Can I Use Gluten-Free Flour In The Ultimate Christmas Pudding Recipe?

Our answer

Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) is made with plain (all-purpose) flour and fresh white breadcrumbs. It is possible to replace the flour with a gluten-free alternative, but you should also replace the breadcrumbs with breadcrumbs made from a gluten-free loaf.

For the flour you can use a gluten-free plain flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour or suitable baking blend. But we suggest that rather than replacing the flour completely with a gluten-free version, instead use half gluten-free flour and half ground almonds (almond meal). So you will need 50g (⅓ cup) gluten-free flour and 50g (½ cup) ground almonds. The almonds help to add moisture to the pudding, to offset the need for any extra liquid. Some suets are also coated with wheat flour, so we suggest that you check the packaging before using any suet. If you can't find a gluten-free version then use grated vegetable shortening or butter. You can freeze the fat overnight to make it easier to grate. Please note that Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding only needs to be matured for 6 weeks, so you can make it in November.