I woke up this morning in such a mood to just disburse technical information about food. Three posts for future reference in one day! I'll not do this again for at least a year, I expect.
This one's about Coconut flour, the only genuinely fussy ingredient I ever use.
Just like many elements, there's a lot of side-light information about coconut flour that I always want to share inside the recipes. It seems better to share it all here now and link back to this for you to reference when applicable. The outline format should help in quick reference for you so you can skip to what you need.
I'm planning to dredge up some more of my coconut recipes very soon and get them all out here. I really thought they were here, but, well, they're not.
Coconut Flour info that follows:
A.) Why is it good?
B.) Acquiring
C.) Storing
D.) Important Tips for using
E.) Higher level technical crap for anyone who is so inclined to take interest.
A.) Why is coconut flour so great that I've bothered with it?
--Produces superior texture and taste. Fantastic results.
--It stands alone. You don't need other fancy stuff or messy mixes. Once you have coconut flour, you're all set.
--You don't use much per recipe so it lasts a long time.
B.) Don't have coconut flour? Well, I expect you'll have to order it; I've never yet found a store that stocks it.
--I can do you a little favor in hunting this out to order. I've been using coconut flour for a few years and haven't found a better price than at http://www.iherb.com/. Last I checked it was about $5 a pound, and you don't use much per recipe, so that lasts about the same as a regular 5 pound bag of other flours.
-- For your first order I can get you free shipping and a small discount, which you may as well use because after you make your first order you'll get your own code. Sharing my code gets me referral discounts, so hey, win-win. Here's my code for you: BEP390
C.) Storage of the flour, and storage of finished baked goods.
--Once you have the flour, you might want to freeze it. It keeps for forever that way. Make sure it's sealed tightly so it doesn't get freezer burn. Recipes don't use much flour, so even a small amount can last a while.
--When you've cooked whatever you're cooking, you can eat it immediately. But if you're storing it, let it cool completely over night at room temperature then put in airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for best results.
--Keeps for well over a week this way, usually over two weeks, actually. You can tell if it's going bad if it's getting a little squishier.
D.) Hints for use in recipes.
--Gradually adding this flour to the recipe is important. Add some, mix some, repeat.
--I recommend sifting this flour to avoid dry bumps of flour ending up in your baked goods.
--Note: Make sure your flour sifter hasn't been used for gluten flour without seeing an automatic dishwasher, or soak in boiling water and rinse very well. Sifters are hard to hand-wash.
--Designated gluten-free sifter might be a good idea if you're really sensitive.
--If you keep your coconut flour at room temperature, this sifting isn't as important.
--If you freeze your coconut flour to store it, then you'll have clumps at the end of sifting and you can smoosh those with your finger then finish the sifting.
--Moisture retention- when fully cooked, baked goods remain a bit gooey until they cool completely. This is delicious.
E.) If you're a little geeky like me, some of this information might also fascinate you.
--Eggs protein is the primary ingredient used to support the fibrous bread like texture in coconut recipes. You will use a ton of eggs.
--Fats are necessary in these recipes to make the heavy fiber soluble, it prevents dryness. I use dairy fat. 8grams of fat per serving is the general benchmark to achieve optimal results. Oil can be used instead.
--Coconut flour is ridiculously good for you. Fiber rich, omega rich, protein dense, and delicious.
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