Amaranth

I received a question the other day that I thought I should take the time to explore and share with you.

So many times in gluten-free baking, the recipes call for a variety of flours to substitute wheat flour. And usually, it’s never and equal ratio. And it really bothers most people. Who want to use three different grains just to substitute on cup of wheat flour anyways???

Back to my question of, is there a grain out there that can be used 1:1 instead of wheat flour in a recipe? Well, yes, there is!

The first grain that came to mind was Amaranth. As long as you aren’t baking a yeast  bread, you can use it equal to wheat flour! It is great for cereal, pasta and baking. And not just the grain, the seeds and leaves are good as well!

If you aren’t familiar with Amaranth, it’s a wonderful grain with very dramatic past. You can read all about it in this article by Karen Railey, which I have since bookmarked it was so chalk full of information!

Not only does she share it’s rich history, but she gives some fantastic cooking tips and how to GROW your own! (which I plan on doing this summer!!!) The young leaves can be eaten like spinach! Which is great for my son who has some sensitivity to spinach.

Try some Amaranth today!!! I’m sure you’ll love it!