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If you are one of the roughly 1% of Americans who deal with celiac disease–or just one of the growing number of people who want to cut back on or even eliminate wheat from your diet to feel healthier–try baking with quinoa. True, bakeries and grocers have finally caught on and are now offering a much greater variety of gluten free options. But baking your own gluten free breads, muffins and other delights will give you the most control–and freedom–in your diet.

Quinoa is an ancient “grain” that’s not really a grain at all.

It’s a seed that looks like a cereal. The ancient Incas ate Quinoa for thousands of years, and it’s a rare gem among plants because it offers the complete set of essential amino acids–meaning it’s just as good a protein source as meat. This makes it ideal not only for GF baking but for vegans and vegetarians as well.

But it doesn’t stop there: quinoa is also an incredibly good source of fiber, and of important and sometimes hard-to come by minerals like phosphorus, magnesium and copper.

If you want to try baking with quinoa, it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate some quinoa flour at either a chain grocery or a specialty health food store, depending on where you live. Some recipes will also call for some plain quinoa cereal cooked up like a grain. Quinoa flakes are another great baking ingredient, perfect for replacing rolled oats in a baking recipe if you have an oat allergy.

How To Bake With Quinoa

Unfortunately, gluten actually does serve a purpose is baking: it helps doughs and batters stretch and provides them with their “give” and viscosity. When you bake with gluten-free flours like quinoa, you’ll need to use xantham gum or gaur gum to mimic the binding and thickening effects of gluten. Xantham and guar gum are available at most higher-end grocery chains, or you can check your local health food specialty store or even order online.

To get the best texture and flavor, try mixing quinoa flour with other gluten-free flours, and mix in some potato starch or tapioca starch as well. (Quinoa baked goods aren’t naturally starchy like wheat baked goods.) A blend of 2 parts quinoa flour, 2 parts sorghum flour and 1 part tapioca starch is a versatile all-purpose gluten free baking blend you can make at home. Many gluten-free flour blends also offer pre-mixed all-purpose GF flours.

Quinoa baked goods can get a little dry, so look for recipes that include applesauce, yogurt, fruit or sour cream–these will lend moisture to the finished product. Using honey or blue agave nectar (a healthy all-natural sweetener) in the place of sugar will also create moister, more tender baked goods because both of these ingredients act as natural humectants, meaning they pull in moisture from the air.

Quinoa flour has a more distinctive flavor than wheat. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re converting a conventional recipe to a GF recipe and using quinoa flour, consider upping the proportions of spices, vanilla or other baking flavors.

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