Binding Gluten-Free Bread & Pizza Dough

Simply swapping regular flour for gluten free flour in a pizza, or any bread recipe, simply will not work. Period. End of story. This is because it is the gluten itself that binds the flour and makes it sticky and stretchy the way these doughs need to be to form them. In order for gluten-free bread and pizza doughs to work that gluten needs to be substituted with something that will give the dough a similar binding effect, otherwise you'll just end up with a crumbly mess.

Your Main Two Substitutes:

There are two main gluten substitutes out there and each has its pros and cons, and both need to be measure very carefully as using too much will result in your baked goods having an unpleasant heavy and gummy texture; extreme cases are even slimy, so do strictly follow measurement guidelines.

Xanthum and guar gum are your main options. For both of these you want to use a strict 1 teaspoon for each cup of gluten-free flour when making bread or pizza dough. (Measurements for other baked goods are listed below.)

Xanthum Gum:

Xanthum gum is a fermented corn sugar that also contains a microbial that I can't even pronounce. It is traditionally added to sauces to thicken them. The pro: I've found it easier to find. The cons: its more expensive than guar gum, and because its made from corn it may present an allergen risk for some people.

Guar Gum:

Guar gum comes from the seed of a legume-type plant and is a significantly stronger thickening agent than cornstarch. However, again, it is its binding qualities we are looking for in gluten-free baking. Pros: cheaper than xanthum gum and super high in fiber. Cons: all that fiber can cause problems with digestive problems like IBS.

Additional Flour Options:

I've also come across this information during my research but have not had a chance to test it out as my co-op doesn't carry the ingredients (I'm going to order them from Amazon.com and see how they come out).

Sweet (or Glutenous) Rice Flour:

The first thing to be aware of: Glutenous does NOT mean it has gluten! This is gluten-free flour. The term glutenous simply refers to its glutenous characteristics; it behaves a lot like gluten containing flours, like wheat flour. However it is not a direct substitute. My impression from what I've been reading is that this flour should only be about 25%-30% of the gluten-free flour mixture used. I'm not sure if this is due to price, availability, or if too much of it becomes too sticky or sweet. Apparently this flour is easier to find at ethnic food store (Asian especially) and is often far cheaper there. I also found a good deal on the Bob's Red Mill version on Amazon.com (it seems so weird to order food online).

This is the only flour I've found so far that helps with binding gluten-free doughs. I will add more to this posting as I learn more.

Substituting Gluten in Baked Goods:

Gums:

Cakes, muffins, and quick breads: 1/2 tsp per cup of gluten-free flour.
Cookies and bars: 1/2 tsp or less per cup of gluten-free flour.
Bread and pizza doughs: 1 tsp per cup of gluten-free flour.

Flours:

Follow recipes that include sweet/glutenous rice flour so as not to over use this substitute. If creating your own flour mixture, as a rule of thumb only use this flour for about 25%-30% of the flour mixture.