As I write this blog I’ve just discovered I have cake mix on my chin and cheek – a sure sign of licking the mixing bowl, which is actually a fond childhood memory of mine. But this cake mix is somewhat different from my Mum’s Victoria sponge.
I have recently spent time researching and experimenting with different types of flour. I really find that run-of-the-mill flour, in any form, makes me feel sluggish and bloats me. Does this mean I am gluten intolerant? I don’t know at this stage, I’m not a qualified doctor or expert, but have learnt to listen to my body and react to foods I put inside, and then take action. So consequently I try to eliminate self-raising and plain flour from my diet.
I’ve looked into using ground almond as an alternative to flour which works really well, giving baking and cooked produce a lovely, nutty texture; though because of the high oil content in the almonds, things can be a little greasy. Also, I found I needed to add baking soda to help things rise.
I then experimented with buckwheat flour. Initially, I struggled to get hold of this – not even my reliable local healthy food shop stocked it! But then, as the world of ‘superfoods’ was increasingly brought to the masses, I eventually found it in a Sainsbury’s supermarket.
Despite the name, buckwheat flour doesn’t actually contain any wheat. It is perfect as an alternative to all-purpose flour, but again unless you add some baking soda, things won’t rise very well. Though because of this, it is prefect for making pancakes with – which taste absolutely delicious.
But, my latest find is coconut flour; and I love this product. To be fair, though, I do love all coconut products. Yes, it is a higher in price than the other alternatives, but it is great value because the high fibre content allows the flour to expand enormously and increase the yield of baked foods up to 50%. In baked goods, you generally want to substitute 1 cup of grain-based flour with only about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of coconut flour. You will also need to increase the number of eggs or liquid.
Coconut flour is a soft flour produced from dried coconut meat (the flesh of the coconut). It is a natural by-product of coconut milk production. When coconut milk is pressed from coconut meat, bits of solid coconut meat are left over and this is then dried at a low temperature and ground until it produces a soft, fine powder which is then suitable for baking.
I’ve just finished making a banana and strawberry loaf (hence the mix on the face!) and some chocolate cookies.
Here are both recipes to get you started – but please let me know what you think and whether you love coconut flour as much as I do.
Chocolate Cookies (makes about 16 cookies)
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of coconut flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or essence
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 175c.
- In a saucepan at a low heat, melt the oil and stir in the cocoa powder.
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla.
- Add the cocoa mixture to the mix.
- Whisk the coconut flour into the mix until there are no lumps.
- Let the mix rest for 4-5 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly.
- Drop the mix by the spoonful on to a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Strawberry & Banana Loaf
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup butter or coconut oil, melted
- 4 eggs
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 serves (60 grams) vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut into pieces.
- ⅓ cup pecans, chopped
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180c. Line a loaf tray with parchment paper.
- In a food processor combine the bananas, butter, eggs, honey, vanilla and process until the there are no lumps in the bananas. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Add coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts and strawberries to the bowl and mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Transfer batter to the loaf tray.
- Bake the loaf for 35 – 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Once baked, take out of the oven and let it cool down in the loaf pan. Best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
dutters eats well 