GLUTEN 101
WHAT EXACTLY IS GLUTEN?
Gluten is not a grain. It is in fact a protein compound.
Gluten is a mixture of two proteins present in cereal grains, especially wheat, and is
responsible for the elasticity of dough. It’s kind of like glue – making dough stretchy
and giving bread its sponge-like properties.
Gluten is found in a myriad of products, from the usual suspects like bread and bagels to those that are not nearly so obvious.
PHOTOGRAPHS: ILAN OSSENDRYVER; ILLUSTRATIONS: ALLFREEVECTORDOWNLOAD.COM
COMMON GLUTEN CULPRITS
• Wheat/wheat bran/wheat flour/wheat
germ/wheat starch/wheat-berries
• Rye
• Barley
• Oats/oatmeal/oat bran/oat flour/whole
oats (oats are tricky, because they are
technically gluten-free; however,
cross-contamination often occurs. So
be sure to opt for pure, uncontaminated, gluten-free oats)
• Durum
• Semolina
• Kamut
• Spelt
• Malt
• Bulgur wheat
• Couscous
• Tabouleh
• Udon
• Bread
• Pasta/noodles
• Pancakes
• Baked goods (cookies, crackers,
doughnuts, cupcakes, cakes, muffins,
etc)
• Matzah
• Flour
• Wholemeal flour
• Beer, ale, lager
• Brewer’s yeast
TOP 5
GLUTEN-FREE CHOICES:
1 Quinoa 2 Sweet potato 3 Wild
brown rice and basmati rice 4 Corn/
mielies 5 Buckwheat
GLUTEN-FREE
SUBSTITUTIONS
Simply substituting gluten-free
flour for all-purpose flour in baked
goods doesn’t always work… but
here is a guide for replacing 1 cup
of flour in basic recipes:
• 1 cup fine maize meal
• ¾ cup potato flour
• ¾ cup rice flour
BAKING TIP:
BE SCIENTIFIC ABOUT IT
1 cup = 140grams
GF baking can be rather tricky,
especially when it comes to
substituting the quantities
correctly. The best advice is to use a
kitchen scale rather than cup
measurements. Whenever a recipe
calls for 1 cup of traditional flour,
substitute 140 grams of your
favourite gluten-free all-purpose
flour mix.
GLUTEN’S NOT-SO-OBVIOUS SNEAKY HIDING PLACES
There are some baffling and highly unexpected foods that can contain gluten:
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Some mustard and curry powders
Soy sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Some brands o