There are a lot of various diets out there. And, yes, some people diet for weight loss, but others choose a diet as a change to their way of life, usually to eat healthier. And, just because a diet focuses on healthier foods, that doesn’t mean the food doesn’t taste good. In fact, I actually prefer gluten-free cookies over regular ones because they tend to be more moist. Well, I’d like to introduce you to Pereg Natural Foods and their various flours.
Pereg has an amazing line of alternative flours that are super affordable. The line includes their flours made out of almond meal, buckwheat, banana, plantain, coconut, chickpea, teff, and quinoa. They’re all natural, kosher, free of gluten, non-GMO, and vegan. Most of the flours are in 16 oz. containers (the almond meal flour is 12 oz.). And, their containers are resealable, which I love. You don’t find too many resealable flour containers on the market.
What about cooking with these flours? I do have some experience cooking with these types of alternative flours, especially almond meal flour and coconut flour. And, I will say, you usually can’t just substitute them in equal amounts for regular flour. I hope that makes sense. You usually have to make adjustments. What I tend to do is look for recipes that are meant for these alternative flours—and there are plenty of such recipes out there. The Pereg website has a lot of recipes to choose from. There are also plenty of blogs out there that utilize these types of flours in their recipes.And, many are very delicious, you just have to pick them and try them (and read the reviews).
Some Useful Tips For Using Pereg Flours
I was sent a wealth of information regarding some of the flours that I received from Pereg, so I’ve included some of the informative tips that I received and listed them below:
- Pereg Buckwheat Flour – This flour is “packed with essential minerals (and) it can really boost the nutritional value of gluten-free recipes . . . . (It’s) among the top five easiest flours to work with.” It can be used for crepes, pancakes, cookies, muffins and more.
- Pereg Quinoa Gluten-Free Flour – This one can be an all-purpose type of flour. “Quinoa flour is especially great for baking gluten-free breads because of its protein content. Since gluten is a protein, it is important to use higher protein flours (such as quinoa) to compensate for the lack of gluten when baking gluten-free.”
- Pereg Gluten-Free Banana Flour – “Rule of thumb is to use 30% LESS banana flour than wheat flour. Banana flour mimics the results of wheat flour remarkably well, making for an easy transition in your everyday baking.”
- Pereg Gluten-Free Almond Flour – It is recommended to use almond flour in small amounts. It’s great for pizza crust, certain cookies, and as a coating for chicken nuggets.
- Pereg Gluten-Free Coconut Flour – This flour takes practice baking with. They say, “Stick with recipes that have already been tested and proven to work. If you’re building a coconut flour recipe from scratch, a good rule of thumb is that for every 1/4 cup coconut flour in a recipe, you need to add two eggs. If you’re mixing in other dry ingredients, such as cocoa powder, your egg ratio will need to go up even higher.”
- Pereg Gluten-Free Chickpea Flour – “. . . Because of (the) denseness and its innate binding tendencies, chickpea flour lends baked goods a sturdy yet tender texture when mixed with other gluten-free flours. It is also one of the most nutrient-packed gluten-free flours available. It’s full of healthy protein, fiber, vitamins, and more.” You can use it for baking quick breads, muffins, and cakes.
Some Other Thoughts About Using Alternative Flours
So, there you go. Hope you’re not overwhelmed. Do what I do and learn from others and their mistakes. Use Google to help you find recipes and blogs that specialize in cooking with these specialty flours. Utilize Pereg’s website and recipes—-they have tons of experience and knowledge. Then you can probably have more success and fun (and less frustration) when working with these flours. It’s worth it. I love gluten-free bread and cookies and I can’t wait to bake with the chickpea and banana flours from Pereg! Actually, I can’t wait to bake with them all!
Where can you buy Pereg flours? They are available at select retailers throughout the US and Canada. You can also purchase them through their website, www.pereg-gourmet.com.
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