We recently renovated our entire Bulk department with an eye toward serving your needs. That’s right–we listened to you and our other customers about the items you use most in your kitchens, and those that you wanted to save money (and packaging) on. And voila, our new Bulk section was born, featuring a bunch of items that are brand new (and pretty exciting, if you ask us!).

Probably the biggest change we made to our Bulk offerings was to add in those items—Organic Almond Flour, Organic Coconut Flour and Organic Coconut Sugar—that let gluten-free and Paleo diet followers bake their own treats and snack foods without breaking the bank. Buying whole foods, baking your own healthy snacks, and making meals from scratch is healthier for you and your family, and with just the tiniest bit of web research you’ll find hundreds of easy recipes out there that are quick, nutritious and delicious (you won’t miss the wheat!)

Some of the best sites we’ve come across for kitchen tested (this is key!) G-F and Paleo recipes include:

http://www.ohsheglows.com

http://www.againstallgrain.com

http://www.minimalistbaker.com

http://www.elanaspantry.com

http://nomnompaleo.com

http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

We also tested one terrific coconut flour recipe right here in the Rising Tide kitchen, with great results:

When working with Coconut Flour, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Coconut flour is super absorbent, so you’ll need less flour than when using traditional wheat flours. The general rule of thumb: use 1/4-1/3 of a cup of coconut flour in place of 1 cup of grain-based flour.
2. Because it’s more dense than wheat flours, adding extra moisture is necessary. Doubling or tripling the eggs in your favorite recipes adds the requisite moisture to ensure baked goods remain moist and delicious.
3. Besides eggs, other things that help with binding include sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. Flax, chia, guar gum and xanthan gum can also be helpful as they develop an egg-like consistency when mixed with liquid. One tablespoon of ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons of water can replace 1 egg, and just a little bit of the gums can add an extra binding element that mimics gluten.

And here are a couple of tips for baking with Almond Flour, adapted from Danielle Walker’s site, Against All Grain (http://www.againstallgrain.com):

1. The finer the grind, the better your baked goods will turn out. On the flip side, the coarser the flour, the grainier the texture of your treats.
2. Nut flours burn easily. You’ll be using a lower baking temperature and longer time than you would use with a normal wheat flour recipe. Keep a close eye on your baked goods though, because all ovens heat differently.
3. Almond flour is DEFINITELY less expensive if you BUY IT IN BULK. You can store flour in your refrigerator for a month and your freezer for 6-8 months. If you store in the freezer, just remove the portion you need for your recipe and let thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Almond Meal is different than Almond Flour. Almond Meal is ground almonds with the skin ON, while Almond Flour is blanched almonds with the skin REMOVED. In other words, the Almond Flour is more finely ground, and ideal for making, say, a fluffy cake, that is not terribly forgiving.

Good luck baking with your alternative flours. If you make something fantastic, reach out to us on Facebook!