Great for making pasta, noodles and pancakes. White rice flour is widely available – you have to work a bit harder to find brown rice flour (try health food shops), but it’s far healthier.
High in fibre and a go-to in Indian cooking as it’s perfect for rustling up flatbreads. Also use in batters to coat ingredients before frying – it’s gives a lovely crispy finish.
You can find very finely ground almond packaged as flour, though anything labelled ‘ground almonds’ works just as well. It’s ideal for baking cakes, muffins, macarons, tart cases and biscuits (cookies) and has a mild, nutty flavour.
When made with uncontaminated oats, oat flour is gluten free – which is lucky, as it gives a lovely rich, nutty flavour to bakes, breads, muffins and loaf cakes. It holds moisture well, which is vital in baking, and also gives cookies extra chewiness. Always check the label.
This is dried and ground coconut meat. It’s a saviour in bread and cake baking, however it doesn’t hold moisture very well and can result in a dry bake, so counteract this with lots of wet ingredients.
A great option for bread making, brownies and pancakes. It also has a high protein content.
Don’t be put off by the ‘wheat’ part of buckwheat. This is actually an easy, go-to, gluten-free substitute for plain (all-purpose) white flour. It’s also high in antioxidants: bonus.
Tapioca comes in the form of pearls, flakes, starch and flour, which means there are a variety of ways to use it and it’s another great alternative to plain (all-purpose) white flour. It works as a thickening agent in sauces and soups, and for making pudding-like desserts.
Gently nutty and very good for you compared to plain (all-purpose) flour (it is high in iron and protein), teff works well in baking. It’s an ancient grain and best known as the key ingredient in Ethiopian flatbreads.
Harness the power of herbs and elevate an average dish to higher heights. You can infuse oils, make nifty, tasty butters or use as a fresh topping.