# Non-wheat flours



## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Reading the wonderful thread on pastry vs. cake vs. bread vs. AP got me wondering:

Can anyone here give me some help with some of the non-wheat flours I've collected? I've got barley, a little water chestnut, blue cornmeal, chickpea, and an Ethiopian version of dal in flour form (or it might just be more barley; it is definitely not teff). Has anyone used any of these in breads or pasta dough? I've got recipes using some, but would prefer to hear real-life home-baking uses. Thanks for any suggestions.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

For Breads,They are great as add-ins with white wheat flours. On their own I find the product to be lead. You could add vital gluten if it was not a wheat issue but an experementation.
For non-wheat breads and the like, I think baking powder works better than yeast or at least in conjunction with. 
for pastas, I don't know, semolina has fairly large grain, though high in protein, not high in gluten. You may get away with a non wheat flour exclusivly with the bet that the eggs in the formula would hold the pasta together.

things that make you say, hummmm........:bounce:


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## marmalady (Apr 19, 2001)

The Japanese make a rice flour - I'm not sure about its use in baking, though - seems like most of what I see it used for are as a thickening agent, or as part of a batter mix, for tempuras.


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## svadhisthana (May 6, 2001)

I have several in my pantry as well: rice flour, buckwheat flour, graham flour, .....the list goes on and on. Unfortunately I've only used the graham as of yet. I'm sure my non-foodie DH thinks I'm insane each time I buy a new kind. I'll get around to using them-Really, I WILL!:bounce: LOL

p.s. Yes, I know that graham flour _is_ a wheat flour.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Regan Daley has rice flour in some of her sweets, small proportions but it works for me.
Graham crackers!!!! Maida Heatter has a super recipe, actually sorta worth the trouble...
buckwheat blinis
buckwheat pancakes
rice flour as a veg coating pre frying...eggplant especially


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## svadhisthana (May 6, 2001)

I've been looking for a good graham cracker recipe, thanks Shroom-I'll look into Maida Heatters:bounce:


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Has someone every try a non wheat bread recipe and got good results?


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## compassrose (Jun 1, 2001)

Not a bread recipe per se... but the wheat-free rice muffin recipe from the Joy of Cooking was quite good.

I loooove chickpea flour! It's also a marvellous binder in things like vegetarian loaves.

There's a very good recipe for chickpea crepes in The Millennium Cookbook.

As for buckwheat flour -- PANCAKES! WAFFLES! Again, the Joy of Cooking has great basic recipes; I especially recommend the yeast-raised ones, which are faboo. If you like buckwheat flour, of course... it's something of an acquired taste.

As for blue cornmeal, in my experience, it's just funky; tastes like the regular stuff, but it DOES make blue bread. Which is very cool, if a bit disconcerting to those less into Food Adventures.

I bought teff flour last week at the East Indian market. As soon as I have some time for fooling around, I'm going to try injera (fermented traditional sourdough African pancakes) and make some yummy African stews to go with them!

I have a very large collection of odd and unusual flours.

I thought I had it bookmarked -- here is a basic reference that might give you some more ideas.
http://www.wildoats.com/wild%5Fcuisi...k%5Fflour.html


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Checked out that site: very helpful indeed. Especially the info about how much gluten each kind has.

And thanks to everyone else, too!


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Thank you so much CompassRose!


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Ground nuts. Hazelnut,almond. make a good flour substitute in certain things.


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## risa (May 11, 2001)

Rice flour works well in shortbread recipes. Sweet rice flour makes yummy Japanese treats called mochi.

I bought rice flour made from Forbidden Rice once -- pink rice flour. I tried to make the crepes from the recipe on the package, but it was a disgusting failure. There was a rather bitter, off-taste. It seemed like the flour had gone rancid. And yes, they did make pink crepes.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

I made shortbread using rice flour and cornstarch, tasted like chalk. It was truly inedible.


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## bella (Feb 6, 2001)

My two sons are very sensitive to wheat, so I have been using our local COOP alot! Everyone there is very helpful. They have several cookbooks as well as books on just baking bread using the alternate flours. The one I use the most is "Wheat-Free Recipes and Menus" by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. It has a carrot cake recipe that is great. You would never know it is made with an alternate wheat. I tend to use a lot of spelt flour in making bread and pasta. I use the spelt in the same amount as recipe calls for regular flour. Sometimes I have to use a bit more if the "feel" of the dough is not right. I use it in everything--cookies, cakes, pancakes, etc.


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## chiffonade (Nov 29, 2001)

Have you tried _spelt_ flour? When I worked for the local Bakery, they made bread with spelt flour for the wheat-sensitive.


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

in my brief experience with spelt flour, I found that it is a lot like cake flour, but I did have to add a touch more flour than usual. The final product was delicious.


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## compassrose (Jun 1, 2001)

However, spelt IS a relative of wheat. Friend of mine has wheat sensitivities, and went mad on spelt; she now reacts worse to it than she does to wheat.

It also does have gluten, IIRC, so could only be used in cases of specific wheat allergies, not gluten intolerance.

It is nice though. Hildegard of Bingen has plenty of good things to say about spelt.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

I thought she was a composer. She wrote songs about food??


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## compassrose (Jun 1, 2001)

She was a mystic and visionary, and appears to have been something of a polymath. She composed, painted (there is a theory that her "visions" may have been severe migraines, based on some of the images and patterns in her paintings), and wrote quite a lot. Many of her writings are just about spirituality and what she thought about that, but she also wrote extensively about food, medicine, herbs and diet, tying that as well into theories about the relation of spirit and body. (Which is where the spelt came in. She had some notion that it was somehow purer than other grains.)

She's enjoying a sort of revival right now, mostly among "spiritual wimmin," and reprints of her books are cropping up all over the place, mostly from various New Age publishers. It's quite interesting stuff, when you consider the time during which she lived and wrote. Unusual woman.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Didn't know all that. Thank you!


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Bella

Could you please share a chocolate or vanilla cake recipe that is gluten free? 


Thanks!


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## ruth (Oct 16, 2001)

i agree with the comment that all those groovy flours are for adding to,not solo. a white wheat,as in spelt is a good start. also if you try your hand at a fresh yeast. one ijn which you would soak fruit usually grapes in water ferment that and go from there you can make gr8 artisian breads. the bread book "la Brea" is a good solid bible for bread.


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## bella (Feb 6, 2001)

CompassRose, I agree that people with wheat sensitivities should probably avoid spelt as it is a cousin to wheat. I know if my son gets too much spelt in a few days, his personality changes.

Isa, you asked for a gluten free chocolate or vanilla cake recipe. How about a sponge cake recipe? The chocolate cake recipe I use has spelt in it so it would not be gluten free.

For the Gluten Free Sponge Cake (taken from Carol Fenster's book that I mentioned above.

1/4 C Fresh Lemon Juice 1/4 C Sugar
1 Teas. grated lemon peel 1 C Potato Starch
9 Ex-Large Eggs 1/4 teas. cream of tartar
1 C Powdered Sugar 1 teas. GF Vanilla Extract
(gluten free)

Oven 375

Mix lemon juice and peel. Separate 7 of the eggs into two bowl. To the egg yolks, add the remaining two whole eggs. Beat until lemon colored and foamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and granulated sugar Add vanilla.
Sift Potato starch into the yolk mixture, alternating with lemon juice and peel. Mix on low speed.
Beat whites until stiff peaks form. Add cream of tartar. Pour yolk mixture over whites and fold in.
Pour into an ungreased 10" tube pan with removable bottom. Bake on center shelf for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and invert cake on rack to cool for an hour. Remove cake from pan.

I have not made this recipe yet, but it doesn't sound too hard. I will keep looking for a chocolate recipe that does not use gluten flour.

Another website to check out is www.dadamo.com. It is a site which has a great deal of recipes for food sensitivities. You may find something there.

Let me know how the cake turns out if you make it.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Thank you so much Bella. I'll give it a try next week and will share the results with you..


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## bella (Feb 6, 2001)

Isa,

I was visiting Borders bookstore the other day and found another Cookbook for Gluten Free Baking. I wanted to pass on the title and one of the recipies that my kids just loved. I have to admit it tasted really good. The cake was dense--like a corn bread,(it did not raise as high as a regular cake, but the light vanilla flavor was perfect. We ate it without frosting and it was gone in a few bites.

The name of the book is Gluten Free Baking and authored by Rebecca Reilly. She is a professional baker who has children that need a gluten free diet. I can't wait to try more recipies this weekend.

Butter Cake (makes 1- 8inch round cake)

2/3 C brown rice flour 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum
1/3 C potato starch 1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbls. tapioca starch 1 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp. Egg Replacer * 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder 2 eggs
1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla
2 to 3 Tbls. milk

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and line your cake pan.
Mix together the brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, Egg Replacer, baking powder, xanthum gum, and salt.

In another bowl, beat the butter until it lightens in color. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. If mixture appears to be curdled, add 1 Tablespoon of the dry ingredients. Stir in remaining dry ingredients and the vanilla and milk.

Pour batter into pan and bake 15-20minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.

*Egg Replacer is a powder that can be found in many health food stores. I used margarine instead of butter and it worked just fine. 

This book is a great find. So many things are explained about gluten free baking.

Have fun
Bella


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Thank you for the information Bella.


I was looking for gluten free recipe because a friend who can not eat gluten is coming for dinner this week. In the end I decided to take the easy way out and go with flourless chocolate cake or pablova.


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## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

IS GLUTEN FREE!

Click here for more.


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