By Charlotte Druckman

For The Washington Post

“Can you make this gluten-free?” has become one of those dreaded questions every recipe developer and food writer must face. We dread it because we’ve accepted the discomfiting truth: There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all substitute for all-purpose flour.

But converting a recipe that contains gluten to one that doesn’t is often possible and sometimes pretty easy. At the same time, there are situations when you’re better off choosing another project entirely than settling for a subpar gluten-free version of a baked good.

I absorbed this from Liz Prueitt, cookbook author and co-founder of California-based Tartine Bakery. Prueitt is gluten-intolerant and recently launched “Have Your Cake,” a newsletter at haveyourcakelizprueitt.substack.com for bakers in the same boat. Guided by her expertise, I’ve compiled some essential — and encouraging — information on the subject.

A mix of cup-for-cup and all-purpose gluten-free flour blends. (Tom McCorkle / For The Washington Post)

What does gluten do?

It helps to understand what the gluten in wheat flour does in baked goods when trying to replace it. Prueitt identifies the protein’s three fundamental functions: One, it traps gas, whether created by chemical leaveners (baking soda or powder) or yeast. Two, it absorbs moisture. (This is particularly relevant for baked goods with soft crumbs, such as cakes, muffins or Dutch babies.) Three, it offers elasticity, as in the stretchy chew of pizza or focaccia.

All-purpose flour, Prueitt says, “has just enough gluten in it” to make things that require less of the protein, such as cookies, and others that require more, such as baguettes and bagels. While cake flour has the lowest percentage of gluten, pastry flour a bit more and bread flour the max, all-purpose falls somewhere in between. That’s why you can use it in most baked goods instead of those specialty types without sacrificing your intended outcome too much.

Gluten-free replacement flours

In lieu of one magic bullet that can handle everything all-purpose wheat flour can, there are multiuse replacement flour blends for gluten-free baking, labeled as cup-for-cup/measure-for-measure. (While there are some gluten-free flour blends sold as “all-purpose,” from such brands as Bob’s Red Mill, they are typically for recipes that call for an additional stabilizing ingredient, so they aren’t great options for people who simply want to convert a recipe with gluten to one without.) Chef Thomas Keller’s Cup4Cup is probably the best known, but there are others, such as from King Arthur Baking and Bob’s Red Mill. These are blends of gluten-free flours, supplemental starches (corn, tapioca, potato) and stabilizers (xanthan gum, psyllium husk).

Prueitt isn’t a fan and avoids them where possible. “I really can’t stand cooking with those cup-for-cup blends,” she says, though she acknowledges they are more accessible for home cooks. “They’re all basically based on starch, and I don’t feel like eating pure starch all the time.”

Even the blend she developed, although it has more whole grains than commercial cup-for-cups, is starchier than she might want in an ideal world. She uses it for things like her yellow cake, because it gives her the light, airy texture she’d get with cake flour. In general, she says, homemade or store-bought cup-for-cup flour blends are a trusty substitute for cakes, tart and pie crusts, muffins, quick breads and pate a choux (choux pastry) — anything, really, that would otherwise call for cake or all-purpose flour. They also lend themselves well to cookies, such as the Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies she adapted from her original recipe with wheat in the 2006 cookbook “Tartine.” “Cookies in general work well gluten-free,” she says.

The major functional issue she has with any cup-for-cup blend that would seem to offer itself as a universal replacement is that “everything is just too particular, and that’s why there’s just so many baking failures in this area,” she says. “You have to be judicious and understand what it is that you’re going to make with it.” She recommends avoiding them entirely when tackling bread dough, including focaccia and pizza. An exception might be an Irish soda bread.

More recently, she has noticed that the brands behind these commercial cup-for-cup products have started making specialized blends designed for specific purposes. She advises you go for one of those if you’re selecting a commercial blend, according to what you wish to bake.

Homemade gluten-free flour blends

Most professional bakers and cookbook authors, including Jeffrey Larsen of “Gluten-Free Baking at Home” and Aran Goyoaga of “Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple,” don’t rely on store-bought blends. In part to mimic the properties of wheat, they customize their own gluten-free blends, one recipe at a time. That way, they can calibrate the ratio of grain to starch, and dried to wet ingredients, to achieve the desired texture and flavor. A kernel of wheat consists of the bran, or hard outer casing; the endosperm, the starchy interior that accounts for most of the kernel and is the source of white flour; and the germ, the small, sprouting section containing fat, minerals and vitamins. Gluten-free blends primarily seek to replicate the function of the endosperm.

Prueitt supports this reverse-engineering strategy not just because it yields better results, but because it allows her to select ingredients, including whole, unprocessed grains, for the structural and textural purposes they serve and for their flavor. The gluten-free version of her chocolate, oatmeal and walnut cookies are a good example; they have oat flour in addition to whole oats, in lieu of the original all-purpose. “Oat flour will inherently have more flavor than something made from a starch blend, for instance,” she says.

Some ingredients for Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Rey Lopez / For The Washington Post)

Picking gluten-free baking recipes

The best place to start if you want to bake something gluten-free is to avoid converting altogether or do it as little as possible. Flourless chocolate cake would be the most obvious choice. But macarons and dacquoise (meringue-based cakes) have traditionally been made with nut flour (almond, usually); financiers are composed mostly of nut flour combined with a small amount of wheat flour and are therefore relatively easy to make gluten-free.

Similarly, French galettes, or the savory version of crepes, are, incidentally, gluten-free. They were originally developed with buckwheat flour, and they accommodate and showcase its texture and flavor. (Be sure to look for a gluten-free label on buckwheat products, as there is a risk of cross-contamination with gluten-containing grains.)

If you want to get your feet wet with flour swaps, Prueitt recommends shortbread, because it’s not reliant on gluten and allows for an easy one-to-one substitution (for once!). This is also true of other shortbread-like doughs, such as press-in crusts or pate sucrée (a sweetened pastry dough akin to a cookie).

For more complicated conversions, your best bet is to trust pros like Prueitt, Larsen or Goyoaga, who specialize in gluten-free baking and tailor their flour blends for the task at hand.

A quick guide to gluten-free flours

Unlike wheat, nuts and buckwheat don’t technically qualify as grains, though they are staples of gluten-free baking. But there are even more options out there, and Prueitt has suggestions for how to bring out their best.

Rice flour: Ideal for something crispy, like tempura batter, or a pie shell. While white rice flour is the main ingredient in most cup-for-cup blends, brown has more flavor, which is why you’ll often find the two used in tandem. Find a finely milled product to prevent gritty results. Prueitt recommends the Anthony’s brand.

Oat flour: Prueitt often uses it solo, if not combined 50-50 with her multipurpose blend. It has a notably nutty, slightly sweet flavor, which can’t be said of most flours. Try it in muffins, pancakes or Mexican wedding cookies. Store-bought is preferable for its finer texture.

Coconut flour: Because it soaks up liquid like a sponge, you can’t use it as a one-to-one replacement. But Prueitt has figured out how to harness its quirk: she soaks it before adding it to her batter. That way, it doesn’t absorb the rest of the recipe’s liquid. It’s also delicious and rich in fiber. Prueitt combines it with flaxseeds in muffins. Cooks adhering to a keto diet or those looking to reduce their carb intakes rely on it a lot, too, for everything from brownies to dinner rolls.

Teff flour: High in polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) and fiber, teff is touted for its health benefits, but it has a slightly bitter flavor and can leave your baked goods gummy or sandy. Like wheat bran, it shines when supported by warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc.), especially in carrot cake and cookies. You could also celebrate its bitterness by pairing it with chocolate. Conveniently, cocoa powder offsets the grain’s potential sandiness. Similarly, nuts inhibit its gummy tendencies.

Cornmeal: It isn’t always listed as gluten-free if it’s grown or processed in proximity to wheat. But the gluten-intolerant can stomach it. Just find one that’s been certified gluten-free, such as Bob’s Red Mill. Try cornmeal (or its relative, polenta) in johnny cakes, skillet cakes and muffins.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These gluten-free chocolate chip and walnut cookies rely on two formats of oats and a replacement flour blend to create the kind of soft-center, crispy-edged treat you often get from wheat-based recipes. The dough is rather soft, so don’t be alarmed. The unconventional method of cutting rounds from a parchment-wrapped log instead of scooping dough balls helps ensure even portioning and a circular shape. Use a commercial cup-for-cup blend, or see the note for how to make and store Liz Prueitt’s homemade gluten-free flour blend. King Arthur Baking and Bob’s Red Mill are among the brands that offer cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blends. The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 45 minutes and up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months; defrost in the refrigerator before slicing and baking.

Makes 40 cookies

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 grams) oat flour

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (75 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (60 grams) homemade or store-bought cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend (see Note)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

About 3/4 cup (175 grams) packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Generous 3/4 cup (150 grams) chocolate chips, preferably dark

1/2 cup (50 grams) walnut halves, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, rolled oats, gluten-free flour blend, baking powder and baking soda until well combined.

2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and salt, and beat until the mixture is very smooth and light, almost like a fluffy buttercream, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix on high for another 1 minute.

3: Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a flexible spatula, fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until the dry ingredients are incorporated. (Alternatively, switch to the paddle attachment on the stand mixer.) Add the chocolate chips and walnuts, and stir until combined.

4: Have ready two large sheets of parchment paper, with the long sides facing you. Divide the dough into two portions, about 390 grams each. Working with one portion at a time, place the dough on the upper quarter of one of the pieces of parchment, spreading and pressing into a roughly 9-by-3-inch rectangle. Fold the top of the paper over the log with a few inches of overhang, then use a bench scraper or a ruler pushed up against the paper to make the logs tight and uniform. The logs should be 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about 10 inches long. Twist the ends of the paper tight like a giant candy wrapper, which will help evenly distribute the dough into a cylinder. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

5: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.

6: Using a very sharp serrated knife, slice through the paper, cutting the cookies into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, rotating the log 90 degrees after each slice to keep an even shape. (The dough will be on the soft side, so cutting through the paper will help the rounds hold together better.) Peel the paper off and arrange the cookies on the prepared sheet pans, spaced 1 inch apart. If the rounds are not even, use your fingers to gently mold them into circles.

7: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden and the edges are slightly darker than the center, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Transfer the pans to wire racks, let the cookies cool completely on the pans, then serve or store.

Substitutions: Nut-free? Use more chocolate chips instead of the walnuts.

Note: To make Liz Prueitt’s gluten-free flour blend, whisk together 2 1/2 cups (375 grams) superfine white rice flour; 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons (150 grams) tapioca starch; 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch (150 grams; may substitute arrowroot or white rice flour); 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (150 grams) potato starch (not potato flour); 3/4 cup (100 grams) superfine brown rice flour (or sorghum); 1/2 cup (75 grams) nonfat or whole milk powder (use dry soy milk powder for vegan or omit). The yield is about 7 cups (1,000) grams. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months or refrigerate for up to 6 months.

Storage note: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Per cookie: 87 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 11 g carbohydrates, 40 mg sodium, 11 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber, 6 g sugar

Recipe adapted from Liz Prueitt’s Have Your Cake newsletter.