Different Flours--WTH are they used for???

road2peachtree

Ok, so as of late I've been sticking well to not eating as much carb laden foods, but I've come to the realization quickly that a girl can only take so much life w/o a pancake. Wandering the aisles of the natural section of my grocery store I've noticed some new things. Shirataki noodles for starters (awesome for the no pasta thing), Almond Flour, Garbanzo/Fava Bean Flour, Brown Rice Flour, and Coconut Flour. How do you cook with these flours? Has anyone ever tried? I could really use a nice 'bread' or pancake right about now and either one of these flours will do at this point. LOL

shanna0413

I would like to know as well. Have you tried the shirataki noodles? i have heard good and bad things about them.

bethvandenberg

the noodles aren't bad. Make sure you rinse them b/c they smell horrible. Then they are the best if you make something saucy b/c the sauce doesn't stick to them.

danger_kitteh

I've had this pancake recipe bookmarked for a while to try, could be a starting point?

http://heathereatsalmondbutter.com/recipes/almond-flour-extra-fluffy-pancakes/

vim_n_vigor

To find recipes for those flours, you could try looking up gluten free recipes. I bet you would find something there.

LishieFruit89

A lot of those flours are used in gluten free breads/muffins since almond flour is gluten free.

glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com <her recipes use all of these flours & more.

lissamok

Shirataki noodles are delicious, but I don't recommend eating them all the time just because you'll probably get tired of them and they have literally no flavor, so they take on the flavor of whatever you make.

As for the flours, I recommend whole wheat flour if you are going to try to find the one with the most bang for your buck, if you will. You satisfy the carbitarian in you, and it's not overly processed: still has the calcium, iron and fiber benefits. The only issue is, if you are making bread, let it rise twice to get that same fluffy texture. Actually, another drawback is the shelf-life of whole wheat flour is not long. I'd buy a smaller bag if possible.

changling82

I went "paleo" a couple of months ago, so i've been cooking with almond and coconut flour. I make pancakes, waffles, muffins, pizza crust, fried chicken. You name it and it can be made with those flours. most of my recipes i just google "paleo....(whatever i want)". I don't have any specific site that i like more than another.

i've found i prefer the almond flour over the coconut flour. I haven't used the garbanzo flour or rice flour because my diet is based around not eating grains or legumes, so i can't attest to those flours. But i do love the almond flour!


also, instead of noodles, i use spaghetti squash. i love it even more than having noodles in my spaghetti!

sciencenerd2011

You might want to check out King Arthur Whole Grain baking--it uses all kinds of weird flours to get whole grains into your diet. I've tried lots of them and like it a lot.
http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Flour-Whole-Grain-Baking/dp/0881507199/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329850364&sr=8-3

CrazyDaisysMommy

For those of us trying to eliminate gluten, those flours are our life line to pizza! Most gluten free recipe sites recommend a blend of the different types of flours. If you don't have a gluten allergy or sensitivity, I can't think of any added benefit to using them.

LishaCole

I have tried all of these flours. Mostly because I grew up with a Celiac and worked at a health food store. A lot of people use them because food allergies, or specialty diets (Paleo).

FYI: Coconut Flour = Epic pancakes.

I suggest you search online for gluten-free or paleo recipes and you will find a million ways to use these flours. Often times it is necessary to use some sort of thickener such as xanthum gum which many of these as without gluten things may fall apart.

Dragonwolf

I haven't seen as much about the non-wheat flours, but I would assume those can more or less be used the same as "regular" flour and were created with those with wheat/gluten allergies in mind.

Regarding other types of flour, most of them are used for various specific purposes. Bread flour, for example, has more wheat gluten mixed in, which helps the dough to rise and create the proper texture. There are also texture and color differences between different types of flour. For example, in non-colored foods (bread, blondies, angel food cake, etc), unbleached flour may make the dough/batter darker than bleached.

The textures, especially, will change the texture of the final product. Finer flours will generally make the product smoother, whereas grittier flours will make the product grittier or more coarse. (On a side note, sugar textures can have the same effect. It's amazing the number of different things you can make with just flour, yeast, sugar, and water, and how different they are simply by changing the type of the flour or sugar.)

rbilsborough

My son has Type 1 diabetes, and we use these flours because they are lower in carbs than regular white or whole wheat. The biggest thing about the coconut flour is that it is uber high in fiber, which is also great for diabetics, but makes cooking with it require always adding more liquid to the recipes. It makes a great pancake though, with a little added sweetness from the flour itself. The garbanzo and fava flour is great for making pizza, and again is higher in fiber. I recently saw quinoa flour, but did not try it because it was 4x more expensive than the other specialty flours. Has anyone tried this one?

leslievp

Note that if you buy a bunch of these special flours, they go bad much quicker than white flour, so read the package or google the type you buy and store it properly... some are better in fridge or freezer.

if you don't want to commit to a whole bag of alternative flour but want a delicious non white flour pancake, try the link below. I am so happy I found that recipe, I use it all the time for both sweet and savory pancakes. I usually use steel cut oats (which arent gluten free) and brown rice for thinner pancakes, or millet and oats for thicker savory pancakes. You don't need flour, just the whole grains and a blender. You can use the batter for waffles, too.

they are awesome, and very nutritious! I also opt to make them dairy free with almond milk and vinegar but that's up to you. If you have a blender, definitely try these.

http://www.suegregg.com/recipes/breakfasts/blenderbatterwaffles/blenderbatterwafflesA.htm

pdworkman

No, they usually cannot be used the same way as regular flours.

Almond flour and coconut flour recipes generally have lots of eggs to hold them together. Coconut flour is very dry, soaks up a lot of moisture, so you can't sub it straight across for almond flour either. You'll find lots of recipes for both on grain-free or SCD recipe sites.

Garbanzo flour and dal/lentil/pea flours are good for dosas or crepes. You will probably want to let the batters soak/ferment for several hours, as is traditionally done, or they can cause huge gas and intestinal problems. For some people more than others. Also good for pakora, socca, etc.

Brown rice flour is commonly used in gluten-free baking, but it needs to be fine ground, combined with other flours/starches with different properties, and usually with a vegetable gum, in order to act more like wheat flour and hold together. There are other flours that are actually better for gluten-free baking. Rice flour can be very dry and gritty.

Pam

I haven't seen as much about the non-wheat flours, but I would assume those can more or less be used the same as "regular" flour and were created with those with wheat/gluten allergies in mind.

maxmariesfo

The very BEST thing to do with Almond Flour is make a raw food torte!

Flax or Chia seeds make a great binder. Grind them in a coffee grinder. Mix in a two or three tablespoons of water for every tablespoon of ground seeds. Add a little agave for sweetness. Then use the back of a spoon to press it into your pie plate.

Dates work well too, then don't use agave.

Then slice a bunch of fruit into the "crust" and chill.

It's fabulous!

I use garbanzo flour for making fake cheez sauces. Seriously delicious. You can have 1 tablespoon of butter, or you can have half a cup of vegan cheez sauce - for about the same calories.

1/2 cup garbanzo flour, 1/2 nutritional yeast flakes, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup oil, 1 teaspoon salt. After it thickens up, remove it from the heat and add a teaspoon of miso and a teaspoon of prepared mustard. I like Dijon.

Never cook Miso. It kills all the good nutrients.

It cooks up quickly. Instant yummy sauce!

If you've never used nutritional yeast - it's bright yellow. NOT Brewer's Yeast or active dry yeast. You should be able to find it in just about any grocery store in the baking section where they carry all the Bob's Red Mill items. If not, Whole Foods.

Miso comes in quite a variety. Soy, Brown Rice, Garbanzo, mild or pungent, red, white or yellow. I use mild red if I want a cheddar type sauce. Mild white if I want an alfredo type sauce. Add any sort of spices you want.

Last night I grilled a portobello mushroom with some sauted shallot. I made half portion of cheez sauce and flavored it with a tablespoon of dill. Fantastic! Low calorie and a nice B vitamin boost from the nutritional yeast. Black salt, which you can get at Trader Joe's for just $3, gives it a subtle smokey flavor.

babynew

Bump

road2peachtree

the noodles aren't bad. Make sure you rinse them b/c they smell horrible. Then they are the best if you make something saucy b/c the sauce doesn't stick to them.

I rinsed then pretty well then boiled them gently for a couple of minutes, threw some sundried tomatoes and chopped garlic on it and wolfed it down.

road2peachtree

You guys are so full of info! Thanks so much...just awesome.

Hood25

I just started using soy flour that you can buy at Wal-mart. I use it to "fry" with.....let me explain! I have chicken breast cutlets and i dip them in egg whites (doesn't take much) and then season with non-salt seasoning and then put in the rice flour to fry in thin layer of canola oil (just enough to wet). My husband hasn't noticed a difference! You can read the back of the bag and see the nutrition difference. I looked online for other cooking uses and they basically say to sub half and half with regular flour for some recipes. I have also tried rice noodles one time and they were a little sticky but I need to practice more. I think we can substitute a lot of things we just have to learn to cook them a little differently to get the best out of them and feel like we aren't depriving ourselves. Oh and I'm working on googling a healthy pancake mix. We just ran out of the bad stuff and I'm determined to find a healthy alternative my husband will eat. I'll let you know!

pdworkman

This is the pancake recipe I make:

http://www.grainfreeliving.com/recipes/pancakes/82-buckwheat-pancakes

You don't need the cream of tarter. I usually add a tbl of psyllium and a tbl of hemp powder as well.

Pam