Are you looking to go gluten-free?
Although gluten-free products have become much the trend as of late, they still must fall under a strict standard definition of “gluten-free” established by the Food and Drug Administration in order to classify as such.
Gluten-free products do not take away from good food. Instead, these products aim to provide good alternatives to gluten products that provide a similar food experience.
Below are three of the best gluten-free substitutes for flour to use in your cooking and baking so you can continue to enjoy your favorites!
Best Substitutes for Flour
Flour is used to make a majority of food staples and comfort foods including bread, pasta, pizza, and cakes. However, the most common kinds of flour used typically include gluten, which can be life-threatening for those with celiac disease.
The good news is, there are great substitutes for flour that do not contain gluten. Here are three of the best gluten-free alternatives to wheat flour:
Oat Flour
This is a great choice for those looking to bake yeast products such as bread, bagels, and pizza. Oat flour is also helpful in traditional baking.
This flour adds the right consistency to recipes and helps breads to rise without the need for gluten. It also deposits more moisture to the bread than wheat flour does, while behaving similarly to the latter.
However, even though oat flour is technically gluten-free, oat flour could be processed in food processing spaces that also process products with gluten. If this kind of cross-contamination of gluten triggers life-threatening responses, be sure to look for oat flour products listed with a gluten-free certification.
Almond Flour
Almond flour is another great flour substitute that does not contain gluten. It is a perfect substitute for cooking and baking recipes that call for wheat flour.
Derived from the almond nut itself, almond flour adds a sweet and buttery taste to food recipes that make this flour so popular amongst those who love cooking or baking. Almond flour also has a variety of health benefits similar to consuming almond nuts itself, including a high protein factor, low carbohydrates, and healthy monosaturated fats.
Like with oat flour, cautionary cross-contamination also applies to almond flour products. If you are highly sensitive to gluten products, be sure to look for that gluten-free certification.
Plantain Flour
Known for its richness and versatility of flavor, plantain flour is another great gluten-free alternative to wheat flour.
Plantain flour is great for those on a paleo diet and those suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is rich in potassium, iron, prosperous, and magnesium, as well as a bunch of vitamins including vitamin A, B, and C.
Due to its growing popularity and numerous health benefits, plantain flour is becoming more widely accessible over the Internet, and thus more affordable than in recent years. Discover more about this new paleo flour and how you might incorporate it into your recipes.
Try It Out!
Each type of flour mentioned here adds a richness to baked products that is unique to the source it is derived from.
These tasty and nutritious gluten-free substitutes for flour are great additions to your recipes. So, what are you making next?
Let us know in the comments section and keep tabs on our blog for more tips!
