Xanthan Gum is an essential ingredient for gluten free baking. This food additive acts as an emulsifier and a binder, and adds volume to gluten free breads, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods.
It's what keeps your vanilla caviar suspended in homemade vanilla paste! You only need 1/4 tsp per pint batch.
What is it? Xanthan Gum is a plant-based thickening and stabilizing agent and food additive. It is named for the bacteria, Xanthomonas campestris. To create xanthan gum, the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium is allowed to ferment on a sugar. The result is a gel that is then dried and milled to create the powder substance.
Why is it used? Xanthan gum has a number of powerful properties as a food additive. First, it works as an emulsifier, encouraging liquids that normally don't like one another to mix together. Second, it works as thickener, increasing the viscosity of liquids and batters. Third, it can create a creamy texture in items like ice cream and salad dressings.
In the world of gluten-free baking, xanthan gum plays the crucial role of imitating gluten. In baking, gluten is what makes dough "doughy." It gives the dough elasticity, as well as viscosity. Those properties help to hold a cookie together while it bakes on a sheet in the oven, and they enable cakes and breads to hold onto the gas bubbles that form inside them. This allows them to rise and take shape. Xanthan gum helps replicate these properties in recipes that do not contain gluten, like delicious cinnamon rolls that are gluten free.
Details: All natural. Origin USA.
Zero-waste Spice Refills:
- 1 tsp: packaged in our sample zip top pouch (0.2 oz)
- Small Refill: fits our small jars, compostable packaging (2.0 oz net weight)
- Large Refill: fits our large jars, compostable packaging (5.0 oz net weight)
Refill packaging is compostable and not meant for long-term storage. Read about our zero-waste packaging here.
Reusable Glass Magnetic Jars:
- Small Jar: shy 1/4 cup volume (2.0 oz net weight)
- Large Jar: 1/2 cup volume (5.0 oz net weight)
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