Ready, Set, Bake!

Every cook book I have has at least one recipe for a flour blend, if not more than one, just to confuse me. Okay, fine, I can work with that. Which is a good thing as I much prefer to mix up my own batches as I've had a couple of bad experiences with the prepackaged stuff and apparently I look really interesting with flour in my hair. Never the less, I have figured out a few things. Not all blends are good (and some of them are just downright nasty); if the cookbook from Australia calls for something you aren't sure of, don't guess (oy...); and for the simple stuff, stick to what works. So, without further ado, here is in my opinion the best All-purpose flour blend that I have tried to date (thank you, Silvana Nardone):

• 6 cups white rice flour
• 3 cups tapioca flour
• 1.5 cups potato starch
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons xantham gum

In a BIG bowl, whisk everything together and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place (or in the fridge, though I don't do this!). Makes about 4 pounds.

Now, just cause I have a recipe that I promised a friend of mine (which will be posted tomorrow, I promise!!!) that calls for it, here is Silvana's pancake mix as well:

• 9 cups Silvana's flour blend
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt

In a BIG bowl, whisk everything together and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. NOTE: This recipe is super easy to make in smaller batches for when you don't actually have enough of the flour mix to make that much. Simply divide everything by 3 (give or take) and you're good to go.