Initially, when one finds out they are coeliac or gluten intolerant it can be daunting. It may feel like you cannot eat anything because everything has traces of gluten in it. We are here to shed some light on this for you. Welcome to the new age of health. The new age of wealth. The new age of brands listening to the many voices of society and producing alternative options to accommodate to a wider market.
It is amazing to see the various types of gluten-free flours that are now stocked across the shelves. Coles now has a gluten-free range and the aisle now takes up two sides in some supermarkets. Gone are the days where gluten-free made a blink-an-you-miss-it appearance on your favourite supermarket’s shelves. If you are interested in recommendations for Coles gluten-free products, the Aussie coeliac has a great review page for all the products she has tried.
If you were wanting to get away from store-bought flours and start to experiment with less processed alternatives, we have crafted a list below of gluten-free alternatives you can make at home. They are simple, quick and easy (something we all seem to love.)
Nut Flours
- Almond meal
- Cashew flour
- Hazelnut meal
- Macadamia flour
To make, simply blend the whole nuts until it represents a fine and even texture. It is also a great way to use up broken or crushed nuts. Alternatively, if you have leftover nut pulp from making homemade nut milk (we recently posted a recipe on this which you can find here) you can dehydrate the pulp in a dehydrator or oven then blend it together
Seed flours
- Flax meal (made from flaxseeds/linseeds- they are the same thing)
- Sunflower meal
- Chia seed flour
To make, blend the whole seeds until they are crushed finely.
Combination
- LSA- Linseeds, sunflower seeds, almonds
To make this mixture, combine equal amounts of all ingredients into a blender until it is finely crushed.
Other
- Coconut flour
Blitz dried coconut flakes together. Alternatively, if you have coconut pulp that is left over from making coconut milk (we will provide a recipe later for this) you can dehydrate the pulp in a dehydrator or oven then blend it together
- Oat flour
Blitz together rolled oats until it resembles a powder.
- Quinoa flour
This one requires a bit more work but is still not too complex!
1- Start with the whole raw seed (anywhere from 1/4 – 1 cup).
2- This step can be skipped but adding it creates a nice flavour to the flour. Add the raw quinoa to a dry skillet and toast the quinoa until it begins to brown and pop. It will have a distinctly nutty smell. NOTE: quinoa can burn quickly, so keep a close eye on it!
3- Once toasted and cooled, transfer the quinoa to a blender and blitz on high for 1 minute until it becomes a fine powder.
4- Place a fine mesh strainer or put mix into a sifter and sift to remove excess large chunks of quinoa.
**Hot tip- The large chunks remaining makes a yummy warm porridge when cooked on a stove with water, or milk of your choice.
6- Store in an airtight container (if it is still warm from being toasted, allow to cool before you transfer it.)
So, stop feeling sorry for yourself and give these alternative flours a go! Get the kids in the kitchen and start creating some magic! Another little hot tip (can you tell we love tips? We share loads of Tips our FFACOMMUNITY which you can become a part of here)… you can use cauliflower as another flour replacement and make cauliflower pizzas! All you need is a cauliflower, food processor, almond meal and an egg (or egg substitute of choice). But don’t worry we will be posting a recipe for a cauliflower pizza base soon!
