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The Alternative Bite.com
Many people around the world suffer from a food intolerance of some sort, 1 in 133 people suffer from some sort of gluten intolerance or wheat allergy some worse than others. The symptoms of gluten intolerance are many and can differ from person to person. The most severe being celiac desease. Many people don't realise that the fatigue or bowel complaints that they are feeling are more than likely to be the cause of a food allergy. Dairy intolerance also plays a big part in these kind of symptoms, so as not to confuse them all symptoms should be examined and all possible culpable foods eliminated one by one. You can check the full list of gluten intolerance symptoms here.
Below are 5 Wheat Free Flours that you can use instead of wheat flour. These different flours have some really interesting flavours and are really different than wheat. These Gluten Free Flours are difficult to make a 'loaf of bread' with because of the lack of protein in the flours. Gluten plays a very important part in wheat bread baking. When the wheat flour is mixed with water the protein starts to form and the mixing procedure then develops the gluten to become 'elastic' and 'stretchy' forming long strands that form a cage to trap the co2 created by the fermentation process and allow the dough to rise and keep it's form. The lack of this in gluten free bread flours makes it difficult to bread as we know it and even harder at home.
These days there are a lot of gluten free recipe books on the market that cater for this issue, some better than others, also most super markets now have a large section on Gluten Free and Wheat free products and all types of alternatives to wheat and dairy.
5 Alternatives To Wheat Flour
Sorghum
Amaranth
Buckwheat
Corn flour/masa harina
Quinoa
Buckwheat is a strong, earthy-flavored flour, available in light and dark varieties. Use light-colored flour for best results in free recipes. Despite its' name, buckwheat does not contain wheat- it's a relative of the rhubarb family.Buckwheat flour adds protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals to free recipes and can be used to make delicious pancakes. Kasha- not be be confused with kamut(wheat), is a whole grain cereal made from roasted whole buckwheat groats. Japanese soba noodles traditionally contain buckwheat flour. Read labels carefully when shopping for packaged buckwheat pancake mixes and boxed soba noodles- commercial products frequently contain .
Corn flour/masa harina has a light corn flavor and is the main ingredient in corn tortillas and tamale dough. Masa harina, or dough flour is corn flour milled from whole corn soaked in limewater (water and calcium oxide). It has a unique, delicious flavor. Corn flour can be used to replace a portion of cornmeal in most recipes for a lighter, less crumbly texture.
Quinoa is a high-quality source of protein. This ancient grain was a major food source for the Inca civilization thousands of years ago. Quinoa is available as a whole seed, flakes and flour. The seed can be used to replace rice and barley in pilaf, couscous and soup recipes. Quinoa flakes can be used as a substitute for rolled oats. Quinoa flour has a somewhat strong, bitter flavor, can be used in small amounts in free mixes and baking recipes to improve nutritional quality. Prior to cooking, whole seed quinoa should be thoroughly rinsed in cold water to remove bitter "saponins", a natural coating found on quinoa seed.
Sorghum, also known as Jowar or milo, is growing in popularity in gluten free cooking. It's a high protein, cream-colored, smooth flour with a wheat-like taste. Sorghum doesn't have the gritty texture found in brown rice flour or the heavy bean-flavor of garfava or garbanzo bean flours. Use this nutritious gluten free flour as a portion- up to 25% of the total flour ratio, in all purpose gluten free flour mixes and bread, muffin, cookie, pancake and pizza recipes.
