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10 Healthy Gluten-Free Flours
Who doesn’t like freshly baked bread or a homemade pie? Food blogs are full of tempting pastry pictures, but health and fitness experts are constantly warning us about the dangers of refined wheat and baked treats. Finding a way to enjoy your favourite foods and avoiding any health harms might not be easy, but it is possible – just give a try to alternative products, which you are not used to!
There are plenty of different types of flour, which can be used as an alternative to wheat flour. All of them have different properties and might give a new twist to your regular dishes, or even inspire you to try something completely new!
1. Bird cherry flour
Bird cherry flour is the most underrated of all flour types and it might be difficult to come by. It has a unique taste with the notes of blueberry and almonds and it is an irreplaceable ingredient for desserts. It is used for dough (you need to mix it with other types of flour), or as a part of pie fillings.
Bird cherry flour is nothing else but finely ground dry berries. It has three times less calories than wheat flour, but much more minerals and vitamins, including iron, magnesium, Vitamin C and carotin. It is used not only for baking and pancakes, but also for preparation of healthy drinks and light liquors.
2. Chestnut flour
Finely ground chestnut is a wonderful gluten-free alternative for wheat flour. It has a slightly sweetish taste which makes it a fantastic ingredient for healthy baked treats.
70% of chestnut flour are easily digested carbohydrates and it contains potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, and its nutritional profile is close to rice or potatoes. It works best for baking bread, cupcakes and pancakes. The most famous dish prepared with chestnut flour is an Italian Tuscan cake castagnaccio.
3. Sesame flour
Everyone knows sesame seeds and sesame oil, and a sesame brittle is a famous dessert around the world, but very few people are familiar with sesame flour. It has a slightly nutty flavour and it is packed with minerals: it is the biggest plant-based source of calcium after poppy seeds.
Sesame flour is widely used for coating, baking, preparations of porridge and salads, as well as a simple dessert with honey and jam.
4. Pea and lentil flour (green pea flour, chickpea flour etc.)
The health benefits of legume family are indisputable. It has a rich nutritional profile, with the high content of protein and healthy fats. The application of pea flour is extremely broad: it is used for bread, porridge, cutlets, pastry, and even noodles.
This type of flour is perfect for weight-conscious. It improves digestion (if cooked properly) and can serve as a great substitute for meat products. You can get more ideas for cooking legumes in our latest (free) lentil recipe ebook.
5. Corn flour
Corn flour has been a staple ingredient in South America for centuries. Despite a high amount of calories and fats, it is easy to digest and it lowers cholesterol levels.
Corn flour can be coarse-grained or fine-grained: the first type is used for bread-baking, and the second type if the best ingredient for elegant desserts. It can also be used for thickening of porridges and cream soups, as well as for preparation of noodles.
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Carrot juice or pulp provides a rich yellow or orange hue to soups, smoothies, desserts, curries and baked food. The sweetish flavour makes it an ideal food colour for pastries and desserts. Are you longing for some 
Another root vegetable with a sweet flavour, 
Red cabbage has been traditionally used by the Chinese to add colour to their dishes. When red cabbage is boiled in water, this juice adds a rich blue colour to your food.
Thanks to their mild flavour, the greens are used as natural colourants in a variety of spicy, tangy or savoury foods. While you can use other leafy greens to get the bright green tint, the strong flavours can be overpowering.
Pomegranate juice provides a vibrant shade of red to dishes ranging from smoothies to salads and soups.
This citrus fruit doesn’t impart a colour on its own. When combined with other natural foods, the acidic content in lemon helps preserve the red colour in baked foods.
The rinds of these citrus fruits are used to give foods a reddish-orange hue.
Apart from their use in wines, this grape variety add a rich purple shade to many foods from desserts to jams.
With their vibrant colours, berriesin their cooked, blended or baked avatars are perfect natural colourants for different dishes. Use blackberries, mulberries and blueberries to get purple or violet shades, 
This North American native fruit provides a pinkish-red or bright red colour to jellies, cookies, candies, and beverages.
This root spice has been used for centuries to impart a rich yellow shade to everything from curries and sides to pilafs and beverages. A little goes a long way whether you use 
One of the oldest-in-use and expensive spices in the world, 
If you’ve wondered how some Indian, Caribbean and Asian curries get their bright red colour, the answer lies with paprika. Depending on the amount used, this chilli colours your food in different shades of red.
This spice has been used from ancient times by various cultures to provide a brownish shade and sweet flavour to plain foods.
Use Marigold flowers for adding yellow, orange or red shades to continental foods. The petals are used as substitutes for saffron in colouring cheese, risotto and soups.
This was often the common man’s alternative for 
Another flower used as one of popular natural colourants, hibiscus gives a reddish tinge to beverages and 
Crushed red roses provide a vibrant pink-red colour to any dish of choice. This natural agent is mostly used in gourmet food and sweet dishes.
To add a black colour to pasta and rice, many cooks continue to use squid ink.
This lichen variety provides a violet colour when boiled. Old French 
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