Gluten Free Flours - Test

Here is a test i did a while back, i recently bought new flours I haven't tried yet so i will have to test these also. I will be double testing the ones i did this time again also, because, it can't hurt to have 2 comparisons!

I noted the taste, texture and any notes and possible uses for each according to my individual taste buds and preferences and (not so) educated guesses. General notes. All the white ones are starchy in behaviour. They act as a liquid when there's enough water, but when it's thick (ish, still runny) and given resistance it turns into a solid- it's confused. AND they all appear clearish, wet and squishy at the bottom and edges, and crunchy, dry, white and powdery in the center and top. I mixed all starchy flours to a pourable consistency. And i mixed the others to a moist instant potato mash consistency, so when i stirred the spoon the flour would cave in immediately instead of sticking to the spoon and showing the bottom of the plate. So all were "pourable" to an extend even though the denser ones needed help being pushed out of the bowl. I thought the more moisture the better. I now see i may have over cooked them and added far too much starch to the "pourable" mixtures as cooking showed the extent to which how little i needed.

Arrowroot Flour

Taste- bland. Not unpleasantness at all, similar to wheat.

Texture- Really chewy and clear with enough water, or crunchy dry on top.

Uses- sweet or savoury, perfect for bread as it imparts no flavour.

Notes- needed more water.

Glutinous Rice Flour

Taste- Bland, like rice with a very slight bitterness? or Sour...something unpleasant. But only very slight, very tolerable.

Texture - SOFT and squidgy- not squishy.

Notes - warped on itself. Undercooked or too much water.

Uses- Savoury or Bread. Maybe sweets.

Sorghum Flour

Taste- Bland, nutty, slight sour, reminiscent of wheat bix.

Texture- slightly dense, crumbly, crackly, heavy-sticks in your mouth.

Notes- ALLERGIC reaction, red sore irritated itch lip, itchy tongue throat and mouth for about 30 minutes.

Uses- Anything i think. Be probably much better for sweets and muffins and things. Bread mix too.

Buckwheat

Taste- Has a tang/zang to it, reminds me of fruit. Sour? Slightly nutty. Ok.

Texture- Dense, holds well

Notes- Purplish colour? Fiberous.

Uses- Fruit loaves or fruit muffin type things. The taste would work well with fruit.

Potato Starch

Taste- Bland

Texture- Hard, calamari-chewy, dense

Notes- starchy (see explanation above)

Uses- Bread, sweet or savoury.

Green Bean Flour

Taste- Beany, pretty gross. Not a fan, in a mix might be ok.

Texture- Falls apart, soft

Notes- Smells nutty/beany

Uses- SAVOURY only

White Rice Powder (Note: Not a flour!)

Taste- Rice like, bland

Texture- Crumbly, soft, falls apart

Notes- Soft, dry centre

Uses- Bread, savoury or sweet.

Chickpea Flour (gram)

Taste- Nutty, SOUR aftertaste, Ew

Texture- Dense, hard

Notes- Smells like Taco, Bubbly top, Needs sugar or Salt

Uses- Savoury

Millet

Taste- Sour, seedish, not nice, ew

Texture- Crumbly

Notes- curled inwards, smells deceptively sweet, grey in colour.

Uses- i don't think i want to cook with this based on the taste, but i've cooked sweet things in the past and it worked yummy tasting

Corn Starch

Taste- Weird, bland, slightly oceanic but tolerable

Texture- Crumbly, hard

Notes- I think i didn't have enough water, starchy

Uses- savoury or sweet, better in sweet because of the blandness and sugar would hide the slight weird taste

Tapioca Flour

Taste- PLEASANT! Bland, tastes like nothing. I LOVE IT!

Texture- Squidgy, tough, chewy gel

Notes- Smells sweet, starchy

Uses- savoury or sweet, especially sweet, or breads!

Tapioca Starch

Taste- A mouthful of millipedes marinated in ocean water in a metallic bowl. Truely. NASTY!!!! EW!

Texture- dense squidgy

Notes- I threw it in the bin. Smells like ocean marinated millipedes

Uses- NEVER AGAIN!

Sago Flour

Taste- Bland, hint of sweet and bitter/sour. Weird, ok.

Texture- VERY Dense, chewy, slightly squidge to it, starch like also.

Notes- None.

Uses- Sweets only, perhaps in bread...

Corn Flour (meal ?)

Taste- YUMO! but with a sour after taste, nutty also

Texture- VERY Crumbly, dense with some squidge

Notes- yellow

Uses- sweet or savoury, sweets would probably work better as it is sweeter, but corn seems to match better with savoury. Tacos...

New flours:

Teff, Red Sorghum, Lentil Flour, Soya Flour, Singhara Atta (Water chestnut) [starch]

Next time I'll buy Urid flour (black lentil/bean) that I saw there.