How Binders Help Things Stretch

Flaxseed meal is made by finely milling flaxseeds. It provides additional elasticity to the dough without making it gummy and for that reason is often used in combination with psyllium. Although both are binders, flaxseed meal does not have the strength and water-absorption capacity of psyllium, so you cannot simply replace the same quantity of psyllium with flaxseed.

Pro-Tip: Make sure your flaxseed meal is finely milled for complete water absorption.

The star of gluten-free bread baking, it can absorb large quantities of water (much more than xanthan gum), which in turn creates an open and airy crumb, as well as a chewy crust. Psyllium creates a dough that feels like traditional bread. It can be kneaded, shaped, is bouncy, and spongy. As soon as psyllium touches water, it will immediately begin to gel, which is why it's very important to whisk your psyllium into your liquid right away (the warmer your liquid the faster it will gel). It’s difficult to replace psyllium in a recipe without adjusting the water content.

Pro-Tip: If you are allergic to psyllium, you can use a combination of xanthan gum and ground chia seeds, but you will need to tweak the liquid in the recipe.

Xanthan gum also binds dough together, but it works slightly differently than psyllium. Xanthan gum works best for recipes where you don't need a lot of liquid, and it's best suited for lamination or when you are looking to create a flaky texture. For example, you need xanthan gum (in addition to psyllium) for Danish pastry, where the dough will be stretched, rolled, and laminated.

Pro-Tip: In general terms, the binding power of 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum is equivalent to 2 tablespoons of psyllium husk powder, but you will need to adjust the liquid amount in your recipe.