I’ve developed a method to convert all my baking recipes with all-purpose flour (or self-rising flour) into gluten-free recipes. You only need to make a few adjustments to enjoy all the taste and almost the same texture in all my muffins, bread, scones, brownies, and cakes!
It’s not as simple as just swapping all-purpose flour for all-purpose gluten-free flour. A cake would be gummy, a bagel would be hard as a rock, or brownies would be dense. It’s never a 1:1 ratio because I don’t use eggs in my baking.
You must adjust the recipe according to the instructions provided below.
Gluten-Free Flour Conversion Tool
Determine the exact mixture to replace wheat flour with a customized GF blend.
1. Select Recipe Type
2. Wheat Flour Amount to Replace
3. Flour Style
Your Gluten-Free Flour Mixture
You need all of the below:
Select your options above to see the required ingredients.
* Amounts are rounded to common fractions (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, etc.). Smallest measurable amount is 1/8 tsp.
Converting Cakes, Muffins, Brownies, Crepes & Pancakes
When turning a wheat flour recipe into gluten-free, egg-free baking, you need a blend of flours like an all-purpose gluten-free mix and a nutty flour (e.g., teff, millet), along with baking soda and lemon juice. This is due to the absence of gluten and eggs, which are crucial for structure and leavening. Gluten provides elasticity and a framework to trap gases, while eggs contribute protein for structure, fat for richness, and moisture.
In their absence, the all-purpose gluten-free blend offers a base of starches and gums to mimic gluten’s binding properties. Adding nutty flours like millet, teff, or oat flour will add a finer crumb structure, preventing the baked goods from being gummy or too elastic.
Baking soda (a base) and lemon juice (an acid) react to produce carbon dioxide, providing the necessary lift and aeration that eggs would typically contribute, ensuring a lighter, less dense final product.
This combination creates a synergistic effect, compensating for the missing elements to achieve desirable texture and rise.
Converting Bread Recipes (Scones, Bagels, Bread, Cinnamon rolls)
For gluten-free, egg-free doughs like bagels, scones, and cinnamon rolls, which inherently rely on gluten for their chewiness and elasticity, the addition of a whole psyllium husk gel is necessary.
Psyllium husk is a powerful hydrocolloid, meaning it absorbs and retains a significant amount of water, forming a stable, sticky, and slightly stretchy gel. You can’t swap this ingredient for flaxmeal or chia seeds. They won’t be able to reproduce the same chewiness at all.
In traditional baking, gluten forms a network that traps gases produced by leavening agents, giving bread its structure and chewiness. Without gluten, these doughs can become crumbly, dry, and dense, lacking the “bite.” The psyllium gel mimics some of gluten’s properties by creating a kneadable dough that can trap air and hold its shape. This gel network also helps bind the gluten-free flours together, preventing a rocky hard and dry result and instead contributing to a soft, moist crumb and the chewiness you want.
Before you start the recipe, measure all your ingredients. Keep the recipe’s liquid ingredients nearby as you will incorporate them into the husk gel immediately.
- First, whisk vigorously the whole psyllium husk and lukewarm water to form a thick gel paste.
- Immediately incorporate any of the remaining liquid ingredients of the recipe, like dairy-free milk, lemon juice, oil, etc.
- Add the wet ingredients to the remaining dry ingredients of the recipe to form the dough.
Ingredients you Need
To make your gluten-free flour mix, you need:
- All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour: I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free
- Millet Flour: I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Millet
- Baking Soda
- Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
- Psyllium Husk (for bagels, scones, bread, rolls)
- And to make Self-Rising Flour: Gluten-Free Baking Powder.
What Should I Expect?
With gluten-free flour alternatives, you will get a very similar taste to what you get with wheat flour, however, the texture will be a bit different.
Gluten-free baking will give a slightly denser, slightly gummier texture than regular flour.
Thank you so much for this conversion to gluten free – it is so hard to bake gluten free and I have a ton of recipes from my mom who baked with regular flour that I would love to bake gluten free because I have a gluten intolerance.
I am so glad you find it useful!
I notice that most commercially available GF breads have gums in their ingredients. What is their purpose and what is a good substitute? Can I use psyllium? Or is that more of a binding agent?
Gums in gluten-free flour blends are essential for replacing the structure, elasticity, and binding ability of gluten in baked goods. In short, they act as the “glue” that holds everything together. Psyllium husk is nto a swap to gums, it’s added in gluten-free baking for breads and dough, to form a pliable, stretchy gel that allows the dough to be kneaded and shaped.
Hi Carine,
So am I correct if I wanted to make your cherry banana bread recipe. Which uses self rising flour I would follow your conversion table for cakes, muffins and follow all steps for 1 1/2 cups but add an additional 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
It is not totally clear when it comes to self rising verses all purpose.
As written in bold at the bottom of the first table “If the recipe calls for self-rising flour, add another 1 1/2 teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder per cup of flour used in the recipe.”
It means if the recipe calls for 1 cup of self-rising you need 3/4 cup all-purpose GF flour (as seen on the first table) + 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (this makes your gluten-free self-rising flour). But then you also need to add the extra 1/4 cup nutty flour + 1/4 teaspoon extra baking soda + 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Hi Carine,
Thankyou. In the uk we sell gluten free self raising flour.(Freee)So wanted to establish if can use that plus following your conversion or it would be find just straight swap 1:1 ratio. But will figure it out with trial and error.
What I would do, if my recipe calls for 1 cup self-rising flour, use the chart for 1 cup and apply all the changes. It means for example on the cake chart, you will swap 1 cup self-rising flour for 3/4 cup gluten-free self-rising flour + 1/4 nutty flour + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
what if the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of regular flour and I need to sub it?
If the flour is less than 1/4 cup then you don’t need this conversion chart. Simply use a 1:1 ratio without adding anything else.
Thank you. So GF for your wreaths would be which one?
It will be the first table, the one for cookies.
thank you for the conversion tips for gluten free. i have gone off baking scones cos they turn out yuk. hope this will help
I hope it help you enjoy some good baked goods again! I know what you mean, as I created this chart for myself who can’t eat much gluten and a 1:11 swap was always so tough, dense !
I have substituted 1:1 flour—no gluten for all-purpose flour in my baking—bread & cookies so far—and just did the same amt., with nothing extra. It always turns out great.
It really depends on the brand you use, but you will definitely get a better textur0e, closer to the wheat version, using this converter if you are keen to try.
Can I use chickpea flour as the mild, nutty gluten free flour (so to make it nut free)? Thank you!
Not really, the role of the nutty flour is to add a lighter crumb and texture. Chickpea flour chemistry is more similar to all-purpose gluten-free flour it act as a main bulk, binder. If you use chickpea flour as a nutty flour, your baked goods will be dry, dense. The best nut free options are teff flour, millet flour, oat flour.
If u say 2 cups of all purpose flour in quinoa banana bread how much of my bob red mill GF flour I should use
Thabks
You need to use the first conversion table where it says 2 cups all-purpose flour = 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free bob red mills + 1/2 cup of mild nutty flour (like millet, teff, oat, almond), + an extra 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (it means if the basic recipe already have some, or baking powder you need it too) + 2 teaspoon lemon juice
Hi – Love your recipes! Just one quick question re “baking soda” – just wanted to clarify is it “baking soda” or “baking powder”? We have both here in Australia so was just checking which one I need to use. Many thanks
I use both in my recipes, if you read baking soda it means baking soda. If you read baking powder, it means baking powder. In this gluten-free conversion guide, I had baking soda, to the original recipe as you convert it with gluten-free flour. Baking soda in gluten-free baking is added to promote a richer brown color and a tender texture.