Soy Flour, Garbanzo & Fava Flour

[RiceGuy]

Hi everyone.

I have both Soy Flour and Garbanzo & fava Flour from Bob's Red Mill. They smell really horrid. Kinda like fish - especially the second one. Both well within the freshness date. Is that to be expected? I can't imagine so, and have emailed the company to make sure. No response from them as yet though.

[TinkerbellSwt]

I dont specifcally smell fish, but I dont like the smell either. I dont know what its like, just different. blech!

[lonewolf]

Bean flours smell and taste gross until they are baked. Then, as long as they aren't too big a percentage of the flour, their yucky smell/taste goes away. My mom said that the soy flour she used for something smelled horrible too while it was baking. My son didn't like the taste of the bread either.

I sometimes put some garbanzo flour in my chocolate chip cookies to make sure that my kids don't eat all the dough before I bake them. The dough tastes yucky, but the cookies taste great.

[RiceGuy]

My mom said that the soy flour she used for something smelled horrible too while it was baking.

Yeah, I find that to be true as well. My first impression was that it smelled like there was a baseball glove in the oven

Anyway, since the smell is similar to that of a spoiled package of tofu I had recently, I'm not 100% convinced that fresh bean flour should smell this way. The health store doesn't refrigerate them, and although the package doesn't indicate doing so, I think it would be a good idea. I generally freeze packages of flour that I don't expect to use for awhile.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Yeah, my garfava flour and any bean-containing-flour mix that I have used smells absolutely disgusting! I very nearly threw the batter away, but that horrid rotten-egg smell does bake away, somehow.

Strange, though, isn't it?

[DebbieInCanada]

I know soy and bean flours do have a strong taste when they are raw. I don't think they are as bad as you do, but everyone has different perceptions.

I really find that if I use tapioca starch as part of my flour mix, the soy taste disappears totally in the baked product. maybe other starches do the same thing.

Debbie

[Nancym]

Soy flour not only smells bad but it also tastes bad. Yuck!

[RiceGuy]

Here's the reply I just received from Bob's Red Mill:

The bean flours have a distinct smell to them, but I would not say it was fishy. They beans have naturals oils in them which are susceptible to going rancid if not stored properly.

Chelsea- Customer Service

Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods

1-800-349-2173

[RiceGuy]

I've basically concluded that both flours have spoiled, even though I haven't had them very long at all. I suppose they must have been on the store shelf too long or something. The smell doesn't go away when baked either. The taste is just as gross. There's no way this can be normal. Truly putrid in every sense of the word.

[GlutenFreeGirlie]

That's too bad they have to be tossed. I find the same thing- bean flours smelly yucky! Some people are very sensitive to the flavor and can taste it even after baking. Sounds like you're one of them.

[RiceGuy]

That's too bad they have to be tossed. I find the same thing- bean flours smelly yucky! Some people are very sensitive to the flavor and can taste it even after baking. Sounds like you're one of them.

Actually, after discussing it with Bob's Red Mill customer service, they are sending new ones. They tell me the shelf life should be at least a few months at room temp. I also got some of a different brand, and they do not have such a strong odor. There is a smell, but not anywhere near what the bad ones smell like. So for those who find the odor to be rather strong, it might be that the flour has gone rancid. Bean flours don't keep at room temp as long as something like rice flour, due to the fat content. Same goes for flaxseed meal, or any flour/meal with higher fat content.

[lonewolf]

I've basically concluded that both flours have spoiled, even though I haven't had them very long at all. I suppose they must have been on the store shelf too long or something. The smell doesn't go away when baked either. The taste is just as gross. There's no way this can be normal. Truly putrid in every sense of the word.

This reminds me that several years ago my sister gave me a bag of Bob's biscuit mix. It smelled horrible dry, while being mixed, while being baked and was un-eatable. We tried giving one to the dog and he actually threw it up! I didn't try anything from Bob's or anything with bean flour in it for several years. I think now it was rancid. Hopefully, you'll get fresh bags that will taste good when baked.