Baking & Snack - October 2022 - 44

ALTERNATIVE GRAINS
chestnut flour is a niche product, but its
versatility and nutritive value as a glutenfree
flour is attracting bakers, with some
suppliers expecting US-grown chestnuts
to go mainstream over the next decade
and replace the mostly imported coconut
flour.
Chestnuts do not have a high fat content
like most other nuts; rather, they contain
mostly carbohydrates. As a result, the chestnut
flour has similar properties to wheat flour, just
without the gluten.
The new Simple Mills Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich
Cookies feature cashew flour and organic buckwheat
flour. The company chose buckwheat flour to help raise
awareness of the crop, which has promising soil health
properties, attracts pollinators and can play an important
role in diverse crop rotations, according to Katlin
Smith, founder and CEO.
At IFT FIRST, Sustain-A-Grain debuted its new perennial
grain crop called Kernza, which grows yearround
and has massive roots that help improve soil and
water quality. Those roots help to prevent erosion, filter
water, sequester carbon and prevent nitrogen runoff. As
a perennial, it also requires fewer equipment passes over
the field by farmers each year.
Kernza is considered a cousin of wheat. It contains gluPurple
corn
not only offers
nutrition but also a
distinctive color to
baked goods.
Healthy Food Ingredients
ten but is weaker than wheat gluten. It also has a higher
protein content than wheat with a slightly nutty flavor.
Sometimes an alternative flour may be made from
traditional grains that have already been used. They
get upcycled by being given a second chance to be conSorghum
is drought- and pest-resistant in the field.
©Amy Lv - stock.adobe.com
sumed. Others are plant components that may otherwise
go to animal feed or become waste. Instead, careful processing
turns them into a nutrient-rich alternative flour.
Turning food waste into valuable nutrition is Upcycled
Foods Inc.'s mission. Formerly known as ReGrained, the
company has moved from being a consumer brand to
an ingredient supplier. Its flagship product is made using
patented technology to repurpose spent grains from
breweries and process them in a way that makes them
stable as a food ingredient. The alternative flour provides
a minimum of three-and-a-half times the dietary fiber
and double the plant protein of whole grain flour, as well
as prebiotics, according to the company.
" Our ingredient solution is used as a 'hero' inclusion,
not as a flour substitute, " said Dan Kurzrock, founder
and CEO. " A good starting point is 15% to provide demonstrative
change in taste, aroma, texture and nutrition
attributes. In terms of functionality, it performs like
rye flour but with a unique toasty and nutty flavor. For
breads, there is no gluten functionality so some gluten
may need to be added to provide structure. The color of
the upcycled material is caramel and tends to work well
with warm flavors. "
Renewal Mill is another company all about upcycled
ingredients. The company converts the pulpy leftovers of
soy and oat milk production into versatile, gluten-free
flours that boost the fiber and protein content in a variety
of consumer-packaged goods.
The upcycled soy ingredient is okara flour. It is versatile
and has a neutral flavor, which is described as
slightly milky or nutty. It has a light color allowing it to
blend easily into most flour-based products, according
to Claire Schlemme, CEO.
The company's recent innovation is a Vegan Salted
Peanut Butter cookie developed with Miyoko's
Creamery, Petaluma, Calif. It is made with okara flour
and Miyoko's European-style cultured vegan butter.
Plant-based cookie brand Love + Chew, San Francisco,
44 Baking & Snack October 2022 / www.bakingbusiness.com
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Baking & Snack - October 2022

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