<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Try the recipes on www.gfutah.org/cookbook.
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You can use about twice the amount of gelatin for xantham gum.  You may also
  need more baking powder or more starch.  Laura
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i believe they help.  you definitely need to add it to most of your
baking.  especially, sweets.
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I always use one tsp Zanthum gum per cup of GF flour and muffins come out fine.
RC
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Hi.  I believe it is a substitute for gluten in that it gives breads/baked
goods its elasticity and texture.  You would still need to add baking
powder, baking soda and/or yeast (depending on the recipe)  to create the
airiness.  Hope this helps.
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Xanthan & guar replace gluten in g.f. baked goods, giving the product
elasticity needed to hold the flours together.  They are almost a necessity
when making yeast bread, where the texture of the dough is required to trap
the gas from the yeast for a long time.

Quick breads, cakes, & cookies may not need it or at least as much.  Things
like appleasauce or pumpkin or bananas or even eggs often can do the same
thing, at least for the short time that it takes for baking powder to react.

Bev in Milwaukee
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They make the yeast work better, not as well as in wheat products but better.
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Hi,
Think of the gluten in regular flour as bubble gum.  It holds the
air.  Without it, the
air passes right through.  Hence, there is no rising of the product.
Xanthan Gum and
Guar Gum essentially do the same thing for GF products although
badly.  Unfortunately,
it's the only thing available.  Your products are dense because the
air produced by
baking powder/soda/yeast have nothing to hold in the air.

Dennis
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Hi,
I would suggest you to go to this other exellent site:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/messages
There are good and knowledgeable people there to answer your
questions, and Abigail's
gf food & products list. Moreover, I have voluntarily posted
thousands of GF recipes.
Good luck,

Mireille
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Xanathan and Guar Gum are the products that hold the baked product together.
They take the place of gluten.
If your baked product is dense, then you are using too much gum.
Usually I use, 1/2 tsp. per l cup of flour.
You do not have to use gum for cookies or muffins.  You can use an extra egg
white and this is the binder.
I use xanathan gum only for bread.  Guar gum can cause diahrrea.

Mitzi in Michigan
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Your flour mixture will make a difference. Use a combination of several
flours. Never rice flour alone - it is too dense.

I only use gums for bread recipes that contain yeast.

Janice.
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The function of xanthan gum is to hold the gluten free flour(s)
togeather in the
mix of ingredients.  The rise comes from the eggs and/or the yeast you use.
Try this recipe for popover muffins, it's really good.

1/2 cup crisco
1 cup water

Bring these to a slow boil while preparing the rest of the ingredients below.
  (I suggest a low to medium heat to allow enough time to prepare the bowls,
grease the muffin tin, etc.)

1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato STARCH (not flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

mix the flour and salt, set aside

When the crisco/water mix has come to a low boil, dump the flour in and stir,
  by hand, to forma soft dough.  Allow the dough to cool for about 2 minutes,
and add the eggs, one at a time.  Mix each egg into the dough mixture with
an electric mixer on low speed.

Drop the dough in equal amounts into the greased muffin tin (note if you use
  a teflon coated muffin tin you don't have to grease it).

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, then turn the oven
  down to 350 and bake for and additional 20 minutes. (note, do not remove
  the rolls while the oven cools to 350, just set the timer and keep cooking).

Makes 12 rolls, all will have a jollow center.  I've heard others have made
  this recipe just using a flat cookie sheet.  The rolls come out
flat, like pita
  bread. but are great under icecream with fruit topping.

I hope this helps.   Dave Taylor,  Mentor, OH.
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Density of baking is usually controlled by using baking soda or baking
powder or yeast and the amount of liquid in the mixture.
The gums are used to  bind the molecules together in place of the gluten
Eggs also help bind and add fluffiness need all the recipe to make a true
evaluation of the problem

don in carlsbad, ca
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Sometimes using more baking powder will help breads and muffins to
rise.  I have a bread recipe that calls for 3 tsp of baking powder.

Just a thought!  Hope it helps you in some way.

Carrie
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