Getting Started With Buckwheat Bakes

Gluten free baking can be an incredibly daunting task. It's hard to find the right gluten free flour for your baking situation. It's hard to find recipes without flour, let alone recipes that taste AMAZING without flour!

Today I'm excited to share about one of my favorite gluten free flours... buckwheat flour! Despite the fact that it has WHEAT in its name, buckwheat flour is completely gluten free! Keep reading to learn more about buckwheat flour, how to bake with buckwheat flour, and recipes with buckwheat flour!

WHAT IS BUCKWHEAT FLOUR?

Buckwheat flour is flour made from grinding buckwheat groats. And... it's not actually wheat! It's worth noting that if you're new to buckwheat flour, the color might surprise you. It's dark... and it'll get even darker when you add liquid. Don't let this scare you, though!

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BUCKWHEAT FLOUR?

1) It's a complex carbohydrate, or in other words, it's a whole grain! Complex carbs are super helpful for people trying to manage their blood sugar levels because it takes longer to break these down and keeps blood sugar stable.

2) Buckwheat flour is high in fiber, protein, and other nutrients.

3) Buckwheat flour is GLUTEN FREE!!! For people trying to limit gluten intake, whether for personal preference or gluten intolerance, buckwheat flour is a delicious and healthy alternative.

4) It's got great flavor. Don't get me wrong, I love traditional flour. However, there's also something simply scrumptious about this flour alternative. It adds a deliciously nutty flavor that is hard to replicate with other ingredients.

HOW CAN I GET STARTED?

For those new to buckwheat flour, I recommend trying out some new recipes that use buckwheat flour. This will allow you to taste and experiment with buckwheat in different types of bakes and better understand the flavor and texture.

One of the easiest ways to get started with buckwheat bakes is to try making buckwheat pancakes! One of my favorite buckwheat pancakes recipes is Light and Fluffy Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes. Another good buckwheat recipe to try is Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! Buckwheat flour is definitely the star in both of these bakes.

With the buckwheat pumpkin muffins in particular, this recipe helped me better understand all that buckwheat flour is capable of. We too often think that flour and sugar alternatives taste okay... sort of. (And sometimes we just think of flour and sugar alternatives as gross). However, recipes like this one defy this logic. These muffins are moist, sweet, and have the most amazing flavor.

Buckwheat is more than just an alternative or a substitute... it is a whole new style of baking. We're not trying to replace flour in this recipe, we're going for a different flavor, and buckwheat flour is the answer to that flavor quest.