Quinoa flour is a high-protein, gluten-free replacement for traditional flours in things like breads, cakes and pancakes. It lends a light, nutty flavor to the things you cook, while adding high nutritional content. Print out these three recipes and give quinoa flour a try. If you need help downloading the printable recipes, check out these helpful tips.
Quinoa Pancakes
These light, fluffy pancakes cook up quickly and are a great substitute for wheat pancakes. The recipe makes nine, five-inch pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon butter (plus more for cooking)
- 1 egg
- 1-1/4 cups milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the quinoa flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- Separate the egg, mixing the yolk with the butter, milk and honey. Set the yolk mixture aside.
- Beat the egg white with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Combine the yolk mixture and the flour mixture in a large bowl.
- Gently fold in the egg white; do not overmix.
- Heat some butter in a skillet and drop the pancake batter 1/4 cup at a time.
- Wait until air bubbles begin to form on the pancake, flip and cook for two more minutes.
- Keep stacked on a plate in a warm oven until ready to eat.
- Serve with butter and syrup.
Quinoa Cinnamon Bread
This bread can be sliced for French toast, used in bread pudding or eaten plain. The recipe makes one loaf.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 1 cup, plus six teaspoons water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg, plus one egg white
- 2-1/2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Combine the chia seeds with six teaspoons of water. Set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter and mix with the eggs, milk, most of the water and wet chia seeds.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, while mixing on low. The dough should be the consistency of cake batter; keep adding water until you achieve this state.
- Beat on high for three and one half minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a bread pan.
- Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Cover the top with aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Let cool completely.
Quinoa Sponge Cake
This basic cake recipe can be the base of numerous desserts including Princess Cake, Strawberry Shortcake and more. The recipe makes one 8-1/2-inch cake.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Grease an 8-1/2-inch spring form pan and dust with quinoa flour.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together until fluffy.
- Fold in both types of flour until well combined. Do this gently so the foam of the eggs does not get flattened.
- Pour the batter into the spring form pan and bake for one to one and a half hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool before removing the spring form sides.
Using Quinoa Flour
Quinoa has a naturally bitter saponin that surrounds each seed to help prevent prey from eating it. This must be removed before the flour is created to prevent a bitter tasting dish. Therefore, always purchase, rather than make the flour at home by grinding the quinoa seeds. If you are using quinoa flour due to a gluten allergy or intolerance, always make sure that the flour you purchase was made in a dedicated gluten-free factory or specifically says "Gluten-Free" on the label to prevent potential cross contamination.
Baking With Quinoa Flour
Quinoa flour can be used in the place of other, non-gluten flours in any recipe to increase its nutritional content or add extra flavor. Because it is gluten-free, it requires a "binder" of some kind to help the baked goods stick together. This may include the following:
- Eggs
- Chia seeds
- Xanthan gum
- Gum Arabic
- Guar gum
If you are replacing wheat flour with quinoa flour cup for cup, make sure to add at least 1/4 teaspoon of one or more of these binders to help your baked goods turn out.
Give Quinoa Flour a Try
Quinoa has been used for its nutritional content and taste for centuries in many cultures. Today, many people are finding it a delicious alternative to wheat flours in many dishes. Give these recipes containing quinoa flour a try and see what you may have been missing.
