I love baked goods. Name one of my favorite cities and I can give you a verbal essay on the pillow-soft French breads of New Orleans, the chewy bagels of New York City, the light tortillas of Houston, or the delicate pizza crusts of Chicago.

When I was first diagnosed with a wheat allergy, this was my first major roadblock. A life without pastry . . . you have got to be kidding! After the initial shock lessened, I started doing my research and headed for the kitchen. After all, when life gives you lemons make lemon bars. That is, if you can figure out what to substitute for flour.

I quickly discovered that bean flours are definitely not my thing. Garbanzo beans are delicious in a salad. Grinding them up for use as a flour makes your cookies unpleasantly beany—-a little gassy.

Tapioca starch keeps your pastries light, but after a few attempts, I realized that I was even more so allergic to tapioca than I was to wheat. I can justify taking an allergy pill for a slice of my local bakery’s cake, but taking a pill just to swallow a cake made out of potatoes, corn, rice and tapioca is not worth it.

Countless gluten-free companies offer flour blends for sale, but because of the tapioca I’m allergic to most of them. And the others (such as Pamela’s) include buttermilk, a no-no for me because of the dairy.

However, after three years of searching, I finally found a blend that bakes beautifully and tastes close to the real thing. Best of all, it is affordable, and will save you from buying expensive prepackaged mixes. You can buy white rice flour and potato starch in bulk online or at markets like Whole Foods, and although the xanthan gum is somewhat pricey, it lasts for a long time as you need only one teaspoon per batch.

All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend

This recipe is gluten, soy and tapioca free

2 cups white rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready for use. Depending on your recipe, the flour may need to reach room temperature before using.

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