Imagine biting into a cake that is hard, when you were expecting it to be soft. It’s a common mistake caused by using the wrong type of flour. Knowing more about the types of flour and when to use them is crucial to a successful baking project. Understand them better with these info graphics!
Millet Flour
Description: Millet flour is fine flour that’s easy to digest and packed with nutritional benefits for instance, it helps to lower cholesterol levels. Overall it is great in maintaining physical and psychological health.
In conversion: This label means that the flour is undergoing a certification process by the Australian Certified Organic Standard to be granted an A Grade’ status.
When to Use: Millet flour can be used to bake flat bread, tortillas and corn chips. It can be combined with gluten-rich flour to make yeast raised bread and cakes. Additionally, it can be a substitute for corn flour as a thickening agent.
Allergens: Gluten may be present.
Barley Flour
Description: Barley flour is made by milling whole barley wheat, extracting inedible husk then sifting the bran from the flour. It is rich in nutrients and fibre.
When to Use: Barley flour is suitable for making quick bread like flat bread, muffins and as a substitute for other wheat flour recipes. It gives bread a rich cake-like quality. It has to be mixed with other flour to make yeast-raised bread because of it’s low protein content. Besides that, it can be used as a thickening agent in gravies.
Tip: Lightly roast the flour before using to improve its flavor.
Allergens: Gluten
Quinoa Flour
Description: Quinoa flour is a gluten free flour with high protein content. It’s also rich in omega fats and amino acids, which is good for your heart.
When to Use: Quinoa flour can be used to make healthier variants of baked goods for example, muffins, buns, quick bread, cakes and even pan-fried favorites like pancakes and waffles.
Maize Flour
Description: Maize flour or also known as corn flour is popular in Latin Countries. It is made of 100% organically grown corn with no added wheat starch. The protein-rich germ is not removed to retain nutrition.
When to Use: Maize flour can be used in both savoury and sweet food. The most popular example for sweet tasting foods would be cornbread and for savoury is the hard shell tacos.
Allergens: Gluten and soy may be present.
Polenta Flour
Description: Polenta flour is made with the same ingredient as corn flour but polenta flour has a more coarse grit texture. Polenta flour is popular among Italians for making spaghetti.
When to Use: Polenta flour can be used in making polenta pudding, cornmeal and porridge. Besides that, sweet deep fried polenta is a very popular classic Italian finger dessert. Polenta flour also can be
made into muffins and quick bread. It is good in baking due its ability to absorb excess moisture.
Brown Rice Flour
Description: Brown rice flour is more nutritional and stronger in flavor compared to normal rice flour. It has a distinct fragrant and nutty flavor. It is milled from organic whole grain brown rice without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and is non-GMO. Brown rice is rich in nutrients and fier.
When to Use: Great for rice noodles and pasta! It can be used as a replacement for white rice flour and all purpose flour to make delicious pancakes, pizza, cakes and cookies. Besides that, it can be used as a thickening agent for soup. It also can be used to dust sourdough bread, increasing the flavour of the bread during the proofing process.
Tips for less crumbly, well-risen baked goods when using rice/ non-wheat flour:
– When used to make bread without gluten flour, add 1 tsp vinegar for every 4 cups of flour to help it rise.
– Place dough in the fridge for at least 30 mins
– Make rolls or small loaves and reduce the temperature of the oven by 20c.
Congratulations. You now know a bit better about special flour.
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