Gluten Free Diets – What is Mesquite Flour?

As the number of people who are diagnosed with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity grows, the demand for delicious and healthy ingredients that are safe in gluten free diets increases.

Now, finally, GF baking is moving beyond the bland, dry rice flour based products of the past thanks to several versatile options including mesquite.

What is mesquite?

Mesquite trees grow in semi-arid regions of North and South America, Africa and southern Asia. Most people associate mesquite with the wood smoke that creates flavorful BBQd meats.

Mesquite flour isn’t made from the wood of the mesquite tree, it’s a bean flour created by grinding the pods that grow on mesquite trees.

Prized for it’s nutritional properties (high in protein and lysine) and what is often described as a warm, mellow blend of chocolate, coconut, mocha and cinnamon, mesquite has been used as a food for over 2000 years.

Mesquite flour can be used to replace up to 1/4 of the flour in traditional baked goods using wheat flour or in gluten free baked goods. It’s said to be particularly tasty in chocolate chip cookies, but it can also be used to dust seafood, poultry or meat before grilling.

You can create your own flour blend with mesquite by using 3 parts of your favorite gluten free flour mix and 1 part mesquite flour.

There is no need for blandness and a sense of deprivation on gluten free diets with so many exotic and delicious ingredients, like mesquite, to experiment with.