Check out these 5 up-and-coming gluten-free flour options for cooking and baking!
Cooking and baking with gluten-free flour has never been so exciting. But it can also be a little daunting. You have the basic gluten-free flour options like almond flour, oat flour, rice flour, and blends of all of the above. While these are wonderful staples to use in dishes and desserts, there has been an uprising in the lesser known flours that prove perfect substitutes for a variety of both basic and exotic recipes. Below are five up-and-coming flour options and their flavor profile, nutritional content, and recommended uses.
Butternut squash flour works as a seamless substitute for all-purpose flour. Made from raw and fresh butternut squash, the flour contains a light sweetness and refrains from using any gluten, grains, dairy, nuts, or soy. It also contains healthy amounts of magnesium, vitamin C, and antioxidants. The flour can aid in your eye and heart health, boost your immunity, and lower your blood pressure.
Use this flour for making delicious and nutritious pancakes and waffles, breaded chicken and fish, or brownies and cookies.
Coconut flour comes from the dried meat of a coconut and produces a light and fluffy flour that subtly exudes coconut flavors. The flour contains medium-chain triglycerides that can help reduce LDL cholesterol and even out blood sugar levels.
Because of its mildly sweet taste, this flour works best for baking homemade breads, cakes, and other desserts. It will require a little more water in the mix than regular flour, so keep this mind if you struggle with achieving the right consistency when mixing your ingredients together.
Banana flour sources from unripe, green bananas that are washed, peeled, dried, and blended into a fine, powdery flour. When cooked or baked, the flour exudes an earthy and light banana-like taste. It boasts high amounts of fiber and potassium and low amounts of sugar. Due to the bananas’ unripe state, the glycemic index in banana flour remains low. The unripe bananas also contain a resistant starch, which can double as a prebiotic and boost your good gut bacteria and improve your digestion.
Banana flour works as a natural substitute for regular flour and especially pairs well with breakfast breads like pancakes and muffins or dessert options like chocolate chip cookies and blondies.
Arrowroot flour is made from a starchy substance extracted from the roots of an arrowroot plant, a tropical plant also known as Maranta arundinacea. The flour has been known to boost immunity, energy, and red blood cell count as it contains high amounts of potassium, B-vitamins, and iron. This flour sometimes needs other flours to even out its crunchy consistency.
On its own or as a blend, you can use it to create your own pizza, crepes, energy bars, or pie crusts.
Cassava flour comes from the Cassava or yucca plant, a South American starchy root vegetable. The tuber is grated and dried out before blended into a gluten-, grain-, and nut-free flour. This bland-flavored flour can help lower blood sugar levels and ease digestion. It pairs well as a replacement for white or whole wheat flour.
Use this versatile flour to make homemade tortillas and breads as well as cookies and pastries.