Whatever your reason for wanting gluten-free foods, whether you have celiac disease, a gluten intolerance or sensitivity, or just want to cut gluten from your diet, there are plenty of gluten-free pasta brands out there, which we’ve ranked from worst to best. But what if you want to make your own gluten-free pasta from scratch? There are so many types of gluten-free flours available that choosing can cause a home cook considerable confusion. Should you opt for almond, arrowroot, rice, teff, or tiger nut flour, to name a small selection? We sought out an expert’s advice, speaking with Andrea Congiusta, Michelin-trained executive chef at Pasta Beach Boston (which offers gluten-free pasta dishes) on the best flour to use for gluten-free pasta.
Chef Congiusta likes to use a blend of different flours to make gluten-free pasta. She says, “A common combination includes rice flour, almond flour, and tapioca starch. This blend mimics the texture and elasticity of traditional wheat flour.” She says that the mix offers “neutral flavor and good structure” from the rice flour and “chewiness and moisture” from the tapioca starch. As anyone who has used pre-made gluten-free pasta knows, often the downfall when compared to regular pasta is in the texture and its lack of elasticity.
More tips for homemade gluten-free pasta
Using the right flour mix for your gluten-free pasta is just the first step. There are also some tips you need to keep in mind when cooking your pasta. A common mistake to avoid for the perfect gluten-free pasta is not stirring the gluten-free pasta frequently while it cooks, to manage the starch and prevent the gluten-free pasta from clumping together.
Then there’s the oil trick to prevent gluten-free pasta from becoming mushy, which is to add some olive oil to the pot of boiling water before you add the gluten-free pasta and then again after the pasta has been cooked and rinsed. Yes, this isn’t what you would normally do with regular pasta, but then regular pasta isn’t as heavily reliant on starch as gluten-free pasta is, whatever the mix of gluten-free flours.
And if you need any inspiration for making use of your gluten-free pasta you can start with our classic gluten-free lasagna recipe. Do keep in mind what you need to know before substituting gluten-free pasta in a recipe, which includes not overcooking the pasta and also using a big enough pot to cook it in to help prevent stickiness.
