I had posted an amazing keto naan recipe earlier. Also known as coconut flatbread, the recipe uses coconut flour. Coconut flour can be made easily at home.
Coconut flour is not just a grain free flour that can be used for baking, the best part is that it’s gluten free. It’s not only high in fiber, it is also a good source of protein. Though it’s low in carbohydrates, it quite filling and has a natural sweet taste.
You don’t have to be on a ketogenic or gluten free diet to enjoy the benefits of coconut flour. You can substitute one-fourth of the regular flour in your baking recipes with coconut flour to add this lovely, buttery flavour.
Most of us are familiar with readymade coconut milk powder. This has a higher fat content than coconut flour which is made after removing the fat content from the shredded coconut.
Homemade Coconut Flour
Ingredients:
- Shredded Coconut – 2 cups
- Water – 4 cups
Method – To Make Coconut Milk:
- Put the shredded coconut in a blender and add 2 cups of water. Blend for a minute or two.
- Strain the coconut milk using a fine mesh or a muslin cloth. This is called the first milk. It will will be rich and thick.
- Put the coconut pulp back in the blender and add the remaining two cups of water. Blend again. Strain the coconut milk and separate the pulp. This milk will be thinner than the first milk and is called the second milk.
Note: You can again add a cup or two of water to extract the third milk if you wish. In South Indian cooking, vegetables, pulses or meat is boiled in the third milk and second milk. the first milk is added only at the end and it is not allowed to reach the boiling point.
Coconut flour is made from the leftover coconut pulp. In fact, it came as a surprise to me that what I used to throw out as waste after making fresh coconut milk, is exactly what is used to make coconut flour.
When I extract coconut milk with the intention of making flour, I take only the first milk as I like some fat content in my coconut flour. But this tends to go rancid faster, so higher fat coconut flour is best stored in the fridge.
Method – To Make Coconut Flour:
- You need to dry out the moisture completely from the coconut pulp before you can make the flour.
- You can simply leave it in a sunny place to air dry.
- You can dehydrate it in a dehydrator.
- If the climate is not sunny, it’s best to bake it dry in the oven. Spread out the coconut pulp on a parchment paper and bake in for 45 minutes at 120 degrees.
- Once cooled, you can blend the coconut pulp into a fine powder.
- Store in an airtight container
Whenever I make coconut milk for my day to day cooking, I store the leftover pulp in the freezer. I continue to add to store till I have the time to make the flour. When I require just 1/2 a cup for a recipe, I dry roast the required quantity on the stove and blend it to make the coconut flour.
