Baking With Coconut Flour

What's the one thing that people miss the most when they start the SCD? It's simple really: baked goods. When you cut out grains and starches baked goods pretty much become a thing of the past. A very fond memory. And for me, often a temptation that can lead me to fall off the wagon. Enter Almond Flour, the hero of almost every Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook. Suddenly you see muffins and pancakes, and pizza crust and you think "I might be able to do this after all".

But if you're like me, almond flour is not the hero of your fairy tale cookbook. My stomach doesn't like it, the texture is often a problem, and frankly I just don't like the taste. Not to mention it's often too moist for things that should turn out crispy.

Just when I was about to despair of EVER having another blueberry muffin I discovered Coconut Flour at The Spunky Coconut (one of my favorite blogs about food). Kelly uses a wide variety of gluten-free flours in her baking creations, not all of which are SCD legal so be careful if you try one. But it prompted to me to do some research.

I found out that coconut flour is SCD legal though it is considered advanced. It's also quite healthy for you. But be warned coconut flour has a lot of fiber in it. So if you try it you might want to start slow.

Nutrition Facts from Tropical Traditions Brand of Coconut Flour:

Why do I like the coconut flour?  Where to begin?  Despite it's high fiber content it's much easier for me to digest.  It has a texture that's MUCH closer to all those wheat based baked goods I loved.  It has a neutral flavor - no it doesn't taste like coconut.  And it pairs well in baking with nut flours.

There are some challenges to keep in mind when using it, however.  It is a very dry flour.  You'll need to adjust the amount of wet ingredients that you use in order to get a moist and fluffy texture.  It can also be very crumbly due to it's lack of moisture.  So most recipes using coconut flour also require a lot of eggs and oil to keep the end result from being too crumbly.

Baking with the coconut flour is a totally different experience from baking with nut flours.  It can take some practice.  But everything I've made with coconut flour is leaps and bounds above what I've created with nut flours in taste and texture.  So I think it's worth it.

Three places to get coconut flour:
Tropical Traditions
Nuts Online
Bob's Red Mill

I've tried the product from Tropical Traditions and Bob's Red Mill.  So far I prefer the Tropical Traditions for price and quality.  I'll be trying the Nuts Online product the next time I purchase.

And to get you started, my favorite coconut flour recipe so far is the Coconut Donuts from Comfy Belly.  I made them as cupcakes and they are truly yummy!