Xanthan gum has been essential to my capability to develop gluten free recipes since 2005— however I have been looking for a correct xanthan gum substitute for a very long time. If you happen to’re in search of a method to substitute xanthan gum in your baking, I may help!
Listed here are 4 worthy substitutes. I’ve examined the primary 3 in my recipe for gluten free chocolate chip cookies. The 4th is just for yeast bread:
- Cellulose, or “Good Gluten Substitute” (changed xanthan gum practically 1:1)
- Guar Gum (about 2.5 occasions as a lot as xanthan gum)
- Konjac Powder (a bit greater than xanthan gum by quantity)
- Psyllium husk (in yeast breads, with various outcomes)
Xanthan gum substitute highlights
The final advice for xanthan gum is to make use of between 0.05% and 0.35% of the entire weight of the recipe.
Here is a high-level abstract of my findings, however please hold studying for all the main points:
- Good gluten substitute (cellulose): Retains moisture very nicely. Carried out in addition to, if not higher than, xanthan gum within the cookies recipe, in bigger quantities. Really useful use is 0.75% to 1% complete weight of recipe.
- Guar gum: In bigger quantities than xanthan gum (about 2.5 x), it labored rather well in cookies. Perfect substitute for comparatively brief baking occasions at average temperatures as a result of it does not retain moisture that nicely. Really useful use is 0.5% to 2% complete weight of recipe.
- Konjac powder: Retains moisture nicely. Required a barely greater quantity, and about 2x by weight, and labored considerably much less nicely than xanthan gum. Really useful use is 0.5% to 0.7% complete weight of recipe.
- Psyllium husk: Not for truffles and cookies, however works remarkably nicely in yeast bread baking, significantly when there’s one other binding agent to carry the rise upright. Really useful use is about 2% complete weight of recipe.
What’s xanthan gum & why will we use it?
Xanthan gum is a fancy sugar that’s created by way of the fermentation of sugar by naturally-occurring micro organism, which is then dried and floor right into a powder. It is a hydrocolloid (that’s, creates a gel with water) that has been FDA-approved to be used in meals within the U.S. since 1969.
Xanthan gum acts to bind meals components collectively, retain moisture, and add elasticity. It is activated at any temperature and stays steady in very excessive warmth and over lengthy durations of time, making it preferrred for changing a number of the properties of gluten in gluten free baking.
Why do you have to substitute it?
In recipes that decision for xanthan gum, you must solely substitute xanthan gum in the event you do not prefer it or simply do not need to use it. Perhaps you are delicate to it even within the comparatively very small quantities it seems in meals (often lower than 0.4% of the entire weight of the components in a recipe). Or perhaps you’ve got simply heard that psyllium husk is a lot better in yeasted gluten free bread than xanthan gum.
In recipes that already name for a gluten free flour mix with out xanthan gum, like gluten free pancakes, gluten free crepes, and because the base for a roux for gluten free gravy, you need not substitute xanthan gum. However in gluten free baking that requires xanthan gum as a gluten substitute, if you wish to keep away from it, I am right here to assist.
How will you substitute it?
To interchange xanthan gum in cookies, truffles, muffins, and pastries, I like to recommend guar gum, konjac powder and cellulose powder for binding, thickening and elasticity. For yeast breads, I additionally advocate psyllium husk.
There isn’t any magical components the place I can let you know precisely how a lot of every of those binders to make use of instead of xanthan gum in completely any recipe. Like the best quantity of xanthan gum to make use of in any explicit recipe varies, so does the quantity of every of those substitutes. As some extent of reference, xanthan gum weighs about 3 grams per teaspoon.
Guar gum
Guar is not nearly as good at retaining moisture, so it isn’t preferrred for yeast breads, that are baked at greater temperatures for longer durations of time. I used about 2.5 occasions as a lot guar gum within the cookies as I might have xanthan gum. Guar gum weights about 2.6 grams per teaspoon.
Konjac powder
Derived from the tuber of the konjac plant, it is excessive in glucomannan, a dietary fiber that’s recognized for gelling and thickening properties. I used about 1.5 occasions extra konjac by weight, and about the identical quantity by quantity, as xanthan gum. Konjac weights about 3.2 grams per teaspoon.
Cellulose
Bought by Modernist Pantry as “Good Gluten Substitute,” this “modified cellulose” product is a dietary fiber derived from the cell partitions of vegetation. I used fairly a bit extra cellulose by quantity and practically 2.5 occasions the load of xanthan gum. Cellulose weighs about 1.4 grams per teaspoon.
Psyllium husk
A dietary fiber derived from the plantago ovata plant, psyllium husk is bought because the “complete husk” or floor into powder. It turns right into a gel in water that resembles hydrated flax, and provides binding, elasticity and makes uncooked gluten free baked items simpler to deal with. It begins to interrupt down at comparatively low baking temperatures. Entire psyllium husk weighs about 5 grams per tablespoon.
Baking cookies with a xanthan gum substitute
I examined cellulose, guar gum, and konjac powder in my excellent, thick and chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe. I eradicated psyllium husk from this spherical of testing as a result of I solely prefer it as a binder in yeast bread.
The testing course of
I researched how a lot of every binder to make use of in drop cookies like these, and saved each single different ingredient fixed as directed within the recipe. I used eggs and butter from the identical batches, on the identical temperature, in precisely the identical quantities. I used to be meticulous in avoiding cross-contamination of the binders. No dishonest!
For the flour mix, I used Vitacost Multi-Mix Gluten Free Flour, which is gum-free, tremendous cheap and wonderful for drop cookies. I could not use Higher Batter’s basic mix or Bob’s Pink Mill 1-to-1, which already include xanthan gum. I did not need to use Nicole’s Finest, because it tends to bind considerably nicely even with out xanthan gum.
I made a half-batch of the cookies, weighed out 50 grams uncooked dough for every cookie, and let the dough chill for 12 hours precisely earlier than baking based on the recipe directions.
I used the next precise quantity in every 1/2 batch of cookie dough:
- 2 teaspoons guar gum (about 5 grams) (or 1.2 % of complete recipe weight)
- 1 teaspoon konjac powder (about 3 grams) (or 0.7 % of complete recipe weight)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cellulose (about 3.7 grams) (or 0.85 % of complete recipe weight)
Take a look at outcomes
In making basic drop-style gluten free chocolate chip cookies, here is how guar gum, konjac powder, and cellulose powder carried out once I used them instead of xanthan gum within the quantities listed above:
Guar gum
The cookies held their form fantastically, and the outcomes have been practically equivalent to what I anticipate from xanthan gum. No notes!
Konjac powder
The cookies did not maintain their form fairly as nicely, however I believe it would require extra for a perfect consequence. I actually favored this in gluten free biscuits with out xanthan gum, so I stay actually hopeful about it.
Cellulose
This was my favourite binder of the bunch, outperforming even guar gum. The cookies held their form at the same time as they cooled similar to ones made with xanthan gum, with out feathering on the sides.
Here is a photograph of all the cookies from all 4 batches, lastly capable of mingle collectively. Can you see which is which? I undoubtedly cannot any extra!
Psyllium husk in gluten free baking
Xanthan gum does not break down even at excessive oven temperatures over lengthy durations of time, so it really works fantastically for the lengthy baking occasions which might be usually essential to bake good gluten free bread. Nevertheless it produces a considerably boring crumb, and I do know that yeast bread with psyllium is simpler to deal with and even knead (making a stand mixer much less necessary), so I began testing months in the past.
Common use rules
You should definitely use greater purity “blond” husk, which is a lightweight tan colour from which the outermost layer of the husk is eliminated, or your baked items could flip a innocent however unpleasant blue/purple colour. I like NaturaleBio model complete husk from Amazon, but when it is out of inventory, I might purchase Yupik model.
I want to make use of the entire husk, versus psyllium husk powder. If you happen to want to make use of the powder, use about 15% much less by weight in a recipe that requires the entire husk.
Baking a loaf of bread with psyllium
After I used psyllium husk instead of any xanthan gum in my gluten free artisan bread, made in a Dutch oven, I used to be utterly unsuccessful. With out the supportive construction of a loaf pan, the excessive sides of a Pyrex bowl, or any xanthan gum or substitute, it did not maintain its form because it cooled.
After I added psyllium instead of xanthan in my basic white gluten free bread recipe, utilizing the Vitacost Multi-Mix Gluten Free Flour, the dough rise fairly excessive but additionally slumped a bit because it cooled. It was additionally very damp inside even after cooling for two hours. Psyllium gel begins to interrupt down round 180°F, so it requires the proper of extra assist within the type of sufficient starches, egg whites, and/or ideally some xanthan gum to assist the rise because it cools.
Subsequent, I added 20 grams of psyllium husk and 1 further tablespoon of lukewarm water to my gluten free bread recipe, utilizing Higher Batter’s basic mix which already incorporates xanthan gum. It was probably the greatest gluten free loaf breads of my life, with a crisp crust, a young inside that was moist however not moist, and numerous bready style and aroma. It additionally had an extended shelf-life.
You may see under the way it rose actually excessive and has a pleasantly irregular crumb because of the psyllium husk, and held its form fantastically after rising very excessive because of the egg whites—and the xanthan gum. Xanthan gum alone tends to yield a really common, uniform crumb, however this was a extra gluten-like crumb.
Baking formed bread with psyllium
To this point, I’ve not favored utilizing psyllium husk instead of xanthan gum totally in formed gluten free bread made with an all function gluten free flour mix. I’ve tried gluten free bagels and gluten free cinnamon rolls, however they did not maintain their form.
I do actually love the mix of xanthan gum and psyllium husk in formed gluten free breads, although, made in my common model.
In my recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls, I used the Vitacost gum-free mix, however added xanthan gum and psyllium husk with nice success. The rise was even and managed, with tons of oven spring, and the rolls have been chewy and even held the filling higher.
Psyllium husk + a xanthan gum substitute in breads
Subsequent, I plan to check these yeasted gluten free bread recipes utilizing both konjac powder or cellulose instead of xanthan gum plus psyllium husk. I anticipate actually good outcomes. I will not strive guar gum, since I anticipate it will not retain moisture over the lengthy baking time.
FAQs
If a recipe requires xanthan gum however you are utilizing a gluten free flour mix that already incorporates it, go away it out. In any other case, it’s worthwhile to substitute it with an alternate in the correct amount for that sort of recipe, or your baked items shall be crumbly, dry, and can go stale extra rapidly.
No, though cornstarch does thicken liquids to create a roux and can be utilized to thicken pudding, it doesn’t create elasticity or gel like xanthan gum in any quantity as a gluten-replacer.
Pectin may be helpful in gluten free baking, however I have never been profitable in utilizing it to switch xanthan gum.
I have never been profitable in utilizing gelatin to switch xanthan gum.
I like konjac, guar gum, or cellulose as a substitute for xanthan gum in pastries, cookies, truffles, muffins, and fast breads. You will want various quantities of every, however I believe they’re all efficient substitutes.
No, baking powder incorporates a chemical leavener (baking soda), a starch, and an acid (often cream of tartar). It does not bind, thicken, or retain moisture like xanthan gum.
No, though they do have some gelling properties, they will not present the gluten-like community that xanthan gum, konjac powder, cellulose, guar gum, or psyllium husk can.
