Holistic approaches

It is important to look at the system as a whole, according to Janae Kuc, R&D manager, Gum Technology, a business unit of Penford Food Ingredients, Tucson, AZ. “We have seen favorable results when using a combination of potato starch, rice starch, gum Arabic, xanthan gum and guar gum to replace gluten-containing ingredients in various baked goods, including cookies, cakes, muffins and breads,” she said. “The highly functional ingredients help to provide structure and set, improve crumb and retain moisture.”

Many bakers seek out gluten-free mixes designed for specific applications, which allow the baker to enter the gluten-free market without all the hassle of research and development. “Complete mixes are great if you don’t want to worry about inventory or scaling,” said Greg Reed, bakery R&D manager at Watson.

Nutrient-dense ancient grains such as amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, sorghum and teff are often part of the mix. “They are naturally gluten-free, provide whole grain nutrition and fiber and are available in a variety of forms, including custom multigrain blends, mixes and our gluten-free all-purpose 51% whole multigrain flour blend,” Mr. Sheluga said.