from Staffer Aaron Golding
It's getting cold and windy and grey and there is a draft coming through my window, and that's a good thing because it makes me want to fire up my oven, release my stand mixer from the cupboard, and get down to some serious baking. For too long the summer - with its oppressive heat, sunshine and barbeques - has condemned my oven to a simple life of storage for pots and pans. Gone, was the yeasty smell of rising bread. Gone, the sweet fragrance of cakes and cookies slowly rising and inside a 325-degree-haven. So it is only now, as the temperature falls, that finally my oven and me are to be properly reacquainted. And this makes me eager to test out Zócalo Gourmet's gluten-free flours.
Provenance has been carrying Zócalo's flours for a while, and now that baking season is in full swing, I think it's time to try some. Now, mind you, I don't have a gluten intolerance but, I am finding that more and more people I know are realizing that they do, and I think having gluten-free flours on hand is a smart idea so that when it's time to get down on some brownies or cupcakes, no one is left out. Also, these flours are so cool that it doesn't matter that I'm not gluten-free, I'm still going to use them. The lack of gluten is just a bonus.
Why? Because Zócalo Gourmet is a great company that supports the small-scale producers of Latin America and their communities, and their flours are all like Latin American super foods. The Sweet Potato flour is perfect for all your baking needs. It is good at holding moisture and also adds just a hint of sweetness not to mention all benefits that this fine root veggie imparts. The Purple Corn flour is good as a substitute for cornmeal or wheat flour, and is loaded with antioxidants that will enrich any recipe. Lastly, is the Kañiwa Heritage flour, which is similar to quinoa, and has a fair amount of protein that will beef up any bread. The Kañiwa is best used in conjunction with another flour because of the density added from the protein. Going half and half will keep your baked goods protein rich while remaining light and fluffy.
Here are some recipes that I pulled off their website that I'm going to definitely try. Enjoy!
http://zocalogourmet.blogspot.com/2011/09/sweet-potato-biscuits-with-wild-forest.html
http://zocalogourmet.blogspot.com/2011/09/kaniwa-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
