Banana Flour – The New Gluten Free Flour Alternative

I’m sure banana cake, banana bread, and banana split are words you are a little more familiar with than banana flour. I was surprised as well when I first heard of it. But YEP, banana flour is the real deal. And although there is very little literature associated with it, I am quite confident in the gastronomic experiences it has to offer, especially with regards to creating gluten free cooking. From what I’ve learned and tasted thus far, it is just as impressive and palatable as gluten free coconut, almond, rice and corn flour.

Banana flour has a less intrusive flavour than its contemporaries so you don’t have to worry about your favorite recipes tasting strange. It is also starchier, which makes it more ideal for gluten free cooking. You can use it as thickener, as part of a breading mix or for gluten free baking. And since it is also a friendly gluten free flour, you can freely mix it with other varieties to get different levels of crumbly, grainy and chewy textures.

Now, the best attribute of banana flour is that you can make your own version at home by following a set of simple instructions. Not only does this guarantee you gluten free cooking, it also helps you be in control of the whole production process. See, it’s quite easy for gluten free products to get contaminated by gluten-filled wheat, rye and barley because these grains can go airborne for a few meters. And since it’s hard to distinguish them once they’ve integrated themselves in the mill’s production line, it’d be impossible for manufacturers to keep the integrity of their products after the fact.

To start making this gluten free flour, what you should do is boil or steam unripe fruits until the skin loosens up. Then, you should then peel them, cut them into thin slices and then dry them in low oven heat for about 2 to 3 hours. You could also choose to sun dry them over the day if you don’t want to waste electricity or fuel in the process. After their color lightens, you could then put them into a high speed blender and then grind them into fine particles. You will have to do this twice while drying and sifting the byproduct in between to ensure the best results. Finally, keep the banana flour in an airtight container so it is not spoiled by odors or insects. Once your ready, you could then test out your favorite recipes and reap benefits such as immunity boosts, weight loss, cancer prevention and detoxification.

To avoid your baked goods coming out dry, you are advised to test bake mixtures first because the required time may vary depending on the amount of banana flour you incorporate. You should also make sure to use good quality oil or butter when baking to avoid raw outputs and then use foils in the second leg of the baking process to ensure that all sides of the gluten free foods you’ve prepared are cooked properly.