What Can I Substitute for Gluten Flour?

You're making a wholemeal, multigrain or part-rye loaf and the recipe adds a few spoons of gluten flour to help it rise.

• baker's flour — 1 g baker's flour for every 1 g gluten flour, with the recipe's plain flour also swapped for baker's flour (3 tsp)

Baker's flour carries 12–13% protein against plain flour's 9–11%, so making the whole dough with it rebuilds much of the gluten network that gives structure and rise, though very heavy wholegrain loaves will sit a little lower.

You're making pizza dough or bagels and the recipe adds gluten flour for a chewier, stretchier bite.

• baker's flour — 1 g baker's flour for every 1 g gluten flour, with the recipe's plain flour also swapped for baker's flour (3 tsp)

An all-baker's-flour dough has enough gluten to stretch thin and hold its shape, so you keep the structure, but expect a slightly softer, less springy chew than with added gluten flour.

You're making seitan, mock duck or a vegan roast where gluten flour is the main ingredient.

• gluten washed from baker's flour — 700 g baker's flour for every 100 g gluten flour

Washing the starch out of a kneaded baker's flour dough leaves the same elastic gluten, so it covers the chew and binding that seitan depends on, at the cost of about an hour and a lot of flour.

You're adding a spoonful or two of gluten flour to veggie burgers, rissoles or vegan sausages to stop them falling apart.

• egg — 1 egg (about 50 g) for every 15 g gluten flour used as a binder
• psyllium husk — 7 g psyllium husk powder for every 15 g gluten flour (3 tsp)

Egg sets with heat and psyllium forms a sticky gel, so both hold the mixture together, though neither gives the springy bite of gluten; choose psyllium if the patties need to stay vegan.

You were going to make seitan pieces for a stir-fry, curry or bolognese and you just need something to fill that place in the dish.

• extra-firm tofu — 250 g tofu for every 100 g gluten flour
• textured vegetable protein (TVP) — 100 g dry TVP for every 100 g gluten flour

Pressed and fried tofu works for chunks in sauces and TVP works for mince-style dishes, but neither has a gluten network, so you lose the dense, elastic chew.

You want a seitan-style mock meat with the same dense, stretchy chew but it has to be gluten-free.

Nothing really replaces it here.

The chew of seitan comes entirely from gluten, and no gluten-free ingredient forms that elastic network, so choose a recipe built around tofu, tempeh or TVP instead of trying to copy seitan.

Your homemade seitan from washed flour is soft, mushy or crumbles when you slice it.

Why: Too much starch was left in the gluten, or the dough wasn't kneaded and rested long enough to develop before washing.

Fix: If it's still raw, knead and rinse it again in cold water until the water runs almost clear; if it's already cooked, crumble it and use it as mince in a sauce.

Your wholemeal loaf made with baker's flour instead of gluten flour came out dense and short.

Why: Heavy wholegrain flour dilutes the gluten, and baker's flour alone doesn't carry enough extra protein to lift it fully.

Can't be fixed — next time: This loaf can't be raised further, so slice it thinly and toast it; next time replace part of the wholemeal flour with baker's flour or buy gluten flour.

Your bread dough is wet and slack after leaving out the gluten flour.

Why: Gluten flour absorbs more water than baker's flour, so the recipe's full liquid is now too much for the dough.

Fix: Knead in baker's flour a little at a time until the dough holds together, rest it for 20 minutes, and next time hold back about 15 ml water for every 10 g gluten flour left out; if you're adjusting a US recipe, remember an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, not 15 ml.

Your veggie burgers bound with egg are soggy and fall apart in the pan.

Why: Egg adds liquid rather than soaking it up the way gluten flour does, so the mix is too wet to hold its shape.

Fix: Mix in a handful of breadcrumbs, chill the shaped patties for 30 minutes, and fry them in a hot pan without moving them until a crust forms.

Is gluten flour the same as vital wheat gluten?

Yes, gluten flour and vital wheat gluten are the same product sold under different names. Both are around 75–80% protein and can be swapped gram for gram. In the US, check the label, because some products sold there as gluten flour are blends with ordinary flour.

Is gluten flour the same as baker's flour?

No, baker's flour is ordinary wheat flour at about 12–13% protein, while gluten flour is concentrated gluten at around 75–80% protein. Baker's flour can replace the small amounts of gluten flour added to bread, but it cannot be used to make seitan without washing out its starch first.

How do I turn plain flour into baker's flour with gluten flour?

Replace about 10 g of every 250 g plain flour with gluten flour to bring it close to baker's flour strength. Weigh it rather than spooning it, because an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml and holds about 10 g, while a US or UK tablespoon is 15 ml and holds only about 7–8 g. You may also need a little extra water, because gluten flour absorbs more than plain flour.

Can I leave gluten flour out of a bread recipe?

Yes, in most white and part-wholemeal breads you can leave it out, especially if you make the dough with baker's flour. Hold back some of the water, because the dough will absorb less without it. Loaves made mostly from wholemeal or rye flour will rise less and turn out denser.

Is gluten flour gluten-free?

No, gluten flour is almost pure wheat gluten and is unsuitable for anyone with coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance. For gluten-free baking, psyllium husk or xanthan gum help bind the dough, though neither gives the same stretch or rise.

Can I make seitan without gluten flour?

Yes, you can make seitan by kneading a baker's flour dough and rinsing the starch away in cold water. It takes about 700 g flour to produce the gluten in 100 g gluten flour, plus about an hour of resting and washing. The result is slightly stringier and less even than seitan made from gluten flour.