This basic dry mix is the base or “flour” for a variety of baked goods. The cake flour adds a nice textures to cakes and muffins and the xanthan gum makes low protein baked goods a little less fragile. Having it mixed together in advance helps simplify your life (a little). I keep it stored in a large bin with the ingredients and their amounts labeled on the lid. Prior to using, whisk the bin to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Cook for Love Baking Mix
This basic dry mix is the base or “flour” for a variety of baked goods. The cake flour adds a nice textures to cakes and muffins and the xanthan gum makes low protein baked goods a little less fragile. Having it mixed together in advance helps simplify your life (a little). I keep it stored in a large bin with the ingredients and their amounts labeled on the lid. Prior to using, whisk the bin to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Nutrition
Ingredients
Method
- Sift the ingredients into a large bin.
Notes
* If you cannot find cake flour, you can use 90 gm (3/4 cup) all purpose flour + and extra 30 gm (1/4 cup) wheat starch. It will keep the phe/pro the same.
Reader Q&A:
Q: I am gluten intolerant. Is there a substitute for the wheat starch? A: Depends on your phe allowance and how sensitive you are to gluten. Many brands of wheat starch fall under the allowed FDA labeling to be considered gluten free –less than 20 ppm (parts per million) — but if you are super sensitive or allergic trace, know there is trace gluten there. My friend, who is intolerant, enjoys all of the low protein baked goods when she is over without gastric distress but it will vary from person to person. If you are super sensitive to gluten and your tolerance is high enough, you can probably use many of the GF blends out there, like King Arthur. If your tolerance is lower and wheat starch is just not working for you, cassava flour will likely be your new best friend. It will not be a 1:1 substitute as it is a heavier flour that will require some other starches to “lighten” it a bit.
Brenda
Q: Can you use the Cambrooke Baking Mix in place of the CFL Baking Mix for recipes on this site? A: No. Cambrooke Baking Mix has rising agents, fats and sugars whereas the CFL baking mix is a pure flour substitute. Cambrooke’s mix also has a distinct taste whereas the CFL baking mix is neutral in flavor (like flour). That being said, you can always try! Our recommendation is to ALWAYS make a recipe as directed the first time so you know what the end product should taste like and then make all the substitutes you want after that.
Brenda
Q: Help, I’m confusing myself terribly,
Baking mix replaces flour in baked items but NOT bread correct?
I’m so lost without Wel-Plan. A: Yes that is correct. Most of my recipe collection for non-yeasted baked goods use either CFL baking mix or plain old wheat starch. Yeasted breads use a different combination listed in the recipe.
Q: We don’t have that brand of cake flour where I live, can you use any brand of cake flour? A: yes
Q: Is the cake flour mentioned here is “All purpose flour”? A: No, cake flour is different from regular flour — it is a softer wheat with less protein.
Q: How long can you store this mix for? A: A year.
Q: Can you recommend the specific brands of cake flour and wheat starch you use? A: You can use whatever brand you can find. I tend to use Swan’s cake flour because that is what my local grocer carries and Honeyville wheat starch since that is the cheapest option that I can find.
Q: Where do you purchase your Wheat Starch from and what brand do you use? I’m having a hard time finding it in the stores. I do have the Cambrooke brand but want to try your version first. I really appreciate your help! A: You cannot find wheat starch in a regular store. Sometime you can get it at a really good Asian market. I buy mine in bulk through Honeyville : https://cookforlove.org/pantry/
Q: I need to find a replacement for the wheat starch before tomorrow because I cant find any that I can get in time. What is a replacement!? A: there really isn’t one. Perhaps one of the low protein mixes that do not contain a lot of other ingredients like sugar, rising agents, fats, stabilizers, etc.
Q: Could you use the substitute Wel-Plan baking mix for any of your recipes? A: I really do not recommend using another mix for my recipes unless you are in a total pinch because different mixes have distinct flavors. Try it first the way it was written so you know what it should look and taste like. After that feel free to experiment with different ingredients.
Q: dear Brenda.. Ik would like to know how mucht protein you count for the baking mix. thank you A: All of the information about the phe/protein/calories of the recipe is on the right hand side. 1 cup is 1.7 gm protein.
Q: In your baking mix it says 11.6 protein per mix.. I dont get that, my wheat starch says 0 gram protiein and my cake mix 5.7 per 100 gram.. so how do I need to count this?? thank you A: It is all calculated by HMP. It is 11.6 gm protein in 7 cups, so each cup has 1.66 gm protein. Each cup weighs 130 gm, not 100 gm. 100 gm would be 59 mg phe or 1.2 gm protein.
Q: So I can’t find wheat starch, can I tapioca starch instead? A: No. If you go to IN OUR PANTRY, there are resources for wheat starch.
Q: I see that you’ve answered someone’s question about substituting Tapioca starch for wheat starch. How about arrowroot starch/flour? A: Nope — you need wheat starch (sorry)!
Q: If I’m making something that calls for self rising flour, would the baking mix be a good replacement? Wasn’t sure if it was more “plain” or “self rising”. I’m obviously a non-baker. A: The baking mix does not have rising agents (baking soda or baking powder) or salt, it is more of a plain flour substitute. To make it into a self rising flour, you would add 1.5 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt per cup (130 gm).
Q: Can I substitute King Arthur gluten free flour for the cake flour in the CFL flour? How much would it change the phe and texture when making the cake? A: I have not tried. There is a line by line phe amount after each ingredient. You would subtract the phe from the CFL baking mix from the phe in the recipe and then add the phe from King Arthur GF blend. — Brenda
Q: is “cake & pastry flour” the same and appropriate to use? 2g vs. 3g protein on label A: When you look up cake flour on HMP, the unrounded protein is 2.6 gm so likely the brand you are using has rounded up correctly.
Q: I am gluten intolerant. Is there a substitute for the wheat starch? A: Depends on your phe allowance and how sensitive you are to gluten. Many brands of wheat starch fall under the allowed FDA labeling to be considered gluten free –less than 20 ppm (parts per million) — but if you are super sensitive or allergic trace, know there is trace gluten there. My friend, who is intolerant, enjoys all of the low protein baked goods when she is over without gastric distress but it will vary from person to person. If you are super sensitive to gluten and your tolerance is high enough, you can probably use many of the GF blends out there, like King Arthur. If your tolerance is lower and wheat starch is just not working for you, cassava flour will likely be your new best friend. It will not be a 1:1 substitute as it is a heavier flour that will require some other starches to “lighten” it a bit.
Brenda
Q: Can you use the Cambrooke Baking Mix in place of the CFL Baking Mix for recipes on this site? A: No. Cambrooke Baking Mix has rising agents, fats and sugars whereas the CFL baking mix is a pure flour substitute. Cambrooke’s mix also has a distinct taste whereas the CFL baking mix is neutral in flavor (like flour). That being said, you can always try! Our recommendation is to ALWAYS make a recipe as directed the first time so you know what the end product should taste like and then make all the substitutes you want after that.
Brenda
Q: Help, I’m confusing myself terribly,
Baking mix replaces flour in baked items but NOT bread correct?
I’m so lost without Wel-Plan. A: Yes that is correct. Most of my recipe collection for non-yeasted baked goods use either CFL baking mix or plain old wheat starch. Yeasted breads use a different combination listed in the recipe.
Q: We don’t have that brand of cake flour where I live, can you use any brand of cake flour? A: yes
Q: Is the cake flour mentioned here is “All purpose flour”? A: No, cake flour is different from regular flour — it is a softer wheat with less protein.
Q: How long can you store this mix for? A: A year.
Q: Can you recommend the specific brands of cake flour and wheat starch you use? A: You can use whatever brand you can find. I tend to use Swan’s cake flour because that is what my local grocer carries and Honeyville wheat starch since that is the cheapest option that I can find.
Q: Where do you purchase your Wheat Starch from and what brand do you use? I’m having a hard time finding it in the stores. I do have the Cambrooke brand but want to try your version first. I really appreciate your help! A: You cannot find wheat starch in a regular store. Sometime you can get it at a really good Asian market. I buy mine in bulk through Honeyville : https://cookforlove.org/pantry/
Q: I need to find a replacement for the wheat starch before tomorrow because I cant find any that I can get in time. What is a replacement!? A: there really isn’t one. Perhaps one of the low protein mixes that do not contain a lot of other ingredients like sugar, rising agents, fats, stabilizers, etc.
Q: Could you use the substitute Wel-Plan baking mix for any of your recipes? A: I really do not recommend using another mix for my recipes unless you are in a total pinch because different mixes have distinct flavors. Try it first the way it was written so you know what it should look and taste like. After that feel free to experiment with different ingredients.
Q: dear Brenda.. Ik would like to know how mucht protein you count for the baking mix. thank you A: All of the information about the phe/protein/calories of the recipe is on the right hand side. 1 cup is 1.7 gm protein.
Q: In your baking mix it says 11.6 protein per mix.. I dont get that, my wheat starch says 0 gram protiein and my cake mix 5.7 per 100 gram.. so how do I need to count this?? thank you A: It is all calculated by HMP. It is 11.6 gm protein in 7 cups, so each cup has 1.66 gm protein. Each cup weighs 130 gm, not 100 gm. 100 gm would be 59 mg phe or 1.2 gm protein.
Q: So I can’t find wheat starch, can I tapioca starch instead? A: No. If you go to IN OUR PANTRY, there are resources for wheat starch.
Q: I see that you’ve answered someone’s question about substituting Tapioca starch for wheat starch. How about arrowroot starch/flour? A: Nope — you need wheat starch (sorry)!
Q: If I’m making something that calls for self rising flour, would the baking mix be a good replacement? Wasn’t sure if it was more “plain” or “self rising”. I’m obviously a non-baker. A: The baking mix does not have rising agents (baking soda or baking powder) or salt, it is more of a plain flour substitute. To make it into a self rising flour, you would add 1.5 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt per cup (130 gm).
Q: Can I substitute King Arthur gluten free flour for the cake flour in the CFL flour? How much would it change the phe and texture when making the cake? A: I have not tried. There is a line by line phe amount after each ingredient. You would subtract the phe from the CFL baking mix from the phe in the recipe and then add the phe from King Arthur GF blend. — Brenda
Q: is “cake & pastry flour” the same and appropriate to use? 2g vs. 3g protein on label A: When you look up cake flour on HMP, the unrounded protein is 2.6 gm so likely the brand you are using has rounded up correctly.
