Ask The Chef

Food editor Beth Hillson answers your questions about special-diet baking.

There are many wonderful gluten-free flours available. I often use sorghum flour in place of rice flour, as it contains more fiber and nutrients and has a very subtle flavor that doesn’t overpower recipes. I like millet flour and Montina flour for the same reasons. I’m not aware of any commercial flour blends that meet your needs but you can make your own. Try this recipe for a good all-purpose blend: Mix 1¼ cups sorghum flour, millet flour or Montina with ¼ cup arrowroot starch and ½ cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca starch flour). Add ½ teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons guar or xanthan gum. Combine ingredients and store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container until used.