Banana flour, gluten-free and rich in resistant starch

The search for alternatives to wheat flour has brought us a wide variety of gluten-free flours obtained from the most diverse foods: gluten-free cereals and pseudocereals, but also legumes, nuts, seeds, tubers and even fruits. One that is still little known but is being talked about more and more is the banana flourwhose properties make it a very special and very versatile flour.

It may seem strange to you that flour is made from a fruit such as bananas, and it may also be difficult for you to imagine that it could be a good alternative to wheat, but there is, for example, the healthy coconut flour, whose numerous possibilities and properties have been become a popular gluten-free flour.

Banana flour, although less well known, is not really a new thing. In Caribbean countries like Jamaica or African countries like Uganda, where the banana is a staple food, this flour has traditionally been used instead of wheat or other cereal flours. It is a light flour rich in fiber and provides little fat and protein.

Today the breakfast pancakes made with green banana flour have become one of the most popular healthy versions of banana pancakes that are so successful in American breakfasts.

The secret that makes it a very healthy flour lies precisely in the fiber, a type of fermentable soluble fiber called “resistant starch” that promotes intestinal health. To this prebiotic fiber are added other nutrients and advantages that invite discover this flour and even prepare it at homebecause making banana flour at home is relatively easy and cheap.

What is green plantain flour

banana flour it is obtained from green bananas, that is, from bananas or plantains that have not ripened. They are simply peeled, cut into thin slices, dried in the sun or in dehydrators, and finely ground. To obtain 1 kilo of flour, nothing more and nothing less than between 8 and 10 kilos of raw green plantains are used!

Green bananas (without a hint of yellow in the skin) have not yet developed their sugars and are naturally rich in resistant starch, as long as they are not cooked at a high temperature. For this reason, quality flours are made by dehydrating bananas at a maximum of 60 degrees.

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If you wonder if this flour will give your dishes a banana flavor, the answer is no. You can’t even say it’s sweet. It is a light colored flour, with a texture similar to that of coconut flour and with a fairly neutral tastewhich allows it to be used in both sweet and savory recipes.

In general, the starchy fruits and vegetables They are ideal for obtaining new and different flours with a structure that allows them to be used to replace wheat flour in a wide variety of recipes.

These flours can be very nutritious, but they are also a great option to introduce variety into the gluten free diets and in diets that do without cereals such as paleo diet. They are also especially useful within the paleo diet when the autoimmune protocol is followed, in which, in addition to cereals, nuts and legumes are excluded.

Banana flour properties

In addition to being a naturally gluten free flour, Banana flour has a unique nutritional composition that makes it a healthy and highly nutritious option.

Compared to gluten-free flours obtained from nuts such as almond or coconut flour, does not provide hardly any fat or proteinbut it is richer in potassium and has a greater prebiotic effect.

It is rich in resistant starch, a type of fermentable soluble fiber that contributes to intestinal health. This type of fiber is also present in potatoes and white rice that have been allowed to cool for at least 24 hours, but it is more abundant in green plantains. Although the amount can vary depending on the variety of banana used, it can contain around 49% resistant starch.

Resistant starch passes through the small intestine undigested and, when it reaches the colon, isIt serves as food for the beneficial bacteria that inhabit it.. In addition, by feeding on this fiber, colon bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids that are beneficial to health, especially butyrate. Butyrate has been shown to improve intestinal health by reducing mucosal inflammation and protecting colon cells.

Along with resistant starch, banana flour provides 7% of other fibers, including fructans like inulinwhich also contribute to its prebiotic effect. It is a low glycemic index flour according to researchers from the Federal University of Viçosa, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. In their study, in which they measured the effect of consuming this flour in 25 overweight women for 45 days, the researchers observed a reduction in blood pressure levels, an improvement in blood glucose, and a reduction in hip circumference.It is rich in potassium a mineral naturally present in the banana and that is highly concentrated in the flour. It provides a good amount of other minerals and vitamins such as magnesium, copper, manganese and vitamin B6.

How it is used in recipes

What makes bananas especially suitable for making flour is its richness in fiber, which gives the flour a structure similar to wheat flour, making it very versatile in the kitchen.

However, it should not be forgotten that a large part of that fiber (resistant starch) maintains its prebiotic effect if it is not heated excessively, so if your main motivation when using green banana flour is take advantage of this effect on the intestinal microbiota the best thing you can do is use it raw, or let your preparation cool until the next day.

Instead, if your main motivation for using banana flour is to avoid gluten, you can use it as an alternative to wheat flour in baked goods, batters, hot soups, and stews.

In raw You can use this flour to thicken or complement your ssmoothies, vegetable drinks and raw or lukewarm soups and creams. You can also add it to baby porridge.in confectionery you can use it to make biscuits, muffins, cookies… Due to its high starch content, it is usually recommended in pastry baking use 25-30% less quantity than indicated in the recipe for wheat flour. It is also recommended to slightly increase the amount of fat in the recipe to compensate for the little that this flour provides and, if you want the dough to rise, add a few two teaspoons of baking soda per cup of plantain flour. pancakes and crepes They are delicious with banana flour. You can also use it to make a gluten free version of banana bread either pizza dough.It is also a flour suitable for making gluten-free batters. You can batter with or without egg, mixing it, for example, with aromatic herbs. Due to its gelling power, you can use it to thicken soups and stews.

How to make banana flour at home

Being a little known flour can still be hard to find offline and in specialized stores. Luckily, it can be made at home relatively easily.

Choose plantains or whole green bananas, without parts that turn yellow.Once peeled, submerge them in water to wash them well, then cut them into thin slices. It is best to first cut each banana into two or three large pieces and then slice those pieces lengthwise. dehydrate the banana slices. Some quality plantain flours are made by drying in the sun. You can do it if you have the right conditions. But you can also use a dehydrator, or dehydrate it in the oven. In this article on how to dehydrate you will find useful tips to do it.Crush or grind the banana once dehydrated until obtaining a fine powder.

A sustainable option

Many wheat flour alternatives are made with discarded fruits and vegetables, helping to reduce food waste. In the case of banana flour, it is usually made with damaged or unsightly bananas that would be discarded for sale as table fruit. In the countries where bananas are produced, the discard percentage is usually high, so the production of derived products is a way to reduce losses.

With banana fiber they have also developed sustainable textiles and biodegradable alternatives to plastic.