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For
people who can’t eat wheat or gluten, adjusting to a new
diet is a major concern. Over 11 million Americans have at
least one diagnosed food allergy, according to the Food
Allergy Initiative, and millions more have food
sensitivities or intolerances. Two common food offenders
are wheat and gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley,
and rye.
Maintaining a wheat-free
diet can be challenging enough, but, for gluten-sensitive
individuals, cutting out wheat, barley, rye, and all the
products that contain them, can be downright daunting. In
addition to baked goods, wheat and gluten are typically
found in everything from pancakes and pastas to snack bars
and sauces.
The good news is that many
delicious and nutritious wheat- and gluten-free flours,
made from lesser-known grains, seeds, beans, and tubers,
are now on the market. Once you learn how to choose and
use these flours, you’ll be able to continue making your
favorite foods, and add essential vitamins, minerals, and
fiber to your diet without compromising on taste.
Flour
Power
Here’s a look at the
wonderful array of alternative flours that are currently
available.
Amaranth
The seeds from this
broad-leafed plant are used in their whole grain form,
milled into flour, or puffed into kernels. Use amaranth in
cereals, pastas, and baked goods. The mildly nutty tasting
fine flour is high in protein, calcium, and iron. It’s
ideal for baking bread and tends to make baked goods brown
more quickly.
Buckwheat
Despite its name, buckwheat
isn’t a wheat or grain — it’s a fruit from the
polygonaceae family, which includes rhubarb and sorrel.
Chock-full of nutrients, it’s a great source of protein
(it contains eight essential amino acids), as well as
being high in fiber and B vitamins. Buckwheat has a
strong, robust flavor, and mixes well with other non-wheat
flours.
Legumes
(Beans)
Legume flours are high in
protein, fiber, and calcium. The extra sugar and protein
in bean flour make it great for cooking and baking.
Garfava flour is a combination of garbanzo beans and fava
beans, and Romano bean flour. Try mixing bean flours with
tapioca flour, corn starch, and sorghum, but not with rice
flour.
Mesquite
Made from the pods of mesquite trees, this
pleasantly sweet flour is an excellent food source, rich
in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc. Combine
mesquite with other flours to add a deliciously
distinctive molasses flavor to baked goods.
Montina
One of the newest entries
into the wheat-free, gluten-free marketplace, this
high-protein, high-fiber grain has an ancient history.
Montina is made from perennial Indian ricegrass, a dietary
staple of Native Americans before the introduction of
maize. Recently rediscovered and now being grown out West,
Montina has a wheat-like taste and hearty texture. This
flour is an excellent choice for use in darker baked goods
like spice cake or gingerbread.
Quinoa
This grain is native to the
Andes Mountains of South America. It’s easy to digest and
has high levels of calcium, protein, complex
carbohydrates, phosphorous, iron, fiber, and B vitamins.
Mix it with other flours to increase the nutritional value
of the food you’re cooking or baking. The flour has a
delicate, nutty flavor similar to wild rice; avoid using
it in large quantities, because it can overpower the
flavor of your baked goods.
Rice
This is the alternative
flour most people try first. It’s fairly bland, which
makes it ideal for all-purpose use. Rice flour is a good
thickener and can be used to make muffins and bread. Rice
bread is often described as heavy and dense.
Sorghum
(Milo)
Available in both red and
white varieties, this grain has a slightly sweet taste.
It’s high in carbohydrates, fiber, phosphorous, potassium,
B vitamins, and protein. It works best when blended with
other flours. Try it for baking flat bread, cookies,
crackers, or pancakes.
Teff
Noted as one of the world’s
smallest grains, teff is a staple food and a key source of
nutrition for much of Ethiopia’s population. High in
calcium, protein, and fiber, this flour has a mild, nutty
flavor that adds great taste to quick breads, pancakes,
and waffles. Teff is available in dark and light
varieties.
Tubers and
Roots
The flours made from tubers
and roots are generally nutritious and high in fiber.
These nutrients enhance the flours’ baking properties.
Root and tuber flours include:
Arrowroot
Use this nice-tasting,
versatile flour for baking breads and bagels.
Manioc
(Tapioca)
This flour is good for
making breads, tortillas, and pasta. You can also use it
in gravies and other sauces as a thickener.
This is an excerpt from a special section in
the
Fall 2005 issue. To read the entire article,
click here and order Fall 2005
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