Gluten free Baking Powder

[Jenise]

Just read a recipe calling for gluten-free baking powder (the first onion bhaji recipe in Bill's thread about same). The recipe is otherwise not presented as being for that purpose so I'm not sure if the requirement is because gluten-free BP would work better for some reason or if they were just capitalizing on the trend and taking advantage of the fact that there was no other gluten in the recipe so heck, might as well make it GF. If not the former, though, why not just specify baking powder with the parenthetical alternative.

Larry, you know these things better than anyone. What say you?

Baking powder is made from an acid and a base, a buffer, and a filler, usually cornstarch, flour, or potato starch. If you run out, you can make your own from baking soda and cream of tartar.

I'm assuming the BP recipe was calling for a brand that doesn't use flour--even though it's a minor component to keep it from clumping and activating (in our dry climate BP lasts a very long time.

I avoid brands that have any form of aluminum in the ingredients--read the label. And learn the difference between single- and double-acting baking powder.

Larry out.

[Jenise]

The recipe was something posted on the BBC site, and they didn't name brands. Just chick pea flour and "gluten free BP" generically speaking. I was just wondering if there was something about chick pea flour, or maybe even deep frying, that would make gluten free BP a better match.

IMO, it's just a sales gimmick: gluten-free. I can't see whether gluten or not would affect anything, particularly since it's such a tiny amount. I say don't worry about it, unless you have celiac disease, which I doubt would affect it anyway.

Jenise, I think there would be so little of the filler as to make no difference. I have always used rice flour as the filler in BP never even thinking about gf or not. Works fine.

[Jenise]

Barb, thanks, I love you science types! But really, I wouldn't have run out to buy (or make my own) Baking Powder. I don't need gluten free--I was just surprised that a recipe that didn't seem to be touting itself that way would specify it over the more common variety, and wondered it there was possibly some cooking benefit I wasn't aware of.

I think this is in the same category as recipes that specify "sea salt" when any old form of salt would do. In baking powder there's so little of the anti-caking agent that it doesn't matter what that agent is, in terms of how it will affect behavior of the recipe. It should only be a concern to those who have celiac disease.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I am sure you're right. I just feel bad for the people who would run out to buy a GF baking powder because they didn't know they didn't have to. (Celiac people already know their way around the problem.) I don't understand the science, but I did understand I wouldn't do that.