Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Shredded Coconut vs. Coconut Flour

I've acquired some recipes from this web site and from a .pdf file (from Niulife via Kiwi - Thanks Kiwi!) using coconut flour for baking. I'm wanting to try some of these recipes, and my hand at baking. I'm relatively clueless when it comes to baking (cooking not so much). My family is knowledgeable about baking, however when it comes to coconut (shredded or flour) as a substitute for "conventional" grain flour, they kind of shrug their shoulders and plead ignorance.

My question is this. Can I bake recipes like muffins, cake, brownies with shredded coconut, or must I use actual coconut flour? Help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

No I wouldn't recommend using just straight shredded coconunt.

When I first found out about coconut flour I couldn't get it here in New Zealand so I used to buy shredded/dessicated coconut and grind it up in a coffee and herb grinder into something resembling very coarse flour. I used the niulife recipes but it was trial and error until I could figure out exactly how much of my homemade coconut flour I needed to use instead of their real flour. The real flour is very very fine - almost like white flour and the recipes come out much better using the real stuff.

Also, I have not had any success using conventional wheat flour recipes and trying to substitute coconut flour. To bake with coconut flour you need more eggs to bind the recipe. In conventional wheat flour recipes the wheat flour contains the gluten which acts as a binder so you don't need as many eggs.

Therefore I would recommend just using specific coconut flour recipes. There is a book out apparently which you can buy over the net. I haven't bought it yet though.

Chelsea

Thank you Chelsea.

I put the shredded coconut through a coffee grinder, but the machine struggled to process the coconut and it came out somewhat lumpy and coarse. Guess that doesn't mean I can't bake with it, but it would probably result in a higher frequency of failures. I might try drying the shredded coconut a bit and see if it will process through the machine similar to a fine powder. Seems like moisture might be my problem there. Otherwise, I will just order some coconut flour from one of the links listed in a historical post on the site.

Hi Jaybird

The book is called: Cooking with Coconut Flour by Dr. Bruce Fife. The publisher has a web site: www.piccadillybooks.com. I haven't checked out their website but it might have info about where you can buy the book.

It has lots of recipes, and I have tried a few and liked the results. The book also explains quite well why coconut flour is such a great product. I bought the book online, through Chapters or Amazon, I think.

You do need the real coconut flour though, and it can be purchased online or if you're lucky you may find it in a local health food store [ask about it]. I have been able to find it in one of the health food stores in my area.

Good luck.

Squeaky, thank you.

Is the book titled Cooking with Coconut Flour: A Delicious Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Alternative to Wheat? That's what I found via an Amazon search. When I clicked your attached link, it returned a Coconut Water for Health and Healing title from the author you mentioned.

Once I get my coconut flour and try out the recipes that I have in my hand, I'll consider purchasing this book. Thanks for the information.

I have used both coconut flour and dessicated coconut. They both work, however the results are quite different.

With coconut flour you only use a small amount. If I use too much the recipe comes out too dry.. and yes you need to use lots of eggs.

With dessicated coconut you can use a lot more. Similar amount to almond flour I think. Muffins etc come out nice and moist with dessicated coconut, with only a small amount of crunch from the fibre. Much cheaper to cook with this, and yes you will need to use a few eggs to bind it.

I've adapted regular recipes for coconut flour. I use more eggs. In making the switch from regular flour to coconut flour, I also reduce the amount of flour because coconut flour absorbs more moisture. I just fiddle around with amounts until I get the consistency right. I find that most recipes have quite a bit of "wriggle room"; a little more or less of an ingredient doesn't make a lot of difference. You do need to be accustomed to judging the consistency of various batters, like pancake, muffin, brownie, etc. to make the judgment.

Karen

Yes, that is the whole title. Sorry about the link, I just copied it from the inside of the book cover!