How can we replace the flours during corona virus time

Because of the corona virus (COVID19), people have been raiding the shops here in Bavaria/Germany. Before I’ve come to my senses, I ran out of oil, flour and sugar. I’m not a hamster type so that all that’s left for me is to look for products that replaces flour. That was how I found fantastic products, partly gluten-free ones. The biggest sensation was to me the coffee and apple flour!

So there’s always something good about every bad thing! Let’s see my discovery about gluteen-free products. Here is my list:

(When flours do not contain gluten, they are suitable for people with  gluten-related disorders, such as coeliac disease, or non celiac gluten sensitivity, or wheat allergy sufferers, among others. Contamination with gluten-containing cereals can occur during grain harvesting, transporting, milling, storing, processing, handling and/or cooking).

Acorn flour is made from ground acorns and can be used as a substitute for wheat flour. It was used by Native Americans. Koreans also use acorn flour to make dotormuk (acorn jelly, specially at autumn celebrations).

Almond flour is made from ground almonds.

Amaranth flour is a flour produced from ground amaranth grain. It was commonly used in pre-Columbian meso-American cuisine and was originally cultivated by the Aztecs. It is becoming more and more available in specialty food shops.

Apple flour is made from milling apple pomace, the solid remains of juiced apples.

Banana flour has been traditionally made of green bananas for thousands of years and is currently popular both as a gluten-free replacement for wheat flour and as a source of resistant starch.

Bean flour is a flour produced from pulverized dried or ripe beans.  Garbanzo and fava bean flour is a flour mixture with a high nutritional value and strong aftertaste.

Brown rice flour is of great importance in Southeast Asian cuisine. Edible rice papier can be made from it.

Buckwheat flour is used as an ingredient in many pancakes in the United States. In Japan, it is used to make a popular noodle called soba. In Russia, buckwheat flour is added to the batter for pancakes called blinis which are frequently eaten with caviar. Buckwheat flour is also used to make crépes bretonnes in Brittany. On Hindu fasting days ( Navaratri mainly, also Maha Shivaratri), people eat food made with buckwheat flour. The preparation varies across India. The most famous dishes are kuttu ki puri and kuttu pakora. In most northern and western states the usual term is kuttu ka atta.

Cassava flour is made from the root of the cassava plant. In a purified form (pure starch), it is called tapioca flour.

Chestnut flour is popular in Corsica, the Périgord, and Lunigiana for breads, cakes, and pastas. It is the original ingredient for polenta, still used as such in Corsica and other Mediterranean locations. Chestnut bread keeps fresh for as long as two weeks. In other parts of Italy it is mainly used for desserts.

Chickpea flour (also known as gram flour or besan) is of great importance in Indian cuisine (see pakora) and in Italy, where it is used for the Ligurian farinata (flour).

Chuno flour is made from dried potatoes in various countries of South America.

Coconut flour is made from ground coconut meat and has the highest fiber content of any flour, having a very low concentration of digestible carbohydrates and thus making an excellent choice for those looking to restrict their carbohydrate intake. It also has a high fat content of about 60 percent!!! So be aware of it!

Coffee flour is flour usually made with either coffee cherrys or coffee beans. Coffee beans are nestled inside a fruit called a coffee cherry. After harvest, the edible fruit is often discarded, but some companies are now drying the cherries and grinding them into a soft “flour”.

(I’ve made blueberry muffins and brownies, one using the regular recipe and the other swapping 20 percent coffee flour for wheat flour. Then my taste experts,- was my hubby and my two daughters, and some friends,- did a blind taste test. “The coffee flour muffin had a notably citrus and a bit bitter taste.-said my hubby. But I have to say I hardly noticed a difference in the brownies.”

(For a quick health boost, try a tablespoon of coffee flour in a smoothie. You’ll get a caffeine boost, too: 1 tablespoon has about 70 mg, the same as in 6 ounces of black coffee. Further more the coffee flour has no coffee taste, and it contains the same amount of caffeine such a piece of bitter chocolate).

Corn (maize) flour is popular in the  Southern and Southwestern US, Mexico, Central America, and Punjab regions of India and Pakistan, where it is called makai ka atta. Coarse whole-grain corn flour is usually called  corn meal. Finely ground corn flour that has been treated with food-grade lime is called masa harina and is used to make tortillas and tamales in Mexican cooking. Corn flour should never be confused with corn starch, which is known as “corn flour” in British English.

Cornmeal is very similar to corn flour (see above) except in a coarser grind.

Corn starch is starch extracted from endosperm of the corn kernel.

Glutinous rice flour or sticky rice flour is used in east and South-East Asian cuisines for making tangyan, etc.

Hemp flour is produced by pressing the oil from the hemp seed and milling the residue. Hemp seed is approximately 30 percent oil and 70 percent residue. Hemp flour does not rise, and is best mixed with other flours. Added to any flour by about 15-20 percent, it gives a spongy nutty texture and flavor with a green hue.

Mesquite flour is made from the dried and ground pods of the mesquite tree, which grows throughout North America in arid climates. The flour has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor and can be used in a wide variety of applications.

Nut flours are grated from oily nuts—most commonly almonds and hazelnuts—and are used instead of or in addition to wheat flour to produce more dry and flavorful pastries and cakes. Cakes made with nut flours are usually called tortes and most originated in Central Europe, in countries such as Hungary and Austria.

Peasmeal or pea flour is a flour produced from roasted and pulverized yellow field peas.

Peanut flour made from shelled cooked peanuts is a high-protein alternative to regular flour.

Potato starch flour is obtained by grinding the tubers to a pulp and removing the fiber and protein by water-washing. Potato starch (flour) is very white starch powder used as a thickening agent. Standard (native) potato starch needs boiling, to thicken in water, giving a transparent gel. Because the flour is made from neither grains nor legumes, it is used as a substitute for wheat flour in cooking by Jews during Passover, when grains are not eaten.

Potato flour, often confused with potato starch, is a peeled, cooked potato powder of mashed, mostly  drum-dried and ground potato flakes using the whole potato and thus containing the protein and some of the fibers of the potato. It has an off-white slight yellowish color. These dehydrated, dried, potatoes, also called instant mashed potatoes can also be granules or flakes. Potato flour is cold-water-soluble; however, it is not used often as it tends to be heavy.

Rice flour is ground kernels of rice. It is widely used in Western countries especially for people who suffer from gluten-related disorders. Brown rice flour has higher nutritional value than white rice flour.

Sorghum flour is made from grinding whole grains of the sorghum plant. It is called jowar in India.

Tapioca flour, produced from the root of the cassava plant, is used to make breads, pancakes, tapioca pudding, a savory porridge called fufu in Africa, and is used as a starch.

Teff flour is made from the grain teff, and is of considerable importance in eastern Africa (particularly around the horn of Africa). Notably, it is the chief ingredient in the bread injera, an important component of Ethiopian cuisine.