Flour options constituted of historic grains, nuts, and even fruit proceed to take up shelf area subsequent to all-purpose white and whole-wheat flours. And in lots of situations, these flour substitutes supply extra diet than the standard choices.
However every of those several types of flour carry out greatest in sure sorts of recipes. Use the following pointers from Rachael Hartley, RD, LD, proprietor of Rachael Hartley Vitamin, to excellent your cooking and baking with flour options.
1. Coconut Flour
Made out of dried, floor coconut meat, this flour different is excessive in fiber, with 5 grams in each two tablespoons. That’s extra fiber than in a complete cup of all-purpose flour!
“As a result of coconut flour soaks up a number of liquid, it wants loads of eggs, milk, butter, or oil to forestall baked items from drying out,” Hartley says. “A normal rule of thumb is to make use of equal quantities of liquid for the coconut flour.” Attempt the marginally candy and coconutty flour to make muffins, pancakes, breads, or battered coconut shrimp.
2. Almond Flour
Greater in protein and decrease in carbs than white flour, almond flour is Hartley’s favourite to bake with due to its mild, nutty taste.
“I like it in cookies, the place it provides a crumbly texture and complicated taste,” she says. “For a lot of wheat-based recipes that don’t rely a lot on gluten, like quick-breads and muffins, you may swap as much as 50 p.c almond flour with out different changes.” Additionally use this flour substitute to make keto bagels or to bread fish fillets.
3. Quinoa Flour
Surprisingly, quinoa flour isn’t that a lot greater in protein than white flour: half a cup has 8 grams of protein in comparison with 6.5 grams, respectively. Nevertheless, quinoa flour is gluten-free and is an efficient supply of fiber and iron.
Some discover the style to be bitter, earthy, or grassy. Due to that, Hartley recommends utilizing it in savory recipes like crackers, flatbreads, or sandwich bread. Others love this flour different in pizza crust and pancakes.
4. Tapioca Flour
Tapioca flour, or tapioca starch, has a good quantity of fiber (2 grams per quarter cup) however usually performs a supporting function in recipes.
On account of its gentle taste and binding skills, it’s excellent to thicken sauces, soups, and pies. And in baking, “it’s normally used alongside different gluten-free flours to assist bind and add construction,” Hartley explains.
5. Banana Flour
Sure, this flour substitute actually is a factor! Take inexperienced bananas, dry them, after which grind them, and you’ve got banana flour. This gluten-free and Paleo-friendly ingredient is excessive in resistant starch, a kind of fiber that’s good for intestine well being.
The style is definitely fairly impartial; add a tablespoon or two to thicken up smoothies, or you may bake with it in candy breads, cookies, and pancakes.
6. Chickpea Flour
It looks like you simply can’t escape chickpeas as of late (often known as garbanzo beans,). This flour different is excessive in protein and fiber — a quarter cup offers 5 grams of every — and tastes sort of bean-y.
Along with being a great binder for gluten-free baking or plant-based burgers, chickpea flour is sweet for making crepes, socca (a flatbread that Hartley says makes for a scrumptious pizza crust), and egg-free frittata or quiche.
7. Oat Flour
No must scour the grocery retailer for oat flour — simply throw oats (ideally rolled oats) into the meals processor, and you can also make your personal flour different! Because it tastes (not surprisingly) calmly of oats, this makes a fantastic addition to candy recipes resembling pancakes, muffins, waffles, candy breads, and cookies.
Hartley recommends substituting as much as one-third of wheat flour in a recipe with oat flour so as to add taste and a few crumbliness.
