While Paleo and grain-free diets may be relatively new to many people, low carb eating is well established. Whether for disease management, allergies, or to maintain an ideal weight, eschewing carbohydrates in the form of grains, starches, and certain fruits and vegetables is a common practice. Cutting carbs can pose some problems, however, namely, the fact that many bodies crave the satisfaction and satiety provided by carbohydrates. Thankfully, as the popularity of low-carb and carb-free diets grow, so does the knowledge of and uses for grain-free flours.
With our recently released
Paleo Baking Flour, we’ve developed grain-free recipes for favorites like cakes, cookies, pancakes, and muffins that are pretty spot-on in terms of taste and texture! Besides, people have been baking sweets without grains for a long time (just look at financiers, tortes, macarons, marzipan, and any number of German and Italian cookies). But what if you are in the mood for something savory? What if you aren’t even interested in baking?
For those craving savory on a
paleo diet, we have a few options.
Pizza crusts and
flatbreads are quick and easy to make with a few special tips. Since we aren’t working with gluten here (or any type of grain), paleo pizza dough isn’t going to look or feel exactly like traditional dough. To keep the crust or flatbread chewy, liquid needs to be added, so the dough is super wet. You could make a paleo dough the same consistency as a typical pizza dough, and easy to roll out, but the final result will be something stiff, dense, and heavy. Adding extra liquid is the best solution, but shaping the dough will be a bit different than usual. Since this dough is extra moist, oil or spray two pieces of parchment paper and roll out the dough between them. Spreading the dough by hand is super easy and gives enough control to make the ideal thickness and to form crust edges. Plus, there’s no bother to dirty a rolling pin or drinking glass. Just peel off that top piece of parchment and move the pizza straight into the oven for a quick parbake before adding choice toppings and returning to the oven to finishing baking.
Have some tasty dips that are in need of crackers? Going grain free is sure to please. While it is a challenge to get flaky layers (think saltines), nut flours and other paleo blends make crisp and snappy
crackers with delectable flavor. While rolling out cracker dough between pieces of parchment or plastic wrap makes things a little bit easier, paleo crackers can be cut into any shapes, be it squares or rectangles, circles or stars. Just make sure to separate the crackers about an inch apart when baking so they all bake evenly. And watch the edges–nut flours contain natural oils that can easily burn if left in the oven too long. A quick rest to cool and you’ve got crispy crackers for your favorite dips and spreads.
For a more substantial meal, swapping out the usual flour or breadcrumbs for grain-free nut flours and blends makes dishes like fried chicken,
fish sticks,
schnitzel,
shrimp, and cordon bleu an easy go-to. Depending on your personal taste and cooking comfort level, the multi-stage breading system can sometimes be bypassed in exchange for the easier dip in liquid (like eggs or milk) then roll in seasoned paleo flour or nut flour before baking or frying. One important thing to keep in mind, especially when pan- or deep-frying: as mentioned above, nut meals contain natural oils that run the risk of easily burning.
Make sure that any meat is cut or pounded to an appropriate thickness and that the cooking oil is heated to the right temperature so the meat will cook to a safe temperature before the nut-based breading burns. An easy way to do this is to toss a bit of the breading into the oil and time how long it takes before it reaches the idea color, and use an appropriate oil that can withstand the high temperature of frying. If a cut of meat is just too thick to cook in the same amount of time as the exterior breading, pan fry to reach an ideal exterior, then move to a hot, dry oven to finish cooking the meat to an appropriate internal temp. This method will ensure a crisp exterior without burning the breading or leaving the center undercooked. Or better yet? Bake it all the way from start to finish. It’s healthier, too!
With our recently released Paleo Baking Flour, we’ve developed grain-free recipes for favorites like cakes, cookies, pancakes, and muffins that are pretty spot-on in terms of taste and texture! Besides, people have been baking sweets without grains for a long time (just look at financiers, tortes, macarons, marzipan, and any number of German and Italian cookies). But what if you are in the mood for something savory? What if you aren’t even interested in baking?
For those craving savory on a paleo diet, we have a few options. Pizza crusts and flatbreads are quick and easy to make with a few special tips. Since we aren’t working with gluten here (or any type of grain), paleo pizza dough isn’t going to look or feel exactly like traditional dough. To keep the crust or flatbread chewy, liquid needs to be added, so the dough is super wet. You could make a paleo dough the same consistency as a typical pizza dough, and easy to roll out, but the final result will be something stiff, dense, and heavy. Adding extra liquid is the best solution, but shaping the dough will be a bit different than usual. Since this dough is extra moist, oil or spray two pieces of parchment paper and roll out the dough between them. Spreading the dough by hand is super easy and gives enough control to make the ideal thickness and to form crust edges. Plus, there’s no bother to dirty a rolling pin or drinking glass. Just peel off that top piece of parchment and move the pizza straight into the oven for a quick parbake before adding choice toppings and returning to the oven to finishing baking.
Have some tasty dips that are in need of crackers? Going grain free is sure to please. While it is a challenge to get flaky layers (think saltines), nut flours and other paleo blends make crisp and snappy crackers with delectable flavor. While rolling out cracker dough between pieces of parchment or plastic wrap makes things a little bit easier, paleo crackers can be cut into any shapes, be it squares or rectangles, circles or stars. Just make sure to separate the crackers about an inch apart when baking so they all bake evenly. And watch the edges–nut flours contain natural oils that can easily burn if left in the oven too long. A quick rest to cool and you’ve got crispy crackers for your favorite dips and spreads.
For a more substantial meal, swapping out the usual flour or breadcrumbs for grain-free nut flours and blends makes dishes like fried chicken, fish sticks, schnitzel, shrimp, and cordon bleu an easy go-to. Depending on your personal taste and cooking comfort level, the multi-stage breading system can sometimes be bypassed in exchange for the easier dip in liquid (like eggs or milk) then roll in seasoned paleo flour or nut flour before baking or frying. One important thing to keep in mind, especially when pan- or deep-frying: as mentioned above, nut meals contain natural oils that run the risk of easily burning.
Make sure that any meat is cut or pounded to an appropriate thickness and that the cooking oil is heated to the right temperature so the meat will cook to a safe temperature before the nut-based breading burns. An easy way to do this is to toss a bit of the breading into the oil and time how long it takes before it reaches the idea color, and use an appropriate oil that can withstand the high temperature of frying. If a cut of meat is just too thick to cook in the same amount of time as the exterior breading, pan fry to reach an ideal exterior, then move to a hot, dry oven to finish cooking the meat to an appropriate internal temp. This method will ensure a crisp exterior without burning the breading or leaving the center undercooked. Or better yet? Bake it all the way from start to finish. It’s healthier, too! 
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