Low Carb: These 16 flours are suitable for baking

Instead of traditional cereal flours, flours made from seeds, legumes, and nuts are often used for low-carb baking. These flours are frequently defatted so that they bind better with other ingredients and create a comparable dough consistency. Therefore, when baking low-carb, you need to be careful about which flour you use for which recipe. Some flours are better suited for certain baked goods than others. The various flours contain almost no carbohydrates or sugar, and therefore have fewer calories.

The Right Low Carb Flour for Every Baked Good

Chia Seed Flour is made from ground chia seeds and, due to its high swelling capacity, is wonderfully suitable as an egg substitute and a binding flour in dough.

Hemp Flour is made from partially de-oiled and unhulled hemp seeds. It can only partially replace other flours because it lacks gluten. This flour has a pleasant nutty taste and is suitable for bread, cakes, pancakes, and for thickening sauces and soups.

Hazelnut Flour is obtained by cold-pressing hazelnuts and subsequently contains approx. 17% hazelnut oil. The flour swells significantly and should always be used with a binding flour. Due to its nutty note, this flour is excellent for use in cookies, cakes, or muesli.

Chickpea Flour is made from the white, defatted, dried, and ground pulp of coconuts. The coconut note is still discernible in the flour. Due to its light coconut note, care should be taken to ensure that the other ingredients also pair well with it.

Konjac Flour is derived from the Asian konjac root. It is rich in fiber, low in calories, and free of carbohydrates. Due to its excellent swelling capacity, it is wonderfully suitable as a binding flour for bread, cookies, and cakes.

Pumpkin Seed Flour is made from ground, partially de-oiled pumpkin seeds. Due to its slight sweetness and nutty note, it is particularly suitable for bread, savory pastries, as well as for pasta or as breadcrumbs.

For Linseed Flouris naturally gluten-free, low in carbohydrates, and a great alternative to wheat flour. It gives baked goods a marzipan-like note, has good swelling capacity, and is excellent for cookies, cakes, or pancakes. Due to the cold-pressing process during production, the flour loses fat, which lowers its caloric value.

Soy Flour is obtained from dried soybeans. It has a slightly sweet taste and binds baked goods such as bread and rolls. Since the intrinsic flavor of soy flour is quite dominant, it should be combined with other flours. Furthermore, soy flour absorbs a lot of water, so attention should be paid to fluid intake. Soy flour is available commercially in full-fat (20%) and low-fat (1%) varieties.

Sweet Lupin Flour is obtained from hulled and ground lupins. This flour is best used with a binding flour, as it does not contain gluten. It gives dough a slight yellowish tint and is suitable for sweet and savory doughs in, for example, cakes, pastries, and bread.

Walnut Flour should be used with a binding flour, as it is partially de-oiled. Like hazelnut flour, it is perfect for cookies or cakes during the Christmas season.

Flours for Binding and Consistency

Bamboo Fibers are carbohydrate-free and bind the dough due to their high fiber content. If bread or rolls are rolled in bamboo fibers before baking, they develop a fantastic crust.

Often, the typical low-carb flours lack wheat gluten, as found in conventional flours. If gluten is added, it optimally binds low-carb flour doughs. Unfortunately, the baked goods are then no longer suitable for people with gluten intolerance.

Guar Gum is primarily used as a natural (flavorless) thickening and gelling agent. If a teaspoon is mixed with a cup of flour substitute, a suitable consistency is achieved. It comes from the seeds of the Indian guar tree.

Locust Bean Gum has a high swelling capacity and is made from the fruit of the carob tree. This flour can be stirred into both cold and hot liquids. Cold water, when combined with locust bean gum, turns into a gel-like mass.

Psyllium Husk Flour is produced by grinding Indian psyllium husks. It has a particularly high swelling capacity and therefore binds like conventional wheat flour.