Flour options comprised of historical grains, nuts, and even fruit proceed to take up shelf area subsequent to all-purpose white and whole-wheat flours. And in lots of cases, these flour substitutes supply extra diet than the standard choices.
But every of those various kinds of flour carry out finest in sure sorts of recipes. Use the following pointers from Rachael Hartley, RD, LD, proprietor of Rachael Hartley Nutrition, to good your cooking and baking with flour options.
1. Coconut Flour
Made from dried, floor coconut meat, this flour various is excessive in fiber, with 5 grams in each two tablespoons. That’s extra fiber than in a complete cup of all-purpose flour!
“Because coconut flour soaks up a lot of liquid, it needs plenty of eggs, milk, butter, or oil to prevent baked goods from drying out,” Hartley says. “A general rule of thumb is to use equal amounts of liquid for the coconut flour.” Try the marginally candy and coconutty flour to make muffins, pancakes, breads, or battered coconut shrimp.
2. Almond Flour
Higher 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 love it in cookies, where it adds a crumbly texture and complex flavor,” she says. “For many wheat-based recipes that don’t rely so much on gluten, like quick-breads and muffins, you can swap up to 50 percent almond flour without other adjustments.” Also use this flour substitute to make keto bagels or to bread fish fillets.
3. Quinoa Flour
Surprisingly, quinoa flour isn’t that a lot larger in protein than white flour: half a cup has 8 grams of protein in comparison with 6.5 grams, respectively. However, quinoa flour is gluten-free and is an effective supply of fiber and iron.
Some discover the style to be bitter, earthy, or grassy. Because of that, Hartley recommends utilizing it in savory recipes like crackers, flatbreads, or sandwich bread. Others love this flour various 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 position in recipes.
Due to its delicate taste and binding talents, it’s good to thicken sauces, soups, and pies. And in baking, “it’s usually used alongside other gluten-free flours to help bind and add structure,” Hartley explains.
5. Banana Flour
Yes, 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’ll be able to bake with it in candy breads, cookies, and pancakes.
6. Chickpea Flour
It looks like you simply can not escape chickpeas as of late (often known as garbanzo beans,). This flour various is excessive in protein and fiber — a quarter cup offers 5 grams of every — and tastes form of bean-y.
In addition to being an excellent 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 have to 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 various! Since it tastes (not surprisingly) flippantly of oats, this makes an awesome addition to candy recipes similar to 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.