Are All Flours Interchangeable?
When used properly, grain-free flours can reconnect you with your favorite recipes, making them both delicious and health supportive! The tricky part about using nut flours, bean flours, or coconut flour is that they each have unique qualities that require adjustments when substituting or interchanging them. Almond flour is higher in oil, Coconut flour holds more water, and each has a distinct texture. Unless you have really used each type and understand how to work with them, it is best to find and use recipes that call for that particular flour.
Popular Grain-Free Flours
Chickpea Flour (Besan flour)
Chickpea flour is a versatile, gluten-free flour that works well in many recipes. It creates a texture that more closely resembles wheat flour or grain-based gluten-free flours. Because it is gluten-free, the dough needs to be fairly thick in order to create a structure that will rise. Adding eggs, ground flaxseeds, Greek Yogurt, vegetable purees like sweet potatoes or winter squash, or other ingredients to thicken the batter will help create the structure needed. Depending on the recipe, baking powder, baking soda, carbonated water, or beaten egg whites might also be needed to create a lighter dough. Chickpea flour will require less oil than wheat flours would in a similar recipe. It also works well as a binder or filler in recipes that call for flour.
Here are a few types of recipes that work well with chickpea or other bean-based flours:
Almond Flour
Almond flour is perfect for sweet recipes or as a filler or binder in recipes. It is naturally higher in fat so it will require less oil than other flours in similar recipes. The texture will be less creamy than chickpea flour but works well combined with chickpea flour to create a more neutral flavor in dessert crusts. Here are a few types of recipes that work well with almond flour.
- Cookies, scones
- Crusts, especially when combined with Chickpea flour or other flours
- Binder in recipes like meatballs, grain patties, or vegetable fritters
- Breading substitute
- Keto tortillas
Coconut Flour
Its distinct flavor means that coconut flour works for recipes that go well with the taste of coconut. The texture is less smooth than other flours and can be a bit gritty at times. It also absorbs much more liquid than other flours which can make it harder to use in recipes that were not specifically developed for it. It is the trickiest of these flours to work with, however, when used properly, it can make a light fluffy texture in baking. Here are a few types of recipes that work well with coconut flour.
by Chef Dawn Ludwig
