Milled flax seed or coconut flour will give your bread the perfect texture.
Xanthan gum is a thickener that is created when corn sugar is combined with a bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris. While this fact may turn your stomach a little, xanthan gum is perfectly safe for most people to consume, and it is used in a variety of edible products. Some people may have allergic reactions to xanthan gum, due to a corn allergy, and in this case, substituting another ingredient for xanthan gum is the only solution. Xanthan gum is often used as a stabilizer in recipes that are gluten-free, because it binds the ingredients together as gluten would, and so a replacement for xanthan gum must serve the same purpose. Milled flax seeds and coconut flour can both be used in place of xanthan gum in a bread recipe.
Instructions
Replacing Xanthan Gum in a Bread Recipe
1. Measure out the milled flax seed or coconut flour. Both of these substitutes can replace xanthan gum with a 1:1 ratio, so use as much as the recipe calls for. Do not use flax seed that has not been milled, or flax seed oil, as they will not create the thickening and binding effect.
2. Mix the flax seed or coconut flour into the dry ingredients called for in your bread recipe.
3. Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and knead thoroughly. Flax seed may be a little drier than xanthan gum, so if the dough is too dry at this juncture, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough sticks together. Unless your recipe specifically states that the mixture should be wet, the dough should not be moist or damp from adding the water.
Most recipes will require that the bread rise, but occasionally a yeast-less recipe such as pumpkin or banana bread will not need to rise. If the recipe does not call for rising, do not let the dough sit; get it into the oven as soon as it is completely combined.
5. Bake the bread according to your recipe.
Tags: flax seed, coconut flour, flax seed coconut, seed coconut, seed coconut flour, bread recipe, ingredients together
