Category: Gluten Free Basics

Yesterday I mentioned that it can be helpful to try out different brands of flours until you can find the one you like best. Let’s dive into that a bit more today and talk about some things to look for to decide, “Does the brand of flour I buy matter?”.

Why does brand matter?

Sometimes it does not matter where you buy your flours. Sorghum flour, for example, I have not found very much difference in. Often times different ways of processing result in a different texture of flour. This can then result in different results in your baking. One brand might be a bit larger grain size and that leads to grainy results in your baking. Or perhaps they process their coconuts slightly differently and their coconut flour has a tendency to soak up more water.

Many differences are slight enough that they are not going to affect the final product, but sometimes the difference is significant and you do need to keep an eye out. Another reason why brand can matter is to make sure of the purity of the product. One of the easiest ways to verify this is to find something that is certified gluten free. Sometimes flour types will be mixed in order to make them easier to work with, and those of us with food allergies need to pay close attention. We want to buy from a reputable brand and feel confident that they know what they are doing.

Don’t forget to check your local ethnic stores. I love ethnic grocery stores – they have some super fun stuff to try and often times are very inexpensive. Many of them do sell “gluten free” flours as well, especially depending on the culture, you can find large quantities of rice flour or tapioca starch very inexpensively. I used quotes around gluten free for this reason, though – that we have zero idea where those products actually came from or how they were processed. They are typically from ethnic producers that have no reason to be worried about cross contact or making sure things are kept separated from wheat, and usually we can’t even read the labeling on the package. This is not necessarily to scare you off from non-major brands, but do be aware when buying.

What to look for?

• As we mentioned above, start with knowing your producer: Is it or is it not certified gluten free? We buy products that are not certified, but we are more careful about reading labels and such if they are not certified.
• How is it processed or ground? Are there key words like stone ground, or other indications of processing we can go off of? I, personally, love stone ground grits. They are a bit coarser, which I love, but it’s not my favorite when it comes to rice flour in a baked good. I find it lends an extra crunchiness that I don’t like. Maybe you do like that, or that is what you are looking for in this one particular recipe.
• If you can’t find the information you need on the package, then be willing to ask questions. Check things out on the internet, ask others who know gluten free stuff, and certainly don’t be shy about asking the manufacturer. Most producers are more than happy to answer your questions as much as possible.
• Physically look at the actual flour. Almond flour is one of the easiest ones to tell, and the “worst” offender here. The grind size on almond flour can vary widely. Creating a delicious product with one brand, and a horrendous crumbly mess with another. (we use Costco because of the consistently fine grind)
• Lastly, go with what works for you. Maybe you like that slightly larger almond flour. Then do it! Don’t feel stuck with one brand because your friend loves it or I tell you to buy it. Find what works for you, and go with that.

I like to look for the most finely ground flours possible as I’ve found it leads to the most consistent and nicest textured product in my opinion.

The 3 biggest “offenders” I’ve found that vary by brand are almond, coconut and rice flour. Just know you might have to try a couple different varieties to find the one that works best for you. Once you do, just run with it and don’t look back!

If you are trying different brands, do you best to find the smallest packages possible. I know that gluten free flours are not the most inexpensive thing in the world. I love a deal as well, so I like shopping in bulk, but it’s also not worth having 4 extra pounds of a flour you hate just to “save money”

Also, this is one reason you might find a recipe and try it and have it not turn out like the author said it would. Reach out to that person and find out what brands of flour they are using. It might be a different brand than what you have and causing the recipe to act different.

Especially if you are new to the gluten free world, I know it is daunting. There are so many options! If you are looking into different flours, make it a goal to only choose one at a time. Find that one you like and then you can move on. None of these things are the end of the world. Remember that stress is way more damaging than having a recipe not turn out quite right. If I can ever be of help, please let me know.

Make it a tasty day,

Daniel

We are going to start a series about different gluten and grain free flours and the things to look for when buying them. Let’s start with coconut flour, as it is the base of both our brownie mix and our blondies.

What is it?

Coconut flour, at its most basic, is dried, ground up coconut meat. It is a byproduct of the coconut milk process. Once they have soaked and processed the coconut and gotten as much liquid out of them as possible, they dry out the remaining flesh. When it’s dry, they grind it into flour. Pretty simple!

Coconut flour is good grain free flour due to its high fiber, protein (for a flour) and overall nutrition content. 2 Tablespoons of it has 3 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbs (7 grams of which is dietary fiber) and 3.5 grams of high quality fat. Due to it’s high fiber content, it is great for those doing keto or other low-carb eating plans.

It lends a pleasant coconut flavor when added to recipes and a nice softness to the texture of what you are baking. You do need to beware that it soaks up a LOT of moisture, which is why it is usually only used in small amounts.

How can I use it?

Since it is made out of dried out coconuts, it does not have the structural capabilities of many grains. On the one hand, this is great because you cannot overwork coconut flour, and it does lend a very nice, soft texture. On the other hand, you will get no lift, airiness, or texture from it.

Because of this, you can’t just substitute coconut flour into a recipe that needs structure, such as a bread or cake, and expect great lofty results. It can end up being fairly dense, especially when used by itself. Most flours (wheat or gluten free) are made from the seed of the grass or plant and are not “dried” in the same way that dehydrated coconut is. Therefore, coconut flour LOVES to soak up basically any liquid you throw at it. It makes everything compact fairly well and can really bring together a recipe (like our blondies, for example!).

Coconut flour works best in recipes that are more quick bread style, and don’t require much height. Quick breads, cookies, brownies, pancakes, waffles, etc are a great use for coconut flour. They do not require nearly as much structure to hold together.

Due to how much water it soaks up it can be a fantastic minor addition to recipes. Adding even a tablespoon will sometimes do what you need to stabilize a recipe.

Are there downsides?

It tastes like coconut. If you don’t like the taste of coconut or don’t want a particular recipe to taste like coconut, it’s not a great choice. If you just add a Tblsp, it will be a very very slight hint, but those who dislike the flavor may still be unhappy. I really don’t mind it, and it most desserts it blends in quite well, so it never bothers me, but I do want y’all to know.

It makes things dry. As we discussed, this can be a blessing or a curse.

It doesn’t have much structure. Even with recipes that work well with it (like pancakes), they have a tendency to still be fairly fragile. Pancakes, for example, you have to be careful flipping as they can fall apart.

Is it still a good choice?

Absolutely! I love the addition of coconut flour to recipes and even using it by itself. Is it perfect? Nope! Neither is any wheat or gluten free flour. Learn where it fits in, and especially if you are trying to be grain free or do low carb baking, it’s a great addition.

We primarily use the Nutiva brand which I like quite a bit. The grind size can vary by brand and sometimes be grainy, so buy a small amount if you’re trying a new brand. We just buy off of amazon, which is always convenient, but most grocery stores should carry it as well.

Do you use coconut flour? What has been your experience with it? Let us know on social media or in the comments below!

Make it a tasty day,

Daniel

As we’ve talked about previously, one of the biggest challenges for those of us eating gluten or grain free is knowing whether we have safe food. Cross Contact is always a potential threat, specifically when we eat out but even when we are buying food from the grocery store. Let’s talk about some ways that we can help ensure the food we are eating is of good quality and will not make us sick.

1. Start with the Basics
   

   One of the best ways to help ensure we are eating safe food is to make it from scratch. Additives to food are some of the most frequent ways gluten gets into our food. If we make the food ourselves, especially from whole foods, we have the best idea of what exactly is going in our food.

2.  Grow it Yourself

   Even when we cook from scratch, if we don’t know the purity of the ingredients we are starting with, we can still have problems. The best way to ensure you’re using safe food is to produce it yourself. I highly recommend growing as much of your own food as possible. You are going to be able to get the most flavor, nutrition, and purity out of the things that you have grown out of your own back yard. Growing your own food is also a fantastic thing to do with your kids!

3. Know Your Farmer

   Maybe you cannot grow your own food for some reason, or at least not enough. The next best thing is to find someone to buy it from that you can get to know, and even visit where they grow your food. Farmers Markets are fantastic for this reason. Most farmers market do not allow the resale of products. It’s always a good idea to double check on each markets standards though. When you buy from your direct producer you can get the most accurate answer to your questions. Instead of buying from some faceless company who you are not even directly buying from you can buy from the direct producer of your food. You can determine if you trust them or not, and you can intimately know where your food comes from. Check our a local farmer’s market like the one that we take part in!

4. Know the Manufacturer

   Last but not least, if you cannot grow your own food or you cannot buy it locally from a farmer you can trust, dig into the manufacturer. Read their website in depth, find out their processes and if or how they ensure that their products don’t come into cross contact with gluten. Contact them for further information if their website does not have the answers. Get to know them just as much or more than you would a local producer.

5. Relax

   Last but not least is to take a deep breath and relax. Is making sure our food is safe important? Yes! Do I care deeply about making sure myself or my kids do not get sick because of cross contact? Absolutely! I also know that there is only so much that I can do. At some point I have to just take the leap and move forward with the best information possible.

   Remember the closer to the source of your food you can get, the better you will know the purity of it. Cook from scratch and grow as much as possible. If you can’t grow your own food, get to know the people who do.

   Make it a tasty day,
   Chris

Whole foods. I threw out this fancy term expecting it to be obvious, and I now realize everyone may not be on the same page about this. So what are Whole    Foods? Am I talking about buying only food from the specific grocery store? Nope! Are we not allowed to cut anything into pieces, so it’s a “whole” piece of food? Nope! Whole Foods as a general rule refers to food that retains all of it’s basic parts when we eat it.

What are Whole Foods really?

Whole foods are unrefined/unprocessed foods. So no white sugar, no white flour, no potato chips, and bugles are out, too! We are taking food in their unprocessed form and turning it into a delicious meal. There are certainly some nuances here. Buying a piece of chicken such as a chicken thigh would still be considered a whole food, whereas buying a chicken nugget not so much.

While I am not a fan of buying precut vegetables, I would still in general consider that a whole food. We are paying way more for it, and we lose the chance to utilize the entire vegetable if we want, but it’s still basically in its raw form. Other than it has been trimmed and cut up, which we would do at home ourselves, it is still squash. It has not already been preseasoned or precooked with who-knows-what seasoning or cooking process. This would certainly be a better choice than buying potato flakes, which have been mechanically altered, to turn into “mashed potatoes”.

The goal is to start with, and stay as close to, the original form of the food as possible.

Why should I care?

The reason whole foods are preferred is because they are healthier and higher quality. When we start with, say, a potato in it’s original form, we have the chance to maintain as much of the nutrition profile and fiber as possible. Processors cook foods at much higher temperatures than we cook at in the home, destroying many of the micro-nutrients. Processors change or remove most of the fiber through the mechanical processes they use.

Possibly even more importantly we are keeping down all of the food additives that we consume. Additives are necessary to help keep the texture, flavor, and shelf life we desire out of processed foods. How good they are for our bodies, especially in the quantities that the average American consumes them, is certainly questionable at best. As people with food allergies, when we cook with whole foods, we are able to really make sure that we are not getting some random allergen from an additive that will make us sick.

Just a side note – my understanding of the eating plan Whole30, and just generally eating whole foods, are two different things. They have a rather restrictive list, although their plan would certainly be a good starting point if you are trying to use more whole foods.

Should you cook with whole foods? I would certainly recommend it. It enables us to get the most nutrition out of our food for the best price. Should you never eat a processed food? I would say rarely, but sometimes we need that French fry, or that fun treat for our road trip. All things in moderation my friends.

Make it a tasty day,

Chris