Get to know your gluten free flours with this helpful, non-technical info

When you think "flour" do you automatically assume wheat? Most of us do, so this page will help folks on a celiac diet get a better understanding of what gluten free flours are generally available.

Almond flour and almond meal are just ground up almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (skin removed) and is finer than meal. Almond meal is made with whole or blanched almonds.

Contains protein, carbohydrates, fiber and healthy fat.

Suitable for recipes like muffins and pancakes but not for bread dough (you can't knead it). You need a lot of eggs when baking with almond flour to hold it together.

Amaranth gluten free flour
Amaranth is not a true grain, being related to the goosefoot family (who knew!) which also includes spinach and beets. It's sometimes called one of the "ancient grains".

You can usually find amaranth in health food or specialty stores as seeds or flour. The flour is fine and a light cream in color.

Source of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and minerals such as zinc and magnesium. Also includes lysine, which is an amino acid found in very few grains.

Store both seeds and flour in airtight containers. Buy small amounts at a time for maximum nutritional value.

Best mixed with other flours.

Bean & Legume gluten free flour

Bean flours are becoming more available in western markets and can be used interchangeably with pea flours. For example, you can now buy black-eyed pea, red kidney bean, navy bean and garbanzo bean gluen free flour.

High nutritional value: protein, complex carbohydrates, calcium, iron, B vitamins and both soluble & insoluble fiber.

Use bean flour to thicken soups and stews. (Good way to reduce the fat content.) White bean flour has a neutral taste that could replace some of the heavy cream in vegetable soups.

Garbanzo flour is often used in Indian and Southern European recipes. It doesn't need to be mixed with other flours, although it does work in gluten free flour mixes.

Too much bean or pea flour has a very strong flavor so I limit them or use them in recipes that include lots of spices. Use up to 25% bean flour in your gluten free flour mix.

Buckwheat gluten free flour

Buckwheat is not a true grain or a grass (as I had thought) but is actually related to rhubarb and sorrel. 

Coconut gluten free flour

Coconut flour is dried, ground coconut meat, and is a natural byproduct of coconut milk. When coconut milk is pressed from the coconut meat, small pieces are leftover. They are dried at low temperatures and ground until they become a soft, fine powder (flour!)

High in fiber and protein, a good source of healthy fat and minerals.

It should be cream colored rather than white, and unsweetened.

Doesn't need to be mixed with other flours, but most recipes call for a lot of eggs to hold it together. In general, for every one cup of coconut flour, you need six beaten eggs in your recipe and about one cup of liquid.

Baked treats made with coconut flour tend to be dense and dry. To increase the moisture, you can also add cooked, mashed fruit or vegetables.

Corn gluten free flour

Corn is pretty familiar to most of us. It comes as cornmeal (white, yellow and blue), stoneground, degerminated cornmeal (less nutritious than stone ground because the fiber and germ are separated) and corn flour (a.k.a. masa harina, harinilla or Atole flour).

It's now almost impossible to buy corn that's not genetically modified. There's very little "heritage" corn left on the planet.

As a whole grain, corn contains protein, carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and minerals. Also high in anti-oxidants.The different colors provide slightly different amounts of nutritional value. Blue corn has the highest amount of protein, iron, manganese and phosphorus.

For maximum nutritional value, buy whole grain corn flour in smaller quantities and store in an airtight container.

Corn flour and corn starch are not the same and are not interchangeable in recipes.

Hint: when making corn bread, corn flour makes a less crumbly bread.

Hemp gluten free flour

Hemp has been used for years for sails, clothing, rope, etc. Animals are fed the crushed seeds because hemp is a good source of oil. For humans we can buy hemp as hulled seeds or flour. It's also sold as protein powder - not the same thing as hemp flour!

Protein, polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and iron.

Keep hemp flour in the fridge and only buy from a store where it has been refrigerated.

Hemp flour is better blended with other flours. Because of its high fat content, be careful how much you use in your baking or add to your cereal - experiment. It's too fatty for me.

Millet gluten free flour

Millet was something we fed to our cage birds and you can often find it in a wild bird seed mix. These days, millet is the sixth most important grain in the world.

Millet is sold as grits, meal and flour. Grits are coarse, meal less so, and flour is fine ground. Millet is added to recipes and not usually the main ingredient.

Nutritional value includes B vitamins and minerals. Its protein and lysine value is less than that of wheat.

Millet flour can be kept at room temperature for up to a year.

Blending ideas to come...

Oat gluten free flour

Oats are usually on the celiac diet list as foods to avoid. This is actually because of cross-contamination concerns, not because oats contain any gluten of their own.

It's just that they're often processed in a mill where other grains (such as wheat) are handled. If you're not sure, check the packaging or contact the supplier. 

Potato gluten free flour

Potato flour is made from the whole potato. It absorbs large amounts of water because the flour comes from pre-cooked potatoes, so it should be used in small quantities. It has quite a strong flavor and is especially good for thickening sauces.

Quinoa gluten free flour

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is considered a super food. I love the way the seeds turn from a little tan colored seed to a pale ball with a little tail when I cook it on the stove in water, juice or broth.

Quinoa seeds come in several colors - pale yellow to pink, orange, dark red, purple and black. Often times they're pre-rinsed but if not, rinse them to remove the saponin (which is bitter tasting and soapy).

Quinoa flakes - I haven't used them yet, but you can use them to replace oatmeal or buckwheat flakes in fruit crisp toppings. I'll let you know when I've tried them.

Very nutritious with high quality protein, carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and minerals. Rich in unsaturated fats, lower in carbs than most grains. Provides more calcium than milk, plus phosphorus and vitamin E.

Store in an airtight container for up to a month, or refrigerate or freeze. When it's cooked, keep quinoa in the fridge only for two or three days.

Quinoa flour should be used in small amounts because of its strong flavor.

Rice gluten free flour

Rice flours are easy to use in a celiac disease diet. Rice is one of the most easily digested grains (that's why it's a good first cereal for babies and people on a celiac diet).

I mostly use brown rice flour in my gluten free recipes because it's easy to digest, plus its easy to find and not too expensive. 

Sorghum gluten free flour

Sorghum, a.k.a. kaffir corn, great millet, milo and Guinea corn, has a long history in Africa and is available in North America. The package I bought is a "sweet" white sorghum flour. It made a delicious scone. Sorghum comes to us as grains and flour.

Adds protein, carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and minerals to baked goodies. Because sorghum is digested more slowly, it's good for diabetics. Some sorghum varieties are high in anti-oxidants.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place or in the fridge for up to six months, or the freezer for up to a year.

Mix it with other flours because its mild taste absorbs strong flavors.

Soy gluten free flour

Soy beans are well known for being made into tofu (soybean curd) or as an alternative to milk. Soy is very versatile but we'll focus on soy flour here. Usually, the beans are dry roasted before being ground for better digestibility and flavor.

Soy grown in North America is often genetically modified.

High quality protein because it contains all the amino acids that form a complete protein. Soy also contains fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium, B vitamins and phytochemicals.

Store full-fat soy flour in the fridge, de-fatted can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year.

Soy has a strong, bean-y flavor so you might want to limit its use in baking, but it does help keep baked goods more moist. It also bakes and browns more quickly, so keep an eye on it in the oven.

Teff gluten free flour

Teff is a tiny grain that's related to millet. Brown teff has a nutty flavor and white teff is milder. It works well in all kinds of baked goods and is also a good thickener for sauces.

Because they're so small, teff grains are ground whole, so they keep their nutritional value. Contains protein, carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and minerals, especially iron.

Store teff in an airtight container for up to a month in a cool, dark place or six months in the fridge, or freeze it.

Wow! And that's not all of them. These are just some of the gluten free flours I can find in the supermarkets near me. I like to experiment and share what I learn.

As gluten free becomes better known, there will no doubt be more types of wheat free free flour available on the market. Keep your eyes open!