Eli5: what happens in baking if i use, say, almond flour instead of wheat flour?

Question

Ive been thinking, recipes like pancakes and cookies want you to add flour but say to not overmix or else youll overdevelop the gluten. If i used a substitute that does not contain gluten would i no longer have to worry about over mixing? Does flour have something in it that non-gluten flours dont that would prevent these recipes from forming in the same way?

In: Other

Answer 1

Gluten holds things together. The less gluten the more it falls apart as you eat it. It can get messy.
You can use a binding agent like xanthan gum if you go totally gluten free but don’t need it if you’re trying to cut down the gluten