Buckwheat Flour Potential Expands

[kenlove]

Buckwheat flour potential expands for gluten-free bread options

By Stephen Daniells, 15-Apr-2010

A combination of buckwheat and rice flour may produce gluten-free breads acceptable to consumers without the need for hydrocolloids, says new research from Eastern Europe.

The findings could lead to enhanced products for the blossoming Open Original Shared Link food market, worth almost $1.6bn last year, according to Packaged Facts, and experiencing a compound annual growth rate of 28 per cent over four years.

Sufferers of coeliac disease have to avoid all gluten in their diet, but diagnosis is not the only factor. Other sectors of the population, such as those who have self-diagnosed wheat or gluten intolerance or who believe gluten-free to be a healthier way of eating, are also strong drivers.

But against this backdrop of popularity, there have been concerns that some gluten-free products on the market made with rice, corn and potato flour and xanthan or guar gum to improve texture have sub-optimal levels of essential nutrients.

The new research, published in Food Hydrocolloids, reports that consumers accepted gluten-free bread prepared with the mixture of rice and buckwheat flour, which were formulated without the need for additional hydrocolloids, including guar gum, xanthan gum, and HPMC

There is increasing focus on the potential of alternative grains like buckwheat to formulate gluten-free foods with additional nutritional benefits.

Indeed, according to the Serbian researchers,

[JNBunnie1]

This is interesting, because I used to love baking with buckwheat flour, and it's really hard to find it made in a dedicated facility anymore, since Bob's Red Mill discontinued it's safe one. Maybe this will prompt more manufacturers to provide safe buckwheat flour.

[mushroom]

Our local gluten free bakery has been making a delicious buckwheat loaf for a couple of years; in fact, they even bake special batches for me with just rice flour and buckwheat (their other loaves contain some potato starch). Ahead of their time I also use it quite a bit in baking although I tend to get better results with sorghum. Must experiment more...

[kenlove]

i've been hooked on buckwheat or 30 years. Usually I get mine in Japan from the coops thae mill the soba seeds into flour. Its just amazing stuff. In a few places outside of japan you can get juwari soba noodles which is 100% BUCKWHEat but most of what is sold is either 30% or 60% and mixed with wheat. When you fins a restaurant in Japan that is only juwari its just fantastic to see what they do with it. So besides breads I make spatzel, crepes, dumplings, ravioli, gyoza or pot stickers and other dim sum - bao- AND Pizza crust.

Check with some of the oriental stores but make sure its 100%..

I DO mix in some sorghum, quinoa, tapioca, mochiko (rice) or other gluten-free flours but soba is almost always my base.

Our local gluten free bakery has been making a delicious buckwheat loaf for a couple of years; in fact, they even bake special batches for me with just rice flour and buckwheat (their other loaves contain some potato starch). Ahead of their time I also use it quite a bit in baking although I tend to get better results with sorghum. Must experiment more...