The gluten-free craze is real and is present for a long time. While there are some people who avoid eating gluten because of gluten intolerance or celiac disease, there are some who avoid it in the hope to reduce the annoying symptoms of gas, bloating and irritable bowel syndrome. And although it isn't scientifically proven (because more proof is needed), it is believed that cutting out gluten from the diet can reduce the symptoms of arthritis and psoriasis. So, if you like many others strive to avoid gluten for one reason or another, then you should certainly replace wheat, rye and barley flour with organic buckwheat flour.
What Is Buckwheat Flour?
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Buckwheat is a nutritious whole grain type of flour that is gluten and dairy-free. Even though it has a distinctive earthy taste, it still allows being used for baking as it gives the pastry a unique taste and flavour. Truth be told, this flour isn’t new on the market. In fact, it has been used in traditional recipes from all over the world, and its highest production levels have been mainly reached in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even though it has a robust flavour, practice shows that this flour is the best substitute for wheat flour. So slowly but surely, this flour is becoming one of the most commonly used types because it's considered healthier and more beneficial.
Benefits of Buckwheat Organic Flour
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Nutritious
The greatest benefit is that organic buckwheat flour has many nutritional benefits. Although it is considered a carbohydrate, still, this type of flour contains a high level of protein and fibre which is beneficial for the digestive system. Buckwheat flour also contains antioxidants which are great for reducing the chances of illnesses while also lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
Pesticide Free
Aside from this, buckwheat organic flour should be made from buckwheat plants that are free from pesticides. When compared to the regular buckwheat type of flour, the organic type is also better since it doesn’t contain all the additives that could be added during the milling process of regular buckwheat flour.
Amazing Flavour
Although it’s considered a more ‘earthy’ type of flour, buckwheat still has an amazing flavour which makes it amazing for almost any type of baking goods. Besides pastry, this flour is also great for baking sweets, brownies, cakes and many other desserts.
When using it for baking pastries and other savoury treats, keep in mind its darker colour which is caused by the presence of hull fragments. Usually, this flour is characterised by its small dark speckles, even though the flour itself can obtain a paler colour. Generally, the colour of the flour will depend on how fine the ground is and on the colour of the buckwheat (dark or green).
How to Use Buckwheat Flour in the Kitchen?
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First thing’s first, you should know that this flour doesn’t rise, and isn’t as robust as plain flour because it doesn’t have gluten to strengthen it. That’s why a lot of people mix it with plain flour or wheat flour. However, if you want to keep the recipe entirely gluten-free, then you can mix it with a little bit of starchy flour like tapioca starch or arrowroot powder. By mixing it with one of these things, you’ll be also able to work with it while also obtaining the needed fluffiness which cannot be done if using buckwheat only.
How to Store Buckwheat Flour?
If you love to bake and you plan on using lots of buckwheat flour, it would be recommended if you store it in a cool and dark place. Stored like that, buckwheat can stay in the same condition for about a month. In case you want to store an open bag of buckwheat flour for longer than a month, you should store it in the freezer where you can keep it for up to six months.
Pairing Buckwheat Flour
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Although it has an earthy and nutty flavour, this flour can go perfectly with chocolate, coffee, nuts, caramel and spices. In fact, this flour can only intensify their taste, so the next time you want to make cookies or biscuits with some of the aforementioned things, feel free to use buckwheat flour instead of wheat or all-purpose flour. Considering its earthy flavours, this flour can also be paired with other earthy flavoured food like mushrooms, squash, parsnips and berries.
If you’re a beginner in baking and using buckwheat flour for the first time, then you should certainly start small. In other words, you should try and mix 10 – 25% of buckwheat flour with all-purpose flour because working solely with buckwheat would be a nightmare, even for a pro. After gaining some experience with it and its texture, you can work your way up with the buckwheat flour percentage and find your perfect flour ratio.
