We wish we could be by your side in the kitchen. Unfortunately, since we are not it is tough to identify exactly what's going wrong. We recommend measuring ingredients by weight, whenever listed, for the best results. In addition, an oven thermometer is also a very useful tool, as most home ovens are somewhat inaccurate and baking temperature is key to a recipe's success. Here are some general tips the test kitchen has published for troubleshooting gluten free recipes.
Pancakes
| COMMON PROBLEM | POSSIBLE SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| Dense, gummy texture | Lower burner or griddle temperature and extend cooking time to help pancakes cook through without getting too brown |
Muffins and Quick Breads
| COMMON PROBLEM | POSSIBLE SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| Crumbly texture | Add extra egg and use binder, like xanthan gum |
| Dense texture | Use more leavener |
| Dry texture | Add additional liquid or sour cream |
| Mushy center | Lower oven temperature and extend baking time |
| Gritty texture | Let batter rest for 30 minutes before baking |
Drop Cookies
| COMMON PROBLEM | POSSIBLE SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| Excessive spread | Add binder and let dough rest |
| Gritty texture | Let dough rest for 30 minutes before baking |
| Greasy | Use less butter and swap in a portion of almond butter |
| Overly crisp texture | Use more brown sugar, less white sugar |
| Overly soft texture | Use superfine sugar and leave cookies in turned-off oven after baking for several minutes to dry out |
| Airy, hollow texture | Use melted butter instead of creaming it |
| Burnt bottoms | Before baking, place baking sheet of cookies inside second sheet for extra insulation on bottom |
Cakes
| COMMON PROBLEM | POSSIBLE SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| Greasy mouthfeel | Swap in sour cream, chocolate, or cream cheese for some of fat |
| Dense crumb | Reduce amount of fat, use additional liquid, use additional baking powder, use additional egg |
| Gummy center | Lower oven temperature and extend baking time; swap out some of liquid for sour cream |
| Edges of cake are tough | Line sides and bottom of cake pan with parchment paper |
| Cake doesn't release | When parchment is not an option, make paste of butter and flour blend and brush into pan |
Pie and Tart Dough
| COMMON PROBLEM | POSSIBLE SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| Crumbly texture | Add binder, such as xanthan gum |
| Not flaky | Add small amount of rice vinegar |
| Dry, difficult dough | Process butter more thoroughly during mixing |
Yeast Breads
| COMMON PROBLEM | POSSIBLE SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| Dough doesn't rise | Add extra liquid, use instant yeast and bloom yeast in warm, sweetened water, let rise in warm but turned-off oven |
| Dense crumb | Add ground psyllium husk |
| Gummy, wet crumb | Lower oven temperature and extend baking time |
| Squat loaves | Use smaller loaf pan and add foil collar |
| Bread sinks after baking | Leave bread in turned-off oven after baking to dry out |