2019-05-01_Healthy_Food_Guide_UK

Which flour?

FLOUR USEFOR NUTRITION WEL VE

GLUTEN-FREE
PLAIN FLOUR
Generally speaking,
this is the easiest
to substitute for
wheat flour, with a
1:1 ratio. Sometimes
a little extra liquid
is required.

Pancakes, muffins, pastry

and sauces. If you want

to give it extra flavour,

it will generally blend

well with other flours such

as buckwheat, quinoa,

wholemeal gluten-free

teff and gram flour.

Standard plain white flour

has 3.2g more fibre per

100g and double the

protein. It is also fortified

with B vitamins, iron and

calcium. Mixing gluten-free

flour with more nutritious

alternatives will help with its

nutritional value and flavour.

Freee byDovesFarm

GlutenFreePlain

WhiteFlour,£2.20/

1kg, widelyavailable

Nutritionper100g

O 353kcalO1.3gfatO0.3g

saturatesO79.9gcarbs

O 0.2g sugarsOJƓEUH

O 5g proteinO0gsalt

QUINOA FLOUR
Its flavour is exactly as
you’d expect – nutty,
wholesome and
quinoa-y. Not the
cheapest of flours,
but its nutritional
profile helps to justify
the price.

The quinoa flavour makes it

great in savoury bakes such

as muffins. Lighten the flavour

by mixing with a gluten-free

plain or rice flour. This flour

is best cooked about 10°C

lower and for a little longer.

Its protein content helps

keep bakes moist.

Higher in fibre than white,

but lower than standard

wholemeal flour, quinoa

provides 4.1g more protein

than standard white flour and

1.7g more than wholemeal.

As its protein has a full

complement of amino acids,

it’s a great choice for vegans.

AmisaOrganic

QuinoaFlour,

£4.69/375g,Ocado

Nutritionper100g

O368kcalO6.1gfat

O 0.7g saturates

O 64.2gcarbsO0gsugars

OJƓEUHO14.1gprotein

O 0g salt

COCONUT FLOUR
Its high-fibre content
means this absorbs
liquid like a sponge!
You’ll only need
to use a third to a
quarter of the volume
of regular wheat flour.

It’s great for thickening

curries, soups and for

making fluffy American-style

pancakes – try a simple

batter with mashed banana,

a pinch of baking powder

and enough coconut flour

to thicken.

Coconut flour has a hefty

amount of saturated fats,

but it’s high in fibre and

contains 18.4g protein

• significantly more than
  standard white or
  wholemeal flour, which
  have 10g and 12.4g per
  100g, respectively.

BionaOrganic

CoconutFlour,

£3.98/500g,Asda

Nutritionper100g

O 339kcalO9.1gfat

O 8g saturates

O 46g carbsO9.6gsugars

OJƓEUH

O 18.4 proteinO0.1gsalt

BUCKWHEAT
FLOUR
Its strong savoury
flavour makes this
the Marmite of
gluten-free flours.

Buckwheat flour adds

a nutty note to breads,

crêpes and muffins. It’s

better suited to savoury

recipes or blended with

a more neutral-flavoured

flour for sweet dishes.

Wholegrain buckwheat flour

naturally provides 4mg iron

per 100g – 1.5mg more than

standard wholemeal flour –

with similar levels of protein.

It has more fibre than white

flour (4g per 100g) but can’t

match the 10g per 100g in

standard wholemeal flour.

DovesFarm

BuckwheatFlour,

£3/1kg,Waitrose

Nutritionper100g

O 335kcalO2.9gfat

O 0.6g saturates

O 65.4gcarbs

O 1.4g sugarsOJƓEUH

O 11.9gproteinO0.1gsal

CASSAVA FLOUR
As one of the world’s
main sources of
carbohydrate, this
super-fine flour (also
known as gari) is
certainly not new, but
it’s still relatively
unknown in the UK.

This is a good, simple swap

for wheat flour, and can be

used for a whole range of

bakes including pizza bases

and yorkshire puddings. It

has very little flavour, so it’s

ideal for more delicate

bakes such as vanilla or

lemon cupcakes.

Low in protein, fats, sugars

and fibre, cassava flour

does have 443mg

potassium, which is

important for blood-

pressure control, as well as

2mg iron per 100g. It also

provides some copper and

manganese.

TianaCassava

Flour,£5.49/500g,

Holland&Barrett

Nutritionper100g

O 360kcalO0gfat

O 0g saturates

O 85g carbs

O 0g sugarsOJƓEUH

O 1g proteinO0.1gsalt

t

Phil takes five alternatives to see how gluten-free options measureup

Free-from baking

MAY 2019 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 33