Discover the story behind my rice free whole grain gluten free flour blend and find out where you can buy it from.
It started with arsenic in rice…
It was in 2014 that I started to read about arsenic being contained in rice.
I had known for a while that those under 4.5 years old were not recommended to have rice milk by the FSA but until that point I stayed firmly under the duvet when it came to reading about why this was.
In the back of my mind I knew that my daughter was eating a lot of rice.
As soon as she went gluten-free after her diagnosis of coeliac disease, rice popped up in everything. From her breakfast cereal in the morning, to her bread for lunch and her pasta at tea time.
When I finally read about the occurrence of inorganic arsenic in rice I decided it was time to address my daughter’s diet.
Arsenic builds up in the body and can cause numerous health issues including certain cancers.
Making everything from scratch wasn’t the answer because the only gluten-free flour blends on the market either contained rice flour or a combination of bean flours (that don’t agree with any of our tummies).
If you’re reading this and you’re not sure what a gluten free flour blend is and why it’s important for baking then check out this blog post.
Twenty three different wholegrain gluten free flour blends and two years later…
So, with my background in science and my love of experiments I set about creating my own gluten free flour blend that would provide my daughter with vital nutrition whilst at the same time being free from rice.
It was important for me to create something that I could use in everything I made; I hate faffing around with hundreds of different flours (even though it is what I have done for years to create one successful blend!) and wanted to make our life as simple as possible!
It also had to provide protein, fibre and calcium since these things are often lacking, but important in a gluten-free diet.
I read about the different properties of each of the different gluten-free flours; the nutritional content of them; how to replicate gluten in gluten-free flours; I tried to get as many whole grains in there as possible…in fact I confess to becoming rather an obsessed flour geek!
If you’re interested, I’ve written about what I learnt about different gluten free flours here.
The result? My unique whole grain gluten-free flour blend that is also great for those with sensitive tummies and IBS since it contains no high FODMAP flours and no gums or strange-sounding ingredients!
It has been tested, tested again, and tested again to ensure that it works. I have created beautiful baguettes, fantastic focaccia, marvellous muffins, perfect pastry, delicious croissants, fabulous cookies, wonderful pasties and even egg-pasta.
And the best thing is that I know that all of those things have got goodness in them even if they are treat foods, because they are made with my whole grain gluten free flour blend. It makes me sleep easier at night.
What is in this whole grain gluten free flour blend?
After a huge amount of research and experiments I settled on teff, sorghum and buckwheat as the main whole grain ingredients in the blend. I added a little tapioca and potato starch too to help lighten the blend and aid binding.
Where can I buy the flour blend?
I sell the flour from my shop. I do have a few stockists but generally prefer to sell direct so I can support my customers.
The plain flour was awarded silver in the innovation category of the Free From Food Awards 2017.
If you’d like to make your own pastry then check out my ebook here to learn how to make quick rough puff, shortcrust, choux and Danish pastry.
Read what other people say about my whole grain gluten free flour and what they’ve made with it here. And at the bottom of my shop page.
If you’ve used my flour and would like to submit a testimonial you can do so here…