takala, how long under the broiler? Also, do you cook these like pancakes? Thanks.

[Takala]

Yes, like a giant pancake you don't flip - The 'under the broiler' part will depend on how far away from the top burner element the rack is set - about 6". And it goes fast. Maybe a minute or two, maximum, and you watch the top of the bread until it starts to turn color and lightly brown- then pull it out with a hot mitt potholder on your hand. This is why I emphasize NEVER leave this stuff unattended when you are cooking it.

[freeatlast]

Yes, like a giant pancake you don't flip - The 'under the broiler' part will depend on how far away from the top burner element the rack is set - about 6". And it goes fast. Maybe a minute or two, maximum, and you watch the top of the bread until it starts to turn color and lightly brown- then pull it out with a hot mitt potholder on your hand. This is why I emphasize NEVER leave this stuff unattended when you are cooking it.

Ok. I'm going to try your skillet bread sometime soon.

[freeatlast]

Takala, I'm not going to lie to you, I just finished off 4 pieces of your skillet bread (as in I just ate half of it--oink). That was some good eats!

I'm going to have to work on my technique and get that down b/c I did burn the bottom. The amazing thing is it was still good even burned a little bit on the bottom. Wow.

THANK YOU for sharing that delicious recipe.

Lisa, your cornbread is next

[LisaM7]

Freeatlast, I hope my grandmother's cornbread turns out as well!! Good luck with the flour substitution. I can't wait to hear about the results.

Lisa