Have you ever walked by the baking section of your grocery store and wondered what starches like tapioca flour and arrowroot powder are used for? If this sounds like you, then you're not alone. We're often asked how to use starch to improve your favorite recipes. To make sure your questions about starches are answered, we gathered up our Bob's Red Mill starch experts. Using your questions, they created this guide to help introduce you to five useful ways to use starches in your cooking. Keep scrolling to find out how you can begin cooking with starch today!
What Are Starches?
Starches are incredibly versatile ingredients. When added to liquids, starches work to absorb water, and when they're heated, the starch molecules multiply. This causes the liquid to thicken, which is an important function in a variety of recipes. When used in gluten free baking, these same starch molecules can help bind ingredients together, just like gluten would! They add moisture and texture to baked goods that gluten free recipes often lack.
Even though starches may look similar to flours, they should not be used the same. Generally, starches are used in much smaller portions than gluten free flours, such as almond flour and coconut flour. Adding too much starch to a recipe will cause a gummy-like texture that will ruin the baked good. When adding starches to a dish, it's important to find the right balance. When in doubt, we recommend using the "less is more" approach.
Ways to Use Starches in Your Cooking
Use Starches to Thicken Soups, Pies and Gravy
Have you ever prepared a soup that is a little too watery for your liking? Starches can help with that! Starches like arrowroot powder and tapioca flour can be used as a way to thicken soups, sauces and stews—even after they are cooked! To use a starch like arrowroot powder to thicken your soup, you must first make a "slurry." You can do this by mixing a small amount of arrowroot powder into a cold liquid such as water. Once the two ingredients have been thoroughly mixed, pour the slurry into the soup to thicken it. When adding a slurry to a soup or stew, we recommend adding it in at the end of the cooking process. When heated, some starches can easily break down and not provide the thickness desired.
Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie
You may have grown up eating your grandma's yummy pies and wondered what secret ingredient she used to make them taste so good. It's time to discover that game-changing ingredient on your own, and we're here to help! Starch is the perfect ingredient to help thicken a pie to your preference. In this yummy Lemon Meringue Pie recipe, fresh lemons and cornstarch are used to create a tasty filling with the perfect texture. Made with our gluten free pie crust, this pie is a treat the kiddos will want to dive into right away.
Use Starches to Create Structure in Baked Goods
Want to add a little more structure to your favorite baked good recipe? Then starches are your answer. Starches like tapioca flour can be used when making puddings, pies and even brownies to add more structure and body to the dessert. To add just the right amount to your baked goods, we recommend combining a starch like arrowroot powder with non-dairy milk. Set aside this mixture until all other ingredients in the recipe have been combined. Once your recipe is complete, add in the starch mixture and mix until you notice the batter thickening. If, after adding the starch, you feel like your batter is too thick, simply add more non-dairy milk until the mixture reaches the consistency you want.
Recipe: Citrus Pound Cake
We love desserts with unusual ingredients, and this Citrus Pound Cake does not disappoint! The key to this pound cake's light and moist texture is arrowroot starch. By using just a dash, this recipe is transformed into a delicious treat that will please everyone at the dessert table.
Use Starches to Add a Crunchiness to Your Favorite Foods
A good tofu recipe is hard to come by. With all the different ways to cook tofu, you might be wondering how your favorite restaurant achieves that perfect crunchy texture every time. What if we told you we know their secret? It's starches, of course! Sprinkling just a touch of arrowroot powder on tofu or tempeh before sauteing or frying can help you achieve that crunchy and crispy texture that you're craving. When using starch to add crunchiness to foods like tofu, it's important that you fully drain all of the moisture from the dish beforehand. Pressing, drying and freezing tofu are all ways that you can help release moisture so that you can achieve that perfect crispy texture. Once your tofu is fully drained, add your starch of choice and cook it like you usually would. It's that easy!
Recipe: Cassava Potstickers
Want to try your hand at more exciting recipes in the kitchen? While these Cassava Potstickers may look complicated to make, they're quite simple. Made with gluten free and grain free cassava flour, the best part about this recipe is that it won't taste like you're giving up anything! To make this dish, cassava flour is mixed with potato starch to help achieve the perfect crispy potsticker texture. Don't believe us? Try this recipe out for yourself. We promise you won't be disappointed.
Use Starches to Add Structure to Vegan Meals
When making vegan recipes, it can be hard to know what to swap in for traditionally non-vegan items. While some vegan recipes call for ingredients like xanthan gum to give the batter texture, others call for starches. In non-vegan dishes, ingredients like eggs help to hold the meal together and create structure. Now, if those eggs are taken out, even with liquid added, the ingredients have a hard time sticking together. That's where starches come in. Adding a starch like arrowroot powder to a vegan recipe can help give it a better structure and act as a glue that holds the ingredients together. Don't believe us? Check out the recipe below for a delicious vegan dish that is entirely egg-free!
Recipe: Boston Cream Pie Cookies
If you want to eat more plant-based foods this year, then this recipe will surely become a new favorite. Yes, your cookie recipe can use no dairy at all. The best part is, you won't even know that the dairy is missing. These Boston Cream Pie Cookies combine soft-baked sugar cookies, smooth vanilla cream filling and rich chocolate ganache to create a drool-worthy vegan cookie that adults and kiddos will love.
Wondering how vegan cookies work? Instead of dairy-based milk, this recipe calls for a plant-based alternative like almond milk. And to make sure that vanilla cream filling is thick enough to sandwich between the cookies, cornstarch is used as a thickening agent. The result is so good that you can enjoy any leftover vanilla cream filling just as you would vanilla pudding!
Use Starches to Accommodate Food Intolerances
Baking for those who are gluten free, dairy free, grain free or following a special diet can be challenging. With the restriction of grains and dairy products, many of the ingredients usually used to create light and airy baked goods are tossed to the side. So, what's the solution? Starches. Starches like arrowroot powder are an incredibly useful ingredient in gluten free baking. Adding arrowroot powder to a recipe will help to lighten the texture of cakes, bread and cookies. When combined with other flours, such as almond flour, arrowroot powder can also act as a binding agent to hold your recipe together.
Recipe: Gluten Free Pizza Dough
Spring is the time of year to hone in on your baking skills. There's nothing better than warming up on a brisk spring afternoon with a delicious slice of pizza in hand. But what about when you're cooking for those with food sensitivities? How do you turn your favorite traditional pizza recipe into a gluten free one? It's simple! By following a recipe like this Gluten Free Pizza Dough, you can create a gluten free treat that tastes almost identical to the gluten-filled dough that you're used to. Plus, if you want to take your gluten free baking skills to the next level, try adding a few starches to your dough. In this recipe, potato starch and cornstarch are used to bind all of the ingredients together and create a light, chewy pizza dough texture. This crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside pizza crust can be used as a base for your favorite pizza toppings or turned into a delicious calzone.
Whether you're searching for more ways to use starches, or simply want to begin adding them to your recipes, we hope this article has introduced you to new and useful ways to use starches in your cooking. Have a favorite starch-filled recipe of your own? We'd love to hear about it in the comments below. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, happy baking!
