As time has gone on, the importance of non-gluten flours has increased significantly. More and more people are turning to these flours for  intolerance or dietary reasons. So it is more important than ever to understand how best to use some of these flours. In this particular example we will be focusing on how to use coconut flour in baking specifically.

First it is vital that we understand what exactly coconut flour is and how it is made. Coconut flour is produced by milling the coconut meat (the white internal flesh of the coconut) and drying it at a low temperature. It is important to dry it at a low temperature to prevent discolouration and retain the desired texture. Once milled, the final product is a soft flour that is suitable for several different kinds of baking.

Coconut Flour Properties

When using coconut flour for baking it is important to consider the particular properties that coconut flour has. A lot of recipes that use coconut flour will involve only replacing 20% of the total wheat flour for coconut. Coconut flour is very absorbent and therefore when using entirely coconut flour the finished product can be very grainy. As a result of the additional absorbency of coconut flour, it is important to adjust the liquid content of the recipe. More liquid will be required to achieve the desired consistency.

When looking at coconut flour recipes, it is also very likely that they will mention fluffing the coconut flour. This is a vital process when baking with coconut flour. The process involves fluffing the flour with a fork to break it up so it does not form any clumps. If there is clumps in the flour it will be much harder to measure it out correctly. The clumps will affect how the liquid in the recipe is absorbed by the dry ingredients.

For a Coconut flour muffins recipe, check out this blog

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