All About Xanthan Gum
My mother-in-law was cleaning out her cupboards recently and asked me if she could toss the small bag of xanthan gum we had left at her house last fall. “No,” I said, “that bag was $13.00 and it will last awhile longer! Keep it to make a gluten free dessert for us at Christmas!”
Xanthan gum is an essential component of a gluten free cupboard. It is a powder derived by using a bacteria to ferment the glucose or sucrose sugar in corn. The idea of a bacteria being involved may sound scary to some folks, but it is not harmful, unless you happen to be allergic to corn.
Xanthan gum is used 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp at a time in gluten free baking recipes. Gluten free flours are missing wheat gluten, which is what gives baked goods their texture and cohesiveness to prevent crumbling. Xanthan gum provides the same properties for gluten free baked goods – without it you end up with a crumbly mess. Xanthan gum is also commonly used as an emulsifier in commercial salad dressings and sauces.
Xanthan gum can be kept for several years. I just keep it on my pantry shelf in its original bag, sealed with a twist tie as I can use it up in about 6 months. In my mother-in-law’s case, we suggested she store it in the freezer since she will only really be using it when we come to visit.
Click here to see a good rule of thumb guide from Bob’s Red Mill for how much xanthan gum to use when converting baking recipes to gluten free.