Substitute for xanthan gum

[Rosie]

Dee, I'm trying to avoid corn for right now, and discovered that xanthan gum ususally comes from fermenting corn sugar. In baking, have you found a good substitute? I can use eggs, so would a extra egg or egg white help? I am soy inolerant so have to avoid legumes, which eliminates guar gum. And carageenan has always given me bad gas, so want to avoid that too. I tried poking around your site and using the search function, but couldn't find the info I was looking for.

Thanks,

Rosie

[kscolorado]

Rosie, I remember someone saying on celiac.com that they used ground flax seeds. Flax is fiber just like xantham and guar so I bet it does work but don't know if it would change flavor ect. Dee probably will have a good suggestion too!

[Gloria]

Ground flax seed is sometimes used, but it is a laxitive. Plain gelatin can be used without affecting the flavor. I've also used potato starch, though I seem to tolerate xantham gum.

I'm sure Dee will have some other suggestions.

Gloria

[Rosie]

Thanks for the suggestions, Gloria and Kathy. Any idea as to how much to use?

Rosie

[kscolorado]

Here is a link for the flax seeds but be careful, as Gloria said it is a laxative and may not be best for mc

http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/2007/12 ... -free.html

[adelie]

Konjac (aka glucomannan) flour is a yam fiber and has very similar properties to xanthan gum. The ratio I've seen is 1 tsp konjac flour for every 2-3 cups of flour mixture for bread. I usually order it from either:

http://www.konjacfoods.com

or

http://www.carbsmart.com

In baking, make sure it's well dispersed in the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. If using it to thicken liquids, it will thicken slower in cold liquids. Well, actually, you just have a little time to stir and disperse it in a cold liquid. Once it starts to gel, it gels quick. If you add it to something hot, you'll get instant hard gel globs that aren't edible.

Karen

[Gloria]

Kathy,

I have used gelatin in addition to, not instead of, xanthan gum, so I can't write from experience.

I found this information here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/sh ... p?t=845263

For one loaf of bread, use 1 pkt of gelatin soaked in 1/4 cup cool water for 5 minutes. Also add about 1/2 C flaxseed meal (freshly ground is best). It can be soaked in boiling water (abt 1/2 C) until the water is cool enough to add to the bread.
Another trick I learned: Take about 1/2 cup of your rice flour for the recipe. Mix it with equal parts of water and boil --stirring constantly-- until it forms a nice gooey ball. All of these things combined should eliminate your need for any gums. And make a pretty decent loaf of bread too! I'd experiment for you (to write down my amounts), but we just switched to a rotation diet and so can only do 1 grain at a time. Good luck!

I've never heard of the rice flour mixture - might be something to try.

This website http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term ... an-gum.asp gives the following suggestion on replacing gelatin:

I would suppose it works both ways, ie. substitute twice as much gelatin for the amount of xanthan gum.

To substitute xanthan gum for gelatin, use half the amount of gelatin required in the recipe. As an example, use 1 teaspoon of xanthan for 2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin.

However, this website http://archive.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/37695 doesn't recommend gelatin for breads:

Dear Kitchen Sleuth,
I have a lot of food allergies, and I've recently added gluten to the list.
I have found several different flours I can use, but I need a non-bean, non-corn, non-nut substitute for xanthan gum or guar gum.
I tried unflavored gelatin in one yeast bread experiment. The bread turned out kind of like baked porridge. It's okay. I can toast it and put butter on it. But if this is the only bread I ever get to eat, it is unlikely that I will ever have a sandwich again.
I have seen on labels that cellulose gum is used by food manufacturers, but I can't locate a retail source for cellulose gum. (Maybe it is also called methylcellulose - I know that it is made from cotton).
Do you have any suggestions where I might buy it, or for an alternative gum?


Dear Kay,
Thanks for your question, I'm sure you're already aware of the selection of ready-made non-gluten breads in the refrigerated sections of our health foods store - and as these probably don't meet your needs we admire your home-baking intentions!

Gelatin products will indeed make a porridge consistency and are best used for ice creams and jams or jellies with agar agar or carrageenen as the best non-gluten choices.

For breads, however, substitutes for guar or xanthan gums include milled flax seeds, coconut flour, and a yam product called glucomannan.

All of these can be used 1:1 to substitute for either guar or xanthan gum.
They're available at most health food stores or professional culinary shops.

Food grade cellulose gum (CMC), made from cotton seeds, works as a stabilizer, thickener, thermal gelation agent, and water binder, yet could take a seasoned chemist to determine the right proportions for baked goods. There are numerous sources for these cellulose products for the commercial baker and minimum orders are quite large. As yet, we have not yet been able to find sources for the home baker.

I hope this helps. Let us know what you've tried and how well it works.

Gloria

[Rosie]

Wow, what a lot of ideas for substitutes to try! Thanks, Gloria, Kathy and Karen. I really love my baked goodies, and will give some of these a try. I'll certainly post my results here.

P.S. When I looked up konjak (glucomannan) which I'd never heard of before, I had to grin. The scientific name for konjak is Amorphophallus. In the picture of the plant, the flower looks just like a huge "what its name suggests".......

Rosie