AIP FRIENDLY FLOURS
A guide to AIP flours.
Make baking and cooking easy,
and enjoy the foods you love.
AIP friendly flours
Baking on the AIP diet does not have to be difficult, in fact it is just like traditional baking once you get the knack of it. Below is my guide to understanding each flour, where I purchase them from, and how to use them.
The main flours used in AIP baking are : Cassava flour, Tapioca Starch, Arrowroot Starch, Coconut flour, Tigernut flour. There is also Green Banana (plantain) flour, Sweet Potato flour and Water Chestnut flour which I am yet to try.
Cassava flour
Cassava flour comes from the Cassava Root, simply made from the whole root, peeled, dried and ground. It is often used in gluten-free products as it is the most like wheat flour.
Flavour : mild
Texture : soft and powdery
Nutrition : high carbohydrate
Baking : Heavy and dense when added to a recipes
Great for : Tortillas, cookies, doughs, pie crusts,
Coconut flour
Coconut flour is made from the meat of the coconut which has been dried and then ground into a powder flour texture. It works well in baking, is a very absorbent flour and has a coconut flavour.
Flavour : coconut
Texture : soft and powdery
Nutrition : high in protein, low in carbohydrate
Baking : Heavy weight that absorbs lots of moisture. It can dry out baked goods and make them heavy. Should only be used in small quantities and best combined with other flours.
Great for : crunchy cookies, scones, breads, pie crusts.
Arrowroot flour
Arrowroot flour comes from the Maranta Arundinacea. It is mainly used as a thickener in sauces and in baking.
Flavour : no taste
Texture : very smooth and powdery
Nutrition : higher protein, vitamin B, iron, potassium
Baking : Thickens when heated so it acts as a gluten replacement. Arrowroot produces a glossy shine to sauces. Best used in small quantities and in combination with other flours when baking.
Great for : sauces, fruit desserts, glazes, baking.
Where to buy
Based in New Zealand it can be hard to find some of these ingredients readily available in the supermarket. Cassava and Tigernut flours can both be purchased easily online.
Cassava Flour : iherb, Matakana Superfoods, or other online stores.
Tigernut Flour : Nile or other online stores.
Coconut Flour : Supermarket
Tapioca Flour : Supermarket
Arrowroot Flour : Supermarket
Tigernut flour
This is a new flour. It is not a nut as the name implies but a small root. It's completely gluten-free, Paleo and AIP friendly. It has a slightly sweet, nutty flavour, and has a little more protein than other flours. It is an expensive flour and requires sifting when dry makes AIP baking have a more traditional taste and texture.
Flavour : sweet & nutty
Texture : soft and high fiber, like almond meal
Nutrition : higher in protein
Baking : Extremely light weight, high fibre and airy flour. Adds a lightness and crumb to baking (like Almond Meal). Needs to be combined with other flours to bind it, otherwise baking will be crumbly.
Great for : cakes, muffins, cookies.
Tapioca flour
Tapioca flour or starch comes from the starch of the Cassava Root. It lends a thick, chewy texture to baking, and acts as a thickener to sauces, soups and puddings.
Flavour : slightly sweet
Texture : very smooth and powdery
Nutrition : higher protein, vitamin B, iron, potassium
Baking : Thickens when heated so it acts as a gluten replacement. Creates a crispness to crusts, chewiness to baking, thicker to sauces, and a stretch to doughs or batters as they rise. Best used in small quantities and blended with other flours.
Great for : cakes, muffins, cookies, doughs.
Nourish Me Free shares my personal opinions and journey. It provides basic educational information and should not be taken as professional health or medical advice.
