posted
This may not belong in this section but I figured with other posts on Thanksgiving this might be ok.
What can be used to substitute all-purpose flour in baking? I don't mean just whole wheat flour. I'm trying to eat more healthily but have a lot of food intolerances so need some suggestions to choose from.
posted
For simple batters that don't need gluten (like pancakes, muffins) I use coconut flour and nut flour in equal amounts. I add eggs and coconut oil (warmed until it's liquid).You can use a recipe to get the proportions, or just eyeball it and add the eggs and oil until it resembles the batter consistency that you want for that recipe.
It's really hard to make bread, noodles, and things that need gluten to hold the dough together. I've added corn starch, rice bran, xantham gum, and SugarNot Not Starch for Bread type batters.
For a nice crust, use nut flour (ground nuts) with butter, sea salt, and a good non-sugar sweetener. You can follow the directions for a crust like that for proportions. I sometimes will add whey protein, or egg white powder to help hold it all together, but some pie fillings will soak around it and firm it up as it cooks.
There are a lot of nice "sugar" substitutes out there. All of them have a different aftertaste from sugar, and we're so used to sugar that we think it's aftertaste is the only one to have. So find one with good ingredients and see if you like it.
I mix them, because then there is less of any one aftertaste. And you won't need as much as when you use sugar by about a fourth of what the recipe calls for.
For "sugar" I like to use a mix of any of these: SugarNot Spoonfull, Z Sweet, Stevia Blend, Swerve (for a good start).
Of course, you may have trouble obtaining these things today. Pureed fruit can help sweeten some recipes. I also use a little molasses.
If you're starting in on a life style change, I recommend Netrition. I don't know if there is better prices out there. I click on Gluten free, and then low carb, and a lot of choices come up, which are usually less expensive than the same items if I find them in the store. Shipping isn't too bad. The sugar subs are all pretty expensive where ever you find them.
I mixed up a batch of premix with 1 cup each of coconut flour and nut flour, 1/4 cup each of rice bran and quinoa, 1 tsp. each of sea salt and baking powder, and 1 cup of a mix of the sweeteners.
When I make something with it, I add the eggs and oil mixture to the mixed dry ingredients until the batter resembles the consistency I want, whether it's pancakes or muffins or cookies. It comes out real well: people can't tell it's not white wheat flour.
Some say eating something that the mind thinks is sweet will trigger the same reactions. In my case, my weight reflects whether I've been eating "real sugar" or the healthier alternatives (low carb) that are out there. And I really enjoy something sweet, especially to end a meal.
Sorry if this doesn't help you right now, but hopefully something here is useful.
Posts: 552 | From New Mexico, USA | Registered: May 2007
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posted
Garbanzo bean flour works for some things. Stevia and xylitol are my fave sweeteners though a lot of people say xylitol is not ok if you're on a strict diet.
Posts: 707 | From Colorado | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
@daisys- wow! is all I can say! You have worked really hard at findng the 'right' healthy alternatives! I'm often bedridden so I have family who cooks for me. Trying to find what is easiest and most convenient for them plus healthy for me is a difficult balance.
But you have given me great ideas!
@jlp38- thank you too, never thought of garbanzo flour, I am not sure how I would react to the nut flour. Can you cook with Stevia and xylitol?
Posts: 195 | From - | Registered: Sep 2011
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I have given out recipes to friends after they ate something and asked for the recipe. I've been told I should gather all of them and make them available, by friends and also on forums where we've shared hints for healthy lifestyle eating.
The problem is lack of energy and organization--now, why is that?? Also, I wing it most of the time, and rarely make the same exact thing twice--because of poor memory and just throwing things together without measuring to get a quick meal done--hmmm, wonder why?? Posts: 552 | From New Mexico, USA | Registered: May 2007
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nefferdun
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 20157
posted
diasys sounds like an expert. I can't say much else except I really love almond flour. I use very small amounts of honey instead of sugar. There is also brown rice syrup that is supposed to be low on the GI.
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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Also, I wing it most of the time, and rarely make the same exact thing twice--because of poor memory and just throwing things together without measuring to get a quick meal done--hmmm, wonder why?? 
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