Gluten Free Pastry Flour Mix (Dairy Free, Less Starch)

Make your own gluten-free pastry flour that stays tender, light, gum-free and dairy free. This blend uses more whole-grains and less starch for a delicate crumb without potato or tapioca. Great for cakes, pie crusts, crepes, muffins, and soft cookies. Plus: easy swaps for different gluten free flours to match the same “all-purpose” feel.

Why This Blend Works

• Texture: light, fine crumb for “pastry” results (not bready).
• Ratio: about 60–63% whole-grain to 37–40% starch keeps bakes tender without gums.
• Clean ingredients: no potato, tapioca, cornstarch, or dairy powders. Still versatile for most non-yeasted bakes.

Even though there is a large variety of gluten free flour mixes available in stores I still prefer mixing my own gluten free pastry flour recipe. It’s cheaper plus I’m avoiding those nutritionless starch flours and gums. So I can control exactly the ratio and and the quality of ingredients (I always opt for organic).

Gluten Free Flour Mix With Less Starch

Even though a gluten free pastry flour mix requires a more airy texture my preference is too use more whole grains than starches. Approximately 60% whole grain gluten free flours and 40% starch flours. I do not use potato starch, corn starch or tapioca because they are nutrition-less and usually come from genetically modified sources.

In my published cookbook I included this pastry flour mix plus 2 whole grain versions of gluten free flour blends and another grain free flour blend which I’m using throughout the book for most of my recipes. Make sure to check it out it you would like healthier gluten free baking and cooking options.

Gluten Free Pastry Flour Ingredients (Their Roles)

• Sorghum flour: mild, softly textured whole grain; adds body without grit. Sorghum flour is usually beige or white in color and is considered to be “sweet,” softly textured (smoother than rice flour) and mild-tasting. The growing gluten sensitivities and the gluten free diet trend in recent years made sorghum flour very popular. People also like it because it’s low on the glycemic index, plus high in starch, fiber and protein. For a healthier version – use sprouted flour (a bit darker in color) or for a finer grind and texture, use superfine sorghum flour.
• Brown rice flour: neutral base and light crisp edge. Brown rice has a mild flavour and texture, the tan color also gives baked goods a slightly browner look. I always opt for organic. I usually use this brown rice flour that is both organic in sprouted. Rice flour doesn’t absorb liquid and fat very well. That’s why a combination with other starches and flours will yield the best results.
• Cassava flour: whole-root flour adding tenderness; absorbs more liquid-use in balanced ratio. Cassava flour is not the same as tapioca flour. Tapioca is the bleached and extracted starch isolated from the rest of the cassava root, while cassava flour is made from the entire root. Cassava flour is very mild and neutral in flavor, it’s gluten free, grain free and offers all the taste and texture of wheat. But because it’s lighter and absorbs more liquid it’s best to use it in combination with other gluten free flours. And as with any root vegetables, it absorbs nutrients and pollutants within its vicinity, therefore it is important to choose organic cassava flour.
• Arrowroot: feather-light starch for lift and a delicate bite, it’s flavorless and is mostly used to lighten up the texture and structure in baking; clean alternative to cornstarch. I’m using organic arrowroot powder.

How To Use This Pastry Blend

1. 1:1 with GF flour: use as a 1 : 1 replacement for flour or all-purpose gluten free flour blends: in most non-yeasted pastries (cakes, cupcakes, crepes, cookies, pie crusts).
2. Leavening: add per recipe (don’t pre-mix into the jar). Gluten free flour does not rise like regular flour so you will need to add leavening agents like baking soda + an acid or baking powder.
3. Binders: usually not needed; But for extra binding properties you can add 1 to 2 tbsp of golden flax meal or psyllium husk, per recipe especially when you don’t use eggs.
4. Hydration tweaks: oat/buckwheat swaps can need +2–4% water; sweet-rice mixes may need slightly less in thin batters.
5. Storage: You can store a portion of it in an airtight container at room temperature (up to 1–2 weeks) and refrigerate the rest for longer.

Can I Make Puff Pastry With This blend?

Not reliably with the original mix, it tends to crack and crumble during folds. But you can use it for rough-puff (simpler lamination). See the variant below with finer grind flours, sweet rice for stickiness, and a small amount of psyllium for cohesion.

Rough-Puff Pastry Flour Variant

• 190 g sweet rice (glutinous) flour
• 170 g superfine sorghum flour (“superfine” matters)
• 70 g cassava flour
• 24 g arrowroot powder
• + Psyllium husk powder: 6 g (≈ 2 tsp)

Why these ratios work:

Sweet rice supplies “stickiness”/elastic feel for folds; superfine sorghum adds strength without grit; a small cassava portion softens bite; arrowroot keeps tenderness/snappiness, laminated rather than bready. Psyllium (~1.3% of flour) prevents cracking without gumminess.

Hydration & fat (same for both):

• Water: start 58–62% of flour → 260–280 g water per 454 g flour
• Fat: 60–65% of flour → 270–295 g cold fat per 454 g flour
• Salt: ~1.5% → 7 g (≈ 1¼ tsp fine sea salt)

Flakes vs powder: If using psyllium flakes, use 10–12 g instead of 6 g powder.

Rice-Flour Alternatives

The recipe uses 1 cup / 167 g brown rice flour. Swap by weight and keep the blend’s whole-grain:starch balance. Pick one of these:

1) Millet flour (closest neutral stand-in)

• Swap: 160 g millet flour + 7 g arrowroot
• Use for: most “All-Purpose” pastry baking (cakes, crepes, tart shells).
• Notes: very neutral; that extra 7 g arrowroot restores crisp-tender bite.

2) Oat flour GF (soft, tender crumb)

• Swap: 150 g gluten free oat flour + 17 g arrowroot
• Use for: muffins, cookies, snack cakes.
• Notes: may need +1–2 Tbsp liquid per cup flour in wetter batters.

3) Light buckwheat + starch (balanced, slightly nutty)

• Swap: 125 g light (dehulled) buckwheat + 42 g arrowroot
• Use for: waffles, pancakes, rustic tart shells.
• Notes: mild nuttiness; starch addition keeps texture light.

4) Sweet rice + millet (extra binding, still not gummy)

• Swap: 90 g sweet rice (glutinous) + 77 g millet
• Use for: rolled doughs, cut-outs, crackers where cohesion helps.
• Notes: sweet rice adds chew/bind; millet prevents gumminess.

Swaps for Sorghum Flour

Swap by weight and keep your whole-grain : starch balance (~60–63% : ~37–40%) steady.

Best 1:1 (closest in taste/texture)

• Millet flour – 121 g (straight swap). Neutral, light, and the least change in color or flavor

Softer/creamier crumb

• Oat flour – 115 g oat + 6 g arrowroot. Oat is a touch heavier and more hydrating; the extra starch restores lightness. Expect to add 1–2 Tbsp liquid per cup of flour in some batters.

Slightly nutty, still light

• Light (dehulled) buckwheat – 105 g buckwheat + 16 g arrowroot. Choose light buckwheat to avoid gray tone and stronger flavor.

Fine, delicate but a bit darker

• Teff (light if possible) – 110 g teff + 11 g arrowroot. Adds gentle malty notes; great in cookies, tart shells, crepes.

Neutral & crisp (if you want more rice character)

• White rice flour – 121 g rice + optional +5 g arrowroot. Very neutral; crisp-tender edge similar to brown rice profiles.

Other workable (use when flavor suits)

• Quinoa flour – 110 g quinoa + 11 g arrowroot (rinse/sprout/dry/grind or buy deodorized to reduce bitterness)
• Tigernut (grain-free) – 115 g tigernut + 6–10 g arrowroot (sweeter, richer; great for cookies/tarts, less “pastry-fine”);

How The Full Blend Looks With Each Swap (454 g Total Target)

Original: 167 g brown rice • 121 g sorghum • 81 g cassava • 85 g arrowroot

• Millet version: 167 g brown rice • 121 g millet • 81 g cassava • 85 g arrowroot
• Oat version: 167 g brown rice • 115 g oat • 81 g cassava • 91 g arrowroot
• Light buckwheat version: 167 g brown rice • 105 g buckwheat • 81 g cassava • 101 g arrowroot
• Teff version: 167 g brown rice • 110 g teff • 81 g cassava • 96 g arrowroot
• White rice version: 167 g brown rice • 121 g white rice • 81 g cassava • 90 g arrowroot (85 + optional 5)