Amaranth flour, little known by us and almost abandoned, is used instead in Central America, where it originates, and has been rediscovered in the United States for an infinite number of gluten free recipes .
The flour of this pseudo-cereal, obtained by grinding small yellow grains, is preferred for the preparation of dishes that are more salty than anything else, since it has a slightly "earthy" and strongly aromatic taste, it is excellent for those who are intolerant to gluten, for those who are celiac, but also for those who practice a lot of sport and for those who do hard work, given the excellent nutrients it contains.
It can be found both online and in well-stocked natural or organic shops or supermarkets. A 250 gram pack of flour costs about 3 euros.
How to use amaranth flour
Its processing makes it ideal for preparing bread (sweet or savory), crepes or piadine, as well as oriental bread, like the classic Indian chapati . You can also dare for plum cake, biscuits or tarts, perhaps mixed with other flours.
As mentioned, it is very nutritious : 100 grams of product contains about 14 grams of protein, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fat, 15 grams of fiber, 7.5 grams of iron, almost 160 grams of calcium, really dose amazing. Furthermore, among the amino acids, there is the presence of lysine (an essential amino acid lacking in cereals) in rather large quantities.
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Bread with amaranth flour, basic recipe
Bread with amaranth flour is a gluten-free bread suitable for coeliacs. Here is the recipe to prepare it at home.
Ingredients :
> 500 grams of amaranth flour,
> a cube of yeast,
> 4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil,
> a teaspoon of salt,
> water.
Preparation : place the flour on the pastry board, add the yeast dissolved in about half a glass of warm water with a pinch of sugar or honey, the oil, and the teaspoon of salt, distributed around. Knead well, until you get a soft and smooth dough that you let rise for an hour. Then it can be used to make a large loaf or, dividing it into pieces, for small sandwiches, cooking the soup in a hot oven at 200 ° C for about 20 minutes.
With this basic recipe you can also prepare pizzas, tortillas to be cooked on the plate, panzerotti or canapés. It can also be mixed with normal wheat flour, from 20% to 50%.
Banana bread with amaranth flour
Ingredients :
> 150 grams of flour 0,
> 60 grams of amaranth flour,
> a packet of baking powder for pizzas or bread,
> half a teaspoon of bicarbonate,
> half a teaspoon of fine salt,
> a pair of ripe crushed bananas,
> 2 eggs,
> a jar of natural white yogurt,
> 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil,
> 60 grams of whole cane sugar,
> 25 grams of shelled walnuts.
Preparation : take two bowls, in a mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; in the other crush the bananas, add the eggs, yogurt, oil and sugar. Add the sweet mixture to the savory one and mix well until they are well blended. Put the walnuts gossolanamente. Pour into a plum cake pan and bake in a hot oven at 200 ° C for about 30/40 minutes or until it is golden. Serve once cold.
Curiosities : konjac and amaranth flour are also available on the market !
