substituting flours for white flours

[ktcrug]

Hi my daughter has many food allergies, wheat, corn, soy included. I am trying to find recipes that substitute other flours for white flour - we have used spelt in bread and although dense it is good tasting. wondering if there are tables that offer conversions for better results, like mixing a portion of spelt and rice oat or rye flours. Cant use xanthan gum either - or fruit pectins. I know this is a tough question - anyone have any experience with this type of situation? she does not have a gluten allergy - but is allergic to pretty much everything except eggs, meat, rice, potatoes. thanks~

[todao]

You'd probably have better results if you post this at:
http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/90
It's a board specially developed for these kinds of issues.

[paulj]

In your subject line, did you mean to write 'wheat flours' instead of 'white flours'. Sounds like wheat is the issue, not whether it is refined or branless.

If spelt is ok, but not wheat, then she's probably alergic to specific proteins in wheat, maybe specific strains of wheat. Spelt is closely related to wheat. There are some other grains in that family (farro, emer etc), but spelt the most common alternative.

Gluten free recipes are probably your best best, though most will use some sort of gum as a substitute for the gluten. Something has to 'glue' the bread together.

Can you find more refined versions of spelt? White wheat flour is used for bread because it produces the lightest bread, and I don't think there's a way around that. In the past, people who where too poor to afford the double bolted (sifted) wheat flour made bread from other grains like barley, oats and rye, but those were always denser. It may be easier to adjust your expectations than to find ways of copying conventional bread.

[ktcrug]

thanks paulj! we are just trying to experiment with baking for her - and she is just thrilled with anything that resembles bread! (rye crackers have been her alternative) she just got back from a year in London, where the gluten free recipes work for her - since they dont use corn. her allergies preclude most US gluten free recipes because of the corn/cornsyrup/soy/xantham gum. her allergy is not gluten, but that removes the wheat at least. there are commercially made and frozen breads without corn/wheat/soy but have apple juice or pectin, which is a anaphalactic for her. home cooking is going to be our answer, I'm just surprised there aren't more conversion tables available. I thought this would be simpler, silly me! I will look for more refined spelt, though she is not complaining about the density. thanks for the help!

[magiesmom]

barley flour subs well.

[greygarious]

I recently made Crescent Dragonwagon's Rose of Persia cake because I heard about it on the radio and was intrigued (google the recipe). It uses half wheat flour and half chickpea flour. The cake has a medium density with an even, fine crumb. I don't know how much of the texture is due to the flours and how much to the extensive beating time, but it demonstrated to me that I can incorporate chickpea flour (called besan in Indian markets) into various baking recipes, which I have been doing. Consider using it with some other flour that your daughter can consume.

[roxlet]

kingarthurflour.com might have some recipes that would help you.

[smtucker]

Second King Arthur. They also sell a large number of non-wheat flour-like mixes. You could call their number and speak to someone. Everyone I have ever spoken with there really knows the ingredients and have been very helpful.