Your Gluten-Free & Grain-Free Baking Guide to Using Almond, Coconut, Arrowroot, Tapioca & Quinoa Flours
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Gluten Free & Grain Free Your Baking Guide To Using Almond, Coconut, Arrowroot,Tapioca & Quinoa Flours From The Author of Gluten & Grain Free Breads, Batters & Doughs By Halle Cottis From The Cookbook Gluten Free & Grain Free Breads, Batters & Doughs Your Baking Guide To Using Almond, Coconut, Arrowroot, Tapioca and Quinoa Flours by Halle Cottis About The Author Hi I’m Halle, author, chef and blogger at Whole Lifestyle Nutrition. I am a wife to a terrific supportive husband and a mother to 3 beautiful girls. I strive in this over processed world to cook the most wholesome foods for my family. WholeLifestyleNutrition.com My daughter and I are extremely sensitive to gluten and grains. I knew that I would have to make our gluten free and grain free recipes taste as good as the real thing so that the whole family could enjoy them! We were missing out on pastas, tortillas, doughnuts and breads, and I just knew there had to be a way to create delicious creations that were gluten free and grain free. It took some practice to learn how to cook and bake with alternative flours, but I feel I’ve truly mastered this art. Yes it is an art, and I’m about to teach you all the tricks and tips to becoming an amazing gluten free and grain free chef! Measuring Techniques One of the most important elements to above, I have a digital scale that I use. It master when baking with alternative flours can be switched from grams to ounces and is how to properly measure the flour. can also be zeroed out at any time. First, make sure you are using the right I know many people can be intimidated by kind of measuring cups. There are dry digital scales, but it really does create the ingredient measuring cups and liquid best finished product and you don’t have to measuring cups. use up so many measuring cups. Just place the bowl on the scale and zero out the scale There a several diferent methods to and then add your flour by weight. measure flour: I use my scale several times a day, every 1. measure by weight day! They are very afordable and can be found easily at super stores and online. 2. measure by cup Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed! • pour and dump method • dip and scrape method Take a look at the table on the next page. Here you can easily convert cups into grams or ounces with this conversion chart. When baking, the measure by weight is very reliable. If you notice in the picture Flours By Weight Ounce Per Grams Per Grams Per Grams Per Flours 1/4 Cup 1/4 Cup Tablespoon Cup Almond Flour 7/8 ounce 26 grams 6.5 grams 104 grams Coconut 1 1/8 ounce 32 grams 8 grams 128 grams Flour Quinoa Flour 1 1/8 ounce 32 grams 8 grams 128 grams Arrowroot 1 1/8 ounce 32 grams 8 grams 128 grams Flour Tapioca Flour 1 1/8 ounce 32 grams 8 grams 128 grams It is best to weigh flour by weight either in ounces or in grams. You will have a much better final result when measuring this way. This brings up a problem however. Most websites and cookbooks do not measure this way. It is very common to find measurements by the cup. In this cookbook, I have measured by the cup because that is what most of us are use to. But if you are like me and prefer to measure by the ounce or grams, then use this chart above to help you convert from cups to grams or ounces. Remember there are 16 tablespoons per cup when using the grams per tablespoon. Another method and probably one of the I have the best results with the final most popular methods to use is to product when using this method of measure by cup. measuring. I will demonstrate on the next page how to properly do this. Measuring by cup is convenient because as stated on the previous page, most recipes Coconut flour is best when measured by are written in this format. This method can weight. It is hands down the trickiest flour easily be used, and allows you to measure to use and takes some practice to get the in fractions of a cup. feel of how it behaves in diferent kinds of recipes. One of the most important things to You can view the conversion chart on page remember when measuring by cup is that 8 to see how much coconut flour, and the the recipe developer might measure in a other alternative flours weigh. diferent way than you and this can dramatically alter the recipe when using As with any new flour, it will take some alternative flours. practice to get use to the consistency, behavior and the other challenges that You need to make sure that you trust the might come up when baking with these recipe source and don’t be shy about flours. asking the recipe developer how they measure their flour. Practice with a few of the recipes in this cookbook. You will very quickly become Here are the two methods of measuring by comfortable with baking with these flours cup. and will really start to enjoy what each individual flour has to ofer. • The pour and dump method is exactly how it sounds. You pour the flour into the measuring cup and then you dump it in the bowl. • The dip and scrape method is when you dip the measuring cup into the flour and fill slightly over (not packing the cup) and then you scrape of the excess flour with your finger or knife. The dip and scrape method is the method that I use for all my recipes in this cookbook and on my website. How To Measure Flour • Dip the measuring cup into the flour of choice. Do not pack the flour but allow the measuring cup to be fully filled and even a bit over filled. • Take a flat edge such as a knife, spatula or ruler and scrape the access flour of of the cup. • Remember, don’t pack the flour down. Just gently scrape of excess flour. Pour into the bowl and proceed with recipe. Cooking With Almond Flour Almond flour can be a bit challenging to Oftentimes you will see almond flour and cook with. What makes it so challenging is almond meal. There is a diference. that not all almond flours are created Almond flour is made with blanched (or equal. skinless) almonds and ground up very finely. Almond meal is ground up almonds Some almond flours are super fine and that have the skins (the outer brown part of resemble a flour like substance. Others are the almond) still left on and then the coarse and not as fine and can alter the almonds are ground up. final product dramatically. The skins of the almonds carry phytic acid, Almond flour can also taste diferent which block essential nutrients from being depending on the quality of almonds that absorbed by the body. Many people have you buy. I highly recommend 2 companies difculties digesting almond meal and try when buying quality almond flour. almond flour only to learn that their body completely behaves diferently when eating almond flour. Test and see which flour or • Nuts.com meal is best for you. • Honeyville.com When you find a quality almond flour or Both of these companies supply a quality, meal, baking with it can create delicious good tasting almond flour that is perfect recipes that really resemble the original for baking with. recipe. Here are a few tips to remember when • Almond flour batter is almost using almond flour. always thicker than traditional batters. This is normal and resist • Almond flour has a lot of fat and the urge to thin it out. often requires very little, if any fat. • Always allow your baked goods • Almond flour requires less liquid made with almond flour to when baking with it. completely cool before slicing into. • It can burn easily. Lower the The texture improves dramatically temperature of the oven and bake as it cools. If you cut into while it for a longer period of time. This is warm you might end up with will produce a better final product. nothing but crumbs. • Almond flour is nutrient dense and • Almond flour does not work well has a lot of calories, so pay close with recipes that have yeast. It is attention to the nutritional best for quick breads, mufns, information provided in this pancakes and batters. cookbook when eating almond • Almond flour and almond meal are flour recipes. I often eat half the not the same thing. Almond flour amount of a traditional recipe and is made from blanched (skinless) feel just as full. almonds and almond meal is made • Almond flour can not be with almonds that haven’t been substituted 1:1 ratio for all purpose blanched (skins remain on). and other grain flours. Because of • You can make your own almond its high fat content, the liquid and flour with a high powered blender fat has to be altered. or food processor. A cofee grinder • Additional eggs are needed when can also be used but be careful not baking with almond flour. Almond to grind too long or it will start to flour does not have gluten and the form into almond butter. eggs help bind the batter or dough • Use slivered blanched almonds to and is necessary to help the dough save money when making almond rise and hold together.