Although we recommend finding delicious dishes that don’t require revision in order to meet your health needs, there are times you might want to use higher quality ingredients, such as grain-free flours, to re-create an old favorite. Our recipes have more balanced macronutrients than typical recipes using white flour or sugar, but will still satisfy your desire for familiar flavors. Take a moment to learn about the properties of a few of the grain-free flours we use.
Chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour, gram flour, or besan, and sometimes labeled that way at your grocery store) is versatile, producing a texture that can resemble wheat flour. Because it is gluten-free, the dough needs to be fairly thick to create a structure that will rise. Adding eggs, ground chia or flaxseeds (see Egg Substitutes, here), Greek yogurt, pureed vegetables like sweet potatoes, or other ingredients to thicken the batter will help produce the right structure. Depending on the recipe, baking powder, baking soda, carbonated water, or beaten egg whites might also be needed to form a lighter dough. Chickpea flour requires less oil and can be used as a binder or filler in recipes that call for flour.
Almond flour may also be substituted for wheat flour and works well in sweet recipes or as a filler or binder. Naturally higher in fat, almond flour also requires less oil than other flours. Its texture is less creamy than chickpea flour; combine them for a more neutral flavor in dessert crusts.
Coconut flour’s distinct flavor works best in recipes that call for… coconut. The texture is less smooth and more gritty than other flours, and it absorbs much more liquid, complicating its use as a substitute. However, with some care, coconut flour can provide a delightful, light, fluffy texture in baking, especially when using eggs as a leavening agent.