Everybody deserves a sweet treat, including those who eat gluten-free! We promise it’s possible to have delicious, moist, gluten-free goods with amazing texture. To give yourself the best chance at success, we recommend you follow recipes as closely as possible, at least until you get comfortable enough to experiment—baking is a science, after all!

Below are additional tips and tricks for gluten-free baking, including substitutions for bakers with additional food restrictions.

Baking Times

Baking times can vary depending on the type of pan you use. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s advice of the pan you’re using and use the pan your particular recipe calls for. These recipes often call for longer baking times at a lower temperature compared to traditional recipes. While a cake made from wheat flour might take 30 minutes, a similar, gluten-free cake might take 45 minutes to an hour.

Baking time can vary, so it’s important to monitor your creation for the colors and textures that indicate doneness.

Baking Heat

Oven temperatures can vary from kitchen to kitchen, so you may want to tune or test your oven with an oven thermometer. You can then adjust the temperature accordingly. Placing your baked goods in the center of a pre-heated oven will help with even baking.

Expert tips from Beth Hillson, Food Editor Living Without’s Gluten-free & More:

• Use heavy-gauge pans, like cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel, whenever possible as they hold the heat more evenly.
• It’s important to use the pan called for so baked goods cook through.
• It’s okay to scale down or divide a recipe into two smaller pans, but check for doneness periodically. Do not scale up recipes

Flavor

Try adding extra vanilla and/or spices to recipes. Gluten-free flours can be more flavorful than traditional wheat flours, and adding additional spices to recipes will help cover up these unfamiliar flavors.

Freshness

Flour expires, and unless you’re baking a lot of food frequently, you’ll want to buy gluten-free flours in smaller quantities and store them in the refrigerator or freezer to prolong their shelf life. Buying in smaller quantities also means you’re wasting less if you end up not liking a particular flour.

• Store whole grain flours in a cool, dark place for no more than 6 months.
• Store flour in the refrigerator for up to 9 months.
• Store flour in the freezer for 9 to 12 months.

Some flours can be made at home by purchasing the ingredient whole and then grinding it down with a food processor or even a coffee grinder.

After baking, transfer the food to a wire rack as soon as possible to ensure that they cool properly and don’t become soggy. Left-overs can then be frozen to preserve freshness—just make sure to thaw them completely before eating!

Leavening—Getting a Good Rise

In baked goods made with wheat, barley or rye, gluten is what causes the food to rise. In gluten-free baking, we need to get creative with our substitutes.

• Two teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour will ensure proper leavening.
• Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1 and 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.
• Dissolve the leavener in liquid before adding it to the dough.
• Most yeast is gluten-free, and is a good leavener option for many breads.

High Altitude

Gluten-free baking at high altitude requires less liquid and either a higher oven temperature or a longer baking time. Start with omitting 2 Tablespoons of liquid and increasing the oven temperature by 25° F.

Moisture

There are many ways to increase moisture in a recipe. In general, recipes that call for pureed fruit, sour cream or yogurt are ones you can rely on for a moist product. If your recipe does not call for these, use brown sugar instead of white sugar to add moisture. Honey and agave as a sugar substitute can also enhance moisture, but be aware that you should cut down slightly on the other liquids you are using in the recipe. Adding an extra egg or oil can also help, but err on the side of caution and start with small amounts. It’s easier to add moisture than to remove it!

Batter Consistency

Gluten-free batters don’t have the same consistency as wheat flour batters. Gluten-free flours need more liquids in order to produce the same results, so the batters are generally thinner by comparison (although gluten-free bread dough is usually thicker and stickier).

Allow the batter to sit for a few minutes after combining wet and dry ingredients to allow the liquids to be absorbed.

Structure

In baked goods made with wheat, barley and rye, gluten is the ingredient most responsible for good structure. To improve the structure of gluten-free baked goods, keep these tips in mind:

• Avoid over-kneading or over-beating gluten-free dough, as there is no gluten to develop with kneading.
• Adding dry milk solids or cottage cheese in a recipe can help mimic glutenous structure.
• Sometimes using the moisture tricks listed above will also solve structure problems with products that come out too dense and crumbly.

Additional Substitutions

Butter

Try to use butter substitutes that come as a stick, rather than in a tub, as these will contain a similar amount of moisture to regular butter. You could also try substituting shortening, coconut oil, olive oil or silken tofu. Using combinations of these ingredients will work best.

Eggs

Store-bought egg replacer is a good option, but if you’d prefer to use a whole ingredient, try:

• Silken tofu
• Mashed bananas
• Mashed figs
• Milled flax seeds mixed with hot water
• Milk with baking powder

Milk

Water can always be used as a substitute, as well as milks made from coconut, soy, rice, and nuts.

Sugar

3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or agave can be substituted for 1 cup of granulated white sugar or brown sugar, although these substitutions will add more liquid and moisture to the backed good.