Hey gluten-free bakers! 👋
Ever have a loaf or cake turn out perfect one time and… not so much the next? You’re not alone. Gluten-free baking can be a little more finicky, but with a few smart habits you can get consistent, repeatable results.
Here are three pro tips we use every day in our own gluten-free bakery.
Tip #1: Ditch the Cups, Embrace the Scale
This might be the single most important tip: measure by weight, not by cups.
Volume (cups, tablespoons, etc.) is inconsistent. How tightly you pack a cup of flour can change the actual amount by quite a bit. Do this three times in a row and you’ll get three different weights.
With gluten-free baking, that problem gets bigger because different flours have different densities. One cup of tapioca flour does not weigh the same as one cup of sorghum or brown rice flour. If the weight is off, the texture will be off.
A simple digital kitchen scale fixes all of that. Measure your flours in grams and you’ll suddenly see your recipes become much more predictable.
If your recipe only gives cups, you can:
-
Search for a “[ingredient] cups to grams” converter online, or use an AI assistant
-
Note the result in grams on your recipe.
-
Next time, skip the cups and go straight to grams.
Do that once for your favorite recipes and you’ll thank yourself every time you bake.
Tip #2: Become an Oven Master
Most of us set the oven to whatever the recipe says and hope for the best. The reality? Many ovens are not actually at the temperature they claim.
Ovens heat based on a metal probe in the cavity, and:
-
That probe is not where your pan is.
-
Over time, it can drift out of calibration.
A few simple habits can help:
-
Bake in the center of the oven. This is where the heat is usually most even.
-
Use convection wisely. If you have a convection setting, it circulates hot air and can bake more evenly. Most recipes need the temp reduced by about 25°F when using convection.
-
Check your oven’s accuracy.
-
Buy an inexpensive oven thermometer.
-
Set your oven to, say, 375°F and place the thermometer on the center rack.
-
Once preheated, see what it actually reads. If it’s 350°F, you know you need to set your oven 25°F higher for future bakes.
-
Pro move: a digital thermometer with multiple probes lets you check different spots in the oven and see where the hot and cool zones are. That’s the kind of thing we do at Deux Pâtes to keep our bakes consistent batch after batch.
Tip #3: Respect the Power of Time
Time is a “hidden ingredient” in baking. Mixing, resting, proofing (when applicable), baking, and cooling all need enough time to do their job.
Gluten-free recipes often don’t spell out all those details, so you may need to experiment a bit:
-
Note how long you actually bake something, not just what the recipe says.
-
Pay attention to visual cues (color, structure) and doneness checks (internal temperature, toothpick test).
-
Write down what worked so you can repeat it next time.
Over a few bakes you’ll build your own “timing notes” for your oven, your pans, and your favorite recipes—and that’s when things get really reliable.
Bonus Tip: Enjoy the Process
Gluten-free baking is part science, part art. You’ll have wins and flops, and both will teach you something. Play, tweak, take notes, and don’t be afraid to try again.
And if you ever want to skip straight to the “eating” part, that’s where we come in. At Deux Pâtes, we use these exact principles every day to bake gluten-free breads and treats that feel and taste like the real thing.
Questions about a recipe you’re working on?
You can always reach us at pierre@deuxpates.com or admin@deuxpates.com
We love talking baking.
0 comments