Sorghum a growing gluten alternative

According to Dr. Jeff Dahlberg, research director for National Grain Sorghum Producers in Lubbock, food-grade sorghum is becoming an increasingly popular gluten-free alternative.

That's good news for people with Celiac disease. Dahlberg said there are several different types of sorghum, and the one that works best for flour is white sorghum. It has little or no taste, so it doesn't mask the flavor of other ingredients.

The researcher explained, however, that sorghum flour faces a couple of challenges. The first is that like many other alternative flours, it is available primarily through the Internet. Second, because sorghum flour does not contain gluten, it is necessary to incorporate some type of binder, such as xanthan gum or cornstarch, in the flour mix (suggests adding 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of sorghum flour for cookies and cakes or one teaspoon per cup of flour for breads.)

Steve - we wish more products were made with sorghum flour, especially for the corn-sensitive, so they can eat something besides quinoa.