Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour

[Mateto]

I bought Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose flour a few weeks ago, because it was on sale. I made some chocolate-chip "clumps" with them, and me with a major sweet tooth, had to try some of the batter. I tasted a strange, very RAW taste. What is it coming from, do you know? The flour is mostly comprised of bean flours...though there IS potato starch and tapioca flour.

[bartfull]

I think it's the beans. Try adding more sugar next time. It might help to mask the flavor.

[beachbirdie]

I bought Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose flour a few weeks ago, because it was on sale. I made some chocolate-chip "clumps" with them, and me with a major sweet tooth, had to try some of the batter. I tasted a strange, very RAW taste. What is it coming from, do you know? The flour is mostly comprised of bean flours...though there IS potato starch and tapioca flour.

I second the vote on the beans. I don't use Bob's all-purpose for that reason. I don't like the beany taste from ANY of the bean flours.

[IrishHeart]

Personally, I do not like bean flours either...and maybe that is what you taste?

[veronika]

Ah Bob's Red Mill...they love to put bean flour in everything.

I used their Chocolate Cake Mix to make a treat to share with my boyfriend for a special occasion, and I was so happy with how it turned out before I tasted it. It looked amazing, rose perfectly, looked really really chocolate-y. I took one bite and immediately spat it out. Guess I have low tolerance for bean flour, to me it tastes awful.

However, all was not lost, as my boyfriend proceeded to eat the rest of the cake over the course of the week (as he happened to love it!) .

[Simona19]

Hi! I don't like the taste of raw flour mix neither, but the final result is perfect for me.

Check this out:

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/85504-gluten-and-casein-free-tiramisu-cake/page__p__734848__fromsearch__1#entry734848

In this cake you can use 4 cream cheese instead of tofu, or 1 small container of ricotta cheese.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/83388-gluten-and-casein-free-shredded-tofu-cake/page__p__718692__fromsearch__1#entry718692

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/80447-here-is-the-cake-that-i-promised/page__p__695015__fromsearch__1#entry695015

I have been using only the Bob's bread mix in my cakes. The cake will be nice and fluffy and the funny taste will disepeare. Then, when you will put something on top, you wouldn't even know that the dough is gluten free.

This is my latest creation from the Bob's bread mix:

[Darn210]

It's the bean flour . . . but I'm guessing you figured that out by now

Some people like it just fine. I'm not one of them. It's worse in the raw dough than in the finished product (IMO), but there's an aftertaste thing in the finished product.

Plus, heaven help me . . . I gotsta have me some raw dough

[JNBunnie1]

Always tasted like blood to me. Blechh... Glad the brownie mix doesn't have bean flour!

[IrishHeart]

Always tasted like blood to me. Blechh... Glad the brownie mix doesn't have bean flour!

yowzers, that's VERY descriptive, Bunz....blood?

I was going for "dirty socks"...

either way...blech, it is.

[RiceGuy]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Bean flours are NOT supposed to taste foul. If it does, then it's spoiled. Rancid.

I have yet to taste a bean flour from Bob's Red Mill that wasn't rancid. Even when shipped directly to me from the company. I can only guess it's due to their stone grinding, creating too much heat, thereby breaking down some of the components in the beans. So I don't buy Bob's at all.

I use bean flours regularly, and although they do have a distinctive taste and aroma, they don't taste foul. But I wouldn't recommend eating them raw at all.

It is also important to note the expiration date on the package. Bean flours don't last long at room temp. I believe this is one reason why a store will occasionally put them on sale. If the package has been sitting at room temp for a few months, then you can bet it's spoiled. Exposure to light doesn't help either. I prefer not to keep any out beyond about 30 days or so. The freezer is the best place to keep them otherwise. Just don't open the container when it's cold, or moisture will condense on the flour, greatly accelerating spoilage.

[IrishHeart]

I use bean flours regularly, and although they do have a distinctive taste and aroma, they don't taste foul. But I wouldn't recommend eating them raw at all.

While I appreciate what you are saying, I have tasted other bean flours and they taste the same to me.

It is not because the BRM I tried were rancid, it is just that I do not like that particular taste.

What some call "distinctive" ....others may call "blech".

Everyone is different.

[kareng]

I have tried different flour mixes with bean flour. I found that they all taste funny as batter or dough but usually cook up well. Considering every baked good in our house must have PB or massive amounts of chocolate or both, they don't taste beany in the end. Maybe they would for a lighter flavored white cake. Used garbanzo bean flour in some pizza rolls that gave it a "different" taste but we still liked them. Lots of cheese and pizza sauce...

[Salax]

I always thought that taste came from the xanthum gum that would need to be added to certain mixes...maybe it is the bean taste....I never knew....

Amazing cake though Simona

[IrishHeart]

K, I think you are right....it is the G-bean flour that I do not care for. I guess with toppings and flavors, it would be masked and less noticeable.

I made a pound cake for the family once using BRM blend. (my one and only time)

They LOVED it!!...me, not so much. I asked Hubs quietly, "does this taste all right?" he said.."it's GREAT!"

meanwhile, I'm thinking...to quote Bunz ... "blech".

I sent it home with his Aunt.

[IrishHeart]

Amazing cake though Simona

YES!!! I add my applause!! it LOOKS FANTASTIC.

[kitgordon]

I think some people are more sensitive to the bean taste than others. I personally hate it, but some people don't seem to notice it at all.

I really like Better Batter flour; so far it has worked in everything I have tried - but it is expensive and you have to order it online.

[JNBunnie1]

Yeah, when I used to use BRM mixes for sweets I'd serve them to other people who adored them, and I'd be thinking (what's wrong with these people....) I wonder if it has anything to do with the whole super-taster theory?

[Darn210]

I really like Better Batter flour; so far it has worked in everything I have tried - but it is expensive and you have to order it online.

Not necessarily . . . I ran into it at a health food store the other day. You can check their website for locations, but it's not up-to-date as the store I saw it in wasn't listed. I think they are doing pretty well so I wouldn't be surprised to see it in more places . . . may take a while to get to you though.

[IrishHeart]

Yeah, when I used to use BRM mixes for sweets I'd serve them to other people who adored them, and I'd be thinking (what's wrong with these people....) I wonder if it has anything to do with the whole super-taster theory?

I wonder, too.

I did not want to say that and sound "posh or snobby" :lol:

(but I know I am one.)

[RiceGuy]

K, I think you are right....it is the G-bean flour that I do not care for. I guess with toppings and flavors, it would be masked and less noticeable.

This I may agree with. I've tried garbanzo bean flour a few times, and I just can't stand the taste of it. Pretty sure at least some of the packages weren't rancid either. It seems there's something particularly different about that one, compared to all the others I've tried. Funny thing though, is that I once tried a garfava blend that was wonderful.

[RiceGuy]

I think some people are more sensitive to the bean taste than others. I personally hate it, but some people don't seem to notice it at all.

I'm sure that's true. I do know that the taste was more noticeable to me earlier on in my usage of them. Still not foul though, just more distinctive, perhaps even peculiar.

Yeah, when I used to use BRM mixes for sweets I'd serve them to other people who adored them, and I'd be thinking (what's wrong with these people....) I wonder if it has anything to do with the whole super-taster theory?

Interesting thought. I've wondered at times if I might be super-sensitive to certain smells and tastes. Even with some things I use often, when served to others, I'm told it's bland. While with other things I'm told it's too strong.

However, I put together a mix for someone who needed to make a tried-and-true gluten-free pie crust. I didn't tell them it had bean flours in it. They (as picky as they are), along with their guests, loved it. IMHO, some flours can balance out the taste of other flours. That's what I aimed for, and it seems that what tasted balanced to me also did to others. I'd guess this may not always work with everyone, nor with every type of flour.

[JNBunnie1]

The super-taster thing isn't snobbery, I'm reading a book by Herve This, who's a German food scientist, and they've demonstrated how a not-so-small percentage of the population actually just has more taste buds. It's a really interesting book, talks about how temperature affects the taste of food, and how tenderness and juiciness are perceived by the human mouth and not necessarily measurable outside the chewing process.

Sorry, going off-topic! Bean flour, bean flour.... I like beans!

[RiceGuy]

The super-taster thing isn't snobbery, I'm reading a book by Herve This, who's a German food scientist, and they've demonstrated how a not-so-small percentage of the population actually just has more taste buds. It's a really interesting book, talks about how temperature affects the taste of food, and how tenderness and juiciness are perceived by the human mouth and not necessarily measurable outside the chewing process.

Sorry, going off-topic! Bean flour, bean flour.... I like beans!

Yeah, although to some people it sounds like a boast if you tell them you can taste something they cannot.

I once saw something about super tasters, and one of the things which sticks in my mind is that 40% of the population can't taste a certain thing, the name of which I forgot.

More on-topic, I bought some lentil flour once, and it was definitely rancid. Really rancid, if fact. But the company gave me a big bold-faced lie, and wouldn't refund. Needless to say I haven't purchased from them again. But now I grind my own lentils, and the smell is good, not "beanie" whatsoever IMO.

[RiceGuy]

Some interesting reading on taste perception:

There are non-tasters, tasters, and super-tasters of bitterness

Not all humans have the same perception of bitterness for some substances. An intriguing example is the case of substances that are chemically similar to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and propyl-thiouracil (PROP). Such compounds are for instance found in cabbage and rapeseed. Some people perceive no particular taste of these compounds ("non-tasters"), whereas others experience an extremely unpleasant bitter taste ("tasters"). Among tasters there is also variation, in that some tasters (so-called "super-tasters") are extra sensitive to bitterness. The frequency of tasters and non-tasters varies considerably among human populations. Thus, the frequency of non-tasters ranges from 3% in West Africa; 6-23% in China, 40% in India and is estimated to be around 30% in people of European descent.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[IrishHeart]

The super-taster thing isn't snobbery, I'm reading a book by Herve This, who's a German food scientist, and they've demonstrated how a not-so-small percentage of the population actually just has more taste buds. It's a really interesting book, talks about how temperature affects the taste of food, and how tenderness and juiciness are perceived by the human mouth and not necessarily measurable outside the chewing process.

Sorry, going off-topic! Bean flour, bean flour.... I like beans!

yup, beans, beans, I love beans, baked beans, black beans,kidney beans ... in fact I am making 3 bean chili right now.

(I know it's not snobbery & you know it's not snobbery, but some people might think by saying I am a "super-taster" it may sound "elitist".)

I think this subject is right on topic actually, because This, a chemist and a chef, along with the Oxford physicist Nicholas Kurti, came up with what they called "molecular gastronomy".

I think he's brilliant.

ANYHOO...it may well be why some of us taste something "peculiar" ---when others do not.

He could probably make bean flour taste "magnifique"