Enjoy non-wheat baking - helpful tips

Darrell Miller

10/18/05

Date: October 18, 2005 11:55 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Enjoy non-wheat baking - helpful tips

Enjoy non-wheat baking - helpful tips

For those with allergies to wheat, eliminating it from the diet can be a challenge. Wheat is added to numerous packaged and restaurant foods and is a base ingredient in countless recipes. Although changing your diet can be difficult and may take some time to get used to, there are a variety of grains that make wonderful additions to basic foods, including waffles, cookies and breads. The following are examples of grains that often go unused in the average American home but make delicious alternatives to wheat.

Spelt. A relative of hard red winter wheat, this flour can be used for making bread and is available in whole and refined forms. It is one of the best wheat substitutes in terms of flavor, texture and performance. When cooking with spelt, reduce kneading time by three minutes and reduce liquid volume by twenty percent.

Barley. This flour is good for crumble and streusel toppings. It is often combined with flour in cookies, flatbreads and quick breads.

Buckwheat. This soft flour is ideal for crepes. It becomes dense when cooked, so use smaller quantities in breads and other baked goods.

Millet. This flour has a dry, crumbly texture and is often mixed with a more adhesive flour (like barley) to make a batter or dough.

Quinoa. This flour can be used alone in pancakes and cakes, but it has a strong flavor and is best used in combination with a mild-tasting flour.

Rye. This flour is hearty and dense and is delicious when combined with corn for quick breads. It can also be used alone for great gingerbread cookies.

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