Is it possible to make a roux with gluten-free flour?

[WhyNot]

@shantih

Actually, the only other recipe that I would need to change is the stuffing. I’m inclined to use the gluten-free rolls that he uses as the base of it and make the cornbread that is the other main part with gluten-free flour, and then Bob’s his uncle, so to speak. I don’t know how that would affect the stuffing, but honestly, I’ve spent decades futilely pursuing the stuffing of my childhood, and I’ve about given up hope of replicating it, so why not try something new?

Gluten free stuffing sucks. Period. Full stop. I’ve tried every combination of gluten free ingredients possible, rolls, gf bread cubes, gf bread, gf cornbread (I’m not a fan of cornbread stuffing, but I was getting desperate) and good gluten free stuffing is a scientific impossibility. It always comes out with a disconcerting mushy mess of too-wet there and too-grainy here. Really. Trust me. Don’t waste your time.

If you’re dedicated to attempting a gluten free stuffing, step away from the bread based stuffing in your mind, and do something interesting with quinoa or rice instead.

I’ve never tried thickening a sauce or a gravy with a cornstarch slurry. The recipe I use for turkey gravy calls for roasting turkey legs, using the bones to make turkey stock, and then using the turkey fat skimmed from the top of said stock as the fat in the roux. I’ve never had a better gravy in my life, and this recipe creates so much that we actually have some left for the day after Thanksgiving, which is a delightful thing. Could a cornstarch slurry provide the same depth of flavor as a roux?

Well, no and yes. No, it doesn’t give you the flavor that a roux does, from the caramelization as you brown it. But honestly, I don’t think you’re getting as much flavor from your roux as you think you are. Two reasons: one, that’s a *wonderfully *flavorful stock you’re making there. At least 98% of your flavor is coming from that. And two: roux that thickens isn’t cooked long enough to have a lot of flavor. The darker the roux, the more the flavor, but the less the thickening capability. The brown color shows you that you’ve broken the complex starch bonds and made a bunch of sugars out of them, and those sugars are what browns and give flavor - but once you’ve turned them into sugars, they’re no good as starches for thickening.

So assuming you’re not using a dark or brick roux, I don’t think your flavor is coming from the roux. And if you are using a dark or brick roux, I haven’t been able to make that with gluten free flour, as mentioned above. Maybe it will work with your particular blend, but maybe not, and maybe not isn’t something you want to be messing up your wonderful gravy with. If you’re worried about the flavor, I’d suggest heating the same amount of fat you usually do and add to the stock, then go the corn starch slurry route.

Of course, a large reason I’m so committed to making a roux here is that it makes me feel like a real cook and it’s just a fun word to say. Roux. Roux, roux, roux. Try it!

It is a great word, isn’t it? But a real cook sometimes uses a slurry, sometimes uses a roux.