Eating Healthier in Today's World

Making the Most of Bean Flours

Most people are aware that we can mill all kinds of different grains in our Nutrimill grain mill, and then use the flour for all our baking needs, like pancakes, cookies , muffins, breads, etc.  But did you know that one of the secret assets to owning your own flour mill is the ability to also make bean flours which are high in protein and can be used to make a myriad of recipes faster than you would normally think, and with more nutrition than the commercial products that are offered to us at the supermarket?  For example one of the problems that we faced during our year and half in Slovakia, was that we could not find a can of soup to save our lives.  It just isn't sold in that part of Europe so we had to manufacture our own Cream of Mushroom soup or Cream of Chicken soup with what was available, if we wanted to make a casserole like Chicken Divan.  After trolling the internet I found a great recipe courtesy of  http://foodstorageproject.thelunchisfree.com/2011/03/bean-flour/   that produced a wonderful alternative that even tasted better than the canned soups that we know and love (Maybe not)  and it was made with white bean flour. (recipe below)  We could find beans (Many kinds that I have never seen before) and we had a grain mill so we could mill bean flour.  Anyways this has got me doing a little research into the use of bean flour in various ways and I thought you would like to know what I have found out. 

Adding bean flours to baking increases the protein, fibre and iron content of the baked goods.  Since the beans are gluten free you could substitute up to 25% of the flour mixture in your gluten free bread with bean flour.  1/4 cup of Garbonzo bean flour has up to 3.5 grams of protein more than sorghum flour which is also gluten free. 

The Soy and Garbonzo bean flours are probably the most commonly found bean flours and are available in most good health food stores or natural markets.  Milling them fresh in your own Nutrimill of coarse, will give you a big edge in retained nutrients and flavour.  The beans will keep for years as dried beans so when you mill it, the flour is the freshest.  On the other hand, the purchased flour could be rancid when you buy it because of the extra oils in the beans, and will not store for more than a week or two.  Soy flour is wonderful in bread if you wish to add extra protein to your families' diet.  It is yellow in colour and contains all the original fat-soluable nutrients of the whole bean.  Raw Soy flour contains many active enzymes including lipoxidase, which even in a small amount, conditions the dough so that the bread will rise higher. 

Garbonzo bean flours are very popular in the South Asian culture and are made into Pakoras, which are a finger food with a yummy flavour but can be very addictive.  They are made solely from the gram or besam flour (garbonzo bean flour) and deep fried but can be frozen after frying and then warmed up in the oven when you wish to indulge. The Chick Pea or Garbonzo flour is not quite a nourishing as the soy but they provide a very respectable nourishment in breads as well.  The flavour of this flour is milder and easier to cook with than the soy flour but it requires less sweetener but does not help with the rising of the bread.

Click here for a great Pakora recipe from the BBC

Faker's Cream of Chicken Soup - from http://foodstorageproject.thelunchisfree.com/2011/03/bean-flour/  This cream soup substitute can be made from any white bean flour and can be changed according to the type of cream soup that you wanted.  For instance, if you need cream of mushroom you can add beef bouillon instead of the chicken and add some lightly sauted mushroom pieces or if you needed cream of celery you could add some lightly sauted celery pieces.

• Grind: 4 T of any white bean (lima, navy, etc.) to make 5 T bean flour
• Combine: 5 T bean flour, 1 ¾ c. water , 4 t chicken bouillon into a saucepan
• Cook: On stovetop at medium temperature until thick and delicious (whisk frequently).The soup should cook in 3 minutes! (this may be longer if your grinder makes a very coarse flour).  Use this with cooked veggies and or meat for a complete meal.  You can also add this to recipes calling for cream of chicken soup cans.

Pinto Beans flour is easy to make in a really quick Bean dip or even delicious Refried Beans.  Both recipes are on the recipe link below.

 Click here for Refried Beans Made from Pinto Bean Flour

Green split peas is another quick way of making really good soups without spending hours cooking the peas to get them to the right texture to use.  Both these recipes below make these fast soups and still have a great texture and taste because of the fresh ground flours that are used.

Click here for Split Pea Soup made with Split Pea flour in about 8 min.

Click here for Instant Corn Chowder made with Split Pea flour

Have you tried using bean flour?  Try it out this week and share your experiences with us!