Guide to Flour

Where would we be without our daily bread? From flour comes crusty loaves of bread, feather-light pastries, rich cakes, wonderful waffles...the list is endless. The history of flour is intertwined with the history of humans.

However, the recent history of flour is dominated by the popularity of white flour, whereby whole wheat grains are refined into a nutritionally empty product. First, the grain is stripped of the germ, storehouse of vital nutrients, and its bran. Then it is bromated, bleached and refined using up to 60 different chemicals. The resulting flour is whiter, fluffier and lasts longer on the shelf. But not much else can be said about it.

On the other hand, whole-grain flours have it all, nutrients and valuable fiber, and an array of flavors, from the nutty amaranth flour to the robust and earthy buckwheat flour. There are also flours for the gluten-sensitive and flours for the wheat-sensitive.

Jimbo's...Naturally! carries flours from organically grown grain whenever possible.

Amaranth Flour: Amaranth flour's mild, sweet, nutty flavor lends itself well to cookies, breads and other baked goods, as well as to homemade pasta. Because it contains no gluten, use a small portion in leavened products and higher amounts in flatbreads.

Brown Rice Flour: Ground from short or medium-grain brown rice, this flour contains no gluten. Used best in partnership with other flours in a bread recipe. One of the best uses of this granular flour is in breading, coatings, cookies and crackers--it makes them crispy. It is also a favorite for sauces, for unlike whole wheat flour, it imparts no color.

Buckwheat Flour: Buckwheat flour gives a robust, earthy taste to other flours and is best added in small amounts (10-20 percent). It is unsurpassed in pancakes, waffles and crepes, and the Japanese use it to make soba noodles. Buckwheat flour is available light or dark. The dark flour, ground from unhulled groats, is gray with black specks and has more fiber and flavor than the light.

Kamut Flour: Kamut flour, with its rich butter flavor, is a tasty alternative to wheat flour for some wheat-sensitive people. (Be sure to check with your healthcare professional before trying.)

For more complete information about FLOURS, drop by any Jimbo's location to pick up a free detailed brochure.

Jimbo's....Naturally! San Diego's premier natural foods store serving San Diego with stores in Carmel Valley, Escondido, Carlsbad and 4S Ranch.