First things first. Why not bake with wheat flour?
Variety is one reason. I like experimenting with new ingredients.
But more importantly, wheat has been receiving a lot of bad rap in recent years because of the hybridization process it has been subjected to over the years. The positive result of this hybridization is a crop that is resistant to drought and fungi, and boasts a greater yield per acre. What is less desirable are the structural changes that wheat proteins have undergone as a result of the hybridization. And these structurally modified proteins are not friendly to the human gut, thus causing a host of digestive and health issues when consumed in the long run.
You can read more about the harms of modern-day wheat at the Wheat Belly Blog.
The journey away from wheat…
It is very difficult to cut wheat out totally for very obvious reasons. Wheat is a cornerstone in our diet and is found in breads, pastries, cakes, pies, pasta, egg noodles, macaroni etc. My kids love bread and pastries and it is exceptionally challenging to ask them to stop eating the stuff. Even if I implemented a complete ban at home, they still get to eat breads and cakes in their preschools.
For a period of time, I tried wheat-free (gluten-free) baking in hopes of providing healthier alternatives for the family. I can’t stop them from eating wheat completely, but at least I could minimize their exposure to it. However, I eventually gave up because a lot of gluten-free recipes out there call for a confusing array of ingredients ranging from sorghum flour to potato starch to xanthan gums. Apart from the hassle of handling so many ingredients, these alternative flours and starches are high in glycemic index and cause unhealthy blood sugar spikes. So I gave up gluten / wheat free baking for a while.
And then one day, I discovered almond flour and coconut flour. I have not looked back since.
…to almond and coconut flour
Almond flour is simply blanched almonds that have been milled into powder form. We all know that almonds are considered one of nature’s superfoods. So it just seems brilliant to me that I can get my kids to eat almonds by using it to bake cookies and bread. Almond flour is sold in NTUC as well as Phoon Huat. A caveat on using almond flours: almonds are nutrient dense and high caloric so don’t overeat them. Remember that 1 cup of almond flour contains about 100 almonds.
Coconut flour is a natural byproduct of coconut milk production. After coconut milk is pressed and extracted from coconut meat, the leftover pulp is dried at a low temperature and ground into a fine powder. Coconut flour is very high in fiber and protein. It is also a good source of lauric acid, a good saturated fat.
Coconut flour is more difficult to find in Singapore. So far, I’ve only found it in Cold Storage and Mustafa, sold under the Bob’s Red Mill brand. It’s pricey but a little goes a long way because only a little coconut flour is required in most recipes. Coconut flour can also be ordered online from iHerb.com. Alternatively, if you happen to have Filipina friends who are coming to Singapore, you could ask them to bring some over for you. In Philippines, coconut flour is cheap and costs only about SGD3-4 for 5 kg.
For more info on baking with Coconut Flour, hop over to Nourished Kitchen.
Both these flours have very little carbohydrate and sugar which is wonderful considering the amount of sugar and refined carbs we eat in our typical Singaporean diet. Recipes crafted around Almond and Coconut flours are straightforward, easy to follow and involve very little ingredients.
So far, I’ve used these flours to bake cookies, breads, cakes and make pancakes with much success. The taste is slightly different but still very delicious on the whole.
If you are into baking and would like to try wheat-free recipes, do consider almond and coconut flours. I’ll be posting the recipes that have worked for me on this blog. Keep an eye out for it. You can also google for recipes.
Eat Well. Live Well. 