Gluten-Free Flours and Home Baking – A Practical Beginner’s Guide

Without gluten, dough won’t stretch, rises differently and dries out fast – but with the right flours, a good binder and a few tricks, you can bake bread, cakes and cookies at home that are a pleasure to eat. Plus: how to buy flour without bringing cross-contact home.

03.11.2026 · 7 min read

Why gluten-free dough behaves differently

In wheat flour, gluten is the dough’s “skeleton”. Knead it with water and it forms a stretchy network that traps the gas from the yeast and keeps bread tall and airy. Take the gluten out and that network goes with it – so gluten-free dough doesn’t stretch, tears easily, behaves more like a thick batter than a dough, and dries out and goes stale faster.

In practice, this means you can’t just take a regular recipe and swap the wheat flour for rice flour. A good result usually needs three things: a blend of several flours, something to do gluten’s job, and a bit more liquid and patience. The good news is that in cakes, brownies and cookies gluten plays a smaller role anyway – which makes them the easiest place to start.

Meet the flours: who does what

Every gluten-free flour has its own flavor, texture and role. There’s no single flour that replaces everything, but once you know what each one brings, choosing a recipe or a mix gets a lot easier:

Rice flour – the base of most blends. White rice flour is neutral in taste; brown rice flour adds more flavor and fiber. On its own it can feel slightly gritty, which is why it’s paired with starches.
Corn: flour and starch – corn flour (and polenta) brings flavor and a yellow tint, while cornstarch (sold in Israel as “cornflour”, קורנפלור) is a fine white powder that lightens bakes and thickens sauces. Check the pack says it’s made from corn and is labelled “gluten-free”.
Potato starch and tapioca starch – light starches that add softness and chew. Tapioca comes from cassava and gives a little stretch, as in Brazilian cheese bread. Potato flour (made from whole potatoes) is different from potato starch – it’s heavier and soaks up a lot of liquid.
Buckwheat (in Hebrew: כוסמת, kusemet) – despite the name, it isn’t related to wheat at all; it’s the seed of a completely different plant and naturally gluten-free. It has a strong, nutty flavor and is great for pancakes and crêpes. Just don’t mix it up with spelt (כוסמין, kusmin) – spelt is a type of wheat and contains gluten.
Sorghum – a mild, slightly sweet grain that works nicely in breads and cakes as part of a blend.
Teff – a tiny Ethiopian grain, familiar in Israel from injera (the spongy Ethiopian flatbread). Full of flavor, and good in pancakes, dark breads and chocolate cakes.
Chickpea flour (besan) – high in protein with a noticeable legume taste. Excellent for savory bakes, quiches and frying batters, less so for a delicate sponge.
Almond flour – rich and moist, giving indulgent cakes and cookies, but it browns quickly, so you may need to lower the oven temperature a little. Not suitable, of course, for anyone with a nut allergy.
Quinoa – nutritious, with an assertive flavor some people find bitter. Works well in small amounts within a blend.
Oats – only oat flour or oats explicitly labelled “gluten-free”. In Israel, the regulations list oats among the gluten-containing grains, and a minority of people with celiac react even to pure oats – so it’s best to add them in coordination with your doctor or dietitian.

💡 Buckwheat – yes; spelt – no. The Hebrew names sound almost identical, but only buckwheat is gluten-free. And even buckwheat flour is best bought labelled “gluten-free”, for reasons we explain below.

Ready-made mixes and binders: what replaces gluten

If you’re just starting out, a ready-made gluten-free flour blend is the simplest way in. Most blends combine rice flour with starches, and some already include a binder. Watch for the difference: some products are sold as “flour” with no binder, while “baking mixes” already contain one. Read the ingredients list – if there’s no binder, you’ll probably need to add one yourself. And a blend made “for cakes” won’t always work as well for bread, or vice versa.

The binders you’re most likely to use at home:

Xanthan gum – a powder that adds viscosity and holds the structure together. You use very small amounts; too much gives a gummy texture.
Psyllium husk – fiber from the husk of psyllium seeds that turns into a gel when it meets water. It gives gluten-free dough enough flexibility to shape loaves and rolls, which is why it’s a favorite for bread.
Eggs – bind, add volume and support the structure, especially in cakes and sweet bakes.
Ground chia or flax seeds – a plant-based option that forms a gel, and can also stand in for eggs in some recipes.

💡 When you buy binders, spices or baking powder, they need to be gluten-free too. One contaminated product in an otherwise “clean” recipe is enough to undo all your work.

Simple tips for bread, cakes and cookies

You don’t need to become a professional baker. A few small habits make a big difference:

Start with recipes written to be gluten-free rather than converting a regular one. Once you know the flours, it’s easier to experiment.
Weigh instead of using cups – flours and starches vary a lot in weight, and a cup of almond flour is not a cup of rice flour.
Let the batter rest – 15 to 30 minutes before baking helps the flours and psyllium absorb liquid, so the texture comes out less gritty.
Bread: the dough will be softer and stickier than you’re used to, and that’s normal. A loaf tin or a cast-iron pot helps it keep its shape, and wet hands make shaping easier. Bake it fully – underbaked gluten-free bread stays gummy inside.
Cakes: this is where gluten-free really shines – chocolate cakes, brownies, almond cakes and moist oil cakes stay delicious without gluten.
Cookies: chilling the dough before baking helps keep them from spreading in the oven, and cookies made with almond flour or peanut butter tend to come out soft and rich.
Storage: gluten-free bakes go stale quickly. Slice your bread once it cools, freeze it in bags, and toast or warm only the slices you need.

Buying flour without bringing cross-contact home

This is where many people slip up: flour made from a naturally gluten-free crop – rice, buckwheat, millet – doesn’t necessarily stay that way on its journey to you. Crops are rotated in the same fields, harvested with the same combines, transported in the same trucks and milled in the same mills as wheat and barley. In a small US study from 2010, about a third of “natural” grains and flours that weren’t labelled gluten-free contained gluten above the 20 parts per million threshold.

In Israel, this matters especially in a few places:

Spice and nut shops at the shuk (open-air market) – flour in open sacks, one scoop moving from sack to sack, and wheat flour dust in the air. Cheap and charming, but not safe for celiac.
Bulk bins and health food stores – even when the flour itself is gluten-free, the bins, scoops and scales are shared by everyone.
Small mills and “freshly ground” counters – a mill that also grinds wheat or spelt puts gluten into everything that passes through it afterwards.
Store-packed bags – without a “gluten-free” label, it’s hard to know where and how they were packed.

💡 At home too: if someone in the family bakes with wheat flour, the dust settles on counters and utensils. Keep your gluten-free flours in closed, labelled containers with their own measuring spoons and sieve, and try to do your gluten-free baking before – not after – a regular baking day.

Reading the label: what to look for on a bag of flour

We covered the full rules in our guide to hidden gluten, but in short: the “gluten-free” label (ללא גלוטן, “lelo gluten”) is defined in Israeli regulations and requires gluten levels of up to 20 parts per million and production conditions that prevent contamination. So for flours, that’s the label you want – even on flour that “should” be gluten-free anyway, like rice or buckwheat flour.

“100% buckwheat”, “organic” or “natural” describe the ingredient, not the production line. A “may contain gluten” warning on a bag of flour is a sign to put it back. With ready-made mixes, read the ingredients list too – wheat starch or malt sometimes hides in there. And when in doubt, celiac associations and your health fund (kupat cholim) dietitian can help you check specific products.

FAQ

Is buckwheat really gluten-free? The name sounds like wheat.

Yes. Buckwheat is a plant unrelated to wheat, and in its natural state it’s gluten-free. The one that does contain gluten is spelt, which is a type of wheat. Because of the risk of cross-contact during growing and milling, it’s best to buy buckwheat flour labelled “gluten-free”.

Can I swap wheat flour for rice flour one-to-one?

Usually not. Rice flour on its own gives a dry, crumbly texture, and without a binder the bake won’t hold its structure. You’ll get better results with a ready-made gluten-free blend or a recipe written for gluten-free flours.

Do I have to add xanthan gum or psyllium?

Not always. Cakes with eggs, brownies and rich cookies sometimes manage without, and many blends already contain a binder. For bread, though, a binder like psyllium makes a big difference. Check your blend’s ingredients before adding one.

Is rice flour from a bulk bin at the market safe for celiac?

It’s not recommended. Even if the rice itself is gluten-free, bulk bins mean shared scoops and containers and wheat flour dust, with no guarantee about gluten levels. For celiac, packaged flour labelled “gluten-free” is the better choice.

Sources

Gluten Intolerance Group – Gluten-Free Flours & Thickening AgentsThe US-based GIG on why a blend of flours works best, the difference between a plain “flour” and a “baking mix” with a binder, and storing whole-grain flours in the fridge.
NIDDK – Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Celiac DiseaseThe US National Institutes of Health: a list of safe flours (rice, corn, potato, buckwheat, quinoa and more), cross-contact, and guidance on oats.
Thompson T. et al. – Gluten contamination of grains, seeds, and flours in the United States: a pilot study (2010)A study that tested 22 unlabelled “naturally gluten-free” grains, seeds and flours and found about a third exceeded 20 parts per million of gluten.
Coeliac UK – Avoid gluten free cross contamination at homeThe UK coeliac charity on preventing cross-contamination in a home kitchen shared with people who eat gluten.
FDA – Questions and Answers on the Gluten-Free Food Labeling Final RuleThe FDA explains how naturally gluten-free grains, legumes and seeds pick up gluten through crop rotation, shared harvesting and transport equipment, and shared factories – and notes that spelt is a type of wheat.

General information only – not medical advice. For personal questions, talk to your doctor or a dietitian.

Looking for somewhere to eat?

Every gluten-free place in Israel, with clear badges and ratings.

Find a place →