Flour Substitutes You Can Grow

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Ashley

Ashley is a soil scientist who has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan. After years of working in agriculture R&D she has decided to take on teaching gardeners using science.

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Wheat flour is the one thing you can likely find in nearly every household. It’s not surprising that many garden influencers are trying to grow wheat in hopes that they will get flour. As a farm girl from Saskatchewan, I know how unrealistic it is to bank on a small plot of wheat for flour. Let me walk you through some realistic flour substitutes you can grow in the garden. 

If you are new to this blog my name is Ashley and I am a soil scientist. I am located in a Canadian Zone 3 and a USDA Zone 4. I write articles, make YouTube videos, Instagram & Facebook posts all designed for Canadians and Cold Climate gardeners using science-based methods. If you are looking for anything specific be sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Flour Substitutes You Can Grow Seeds:

• Zucchini Flour Seeds – Go for the largest sized zucchini
• Glass Corn Seeds : The more colour the better in my opinion
• Potatoes: Any option would work

Zucchini Flour – Flour Substitutes You Can Grow

Zucchini flour is hands-down one of the most versatile flour substitutes. This plant is very easily grown by even beginner gardeners. It’s not uncommon for people to joke that when a gardener plant zucchini everyone on the block receives a basket. This is the ultimate flour substitutes you can grow.

But stop throwing out that extra zucchini and end the free giveaways. Because 5 pounds of raw zucchini can yield up to 1 cup of flour. Zucchini flour is considered by the keto community as the substitute for wheat flour. It also can be very easily used in a gluten-free dietary requirements as well.

If you’re not into full keto or gluten-free bread however you can mix zucchini flour in with regular wheat flour and never notice the difference. Up to a 50-50 split of the two flour forms will yield similar baking results to that of 100% wheat flour. 

So how exactly do you get zucchini flour from a whole zucchini?

It’s actually pretty simple: all you’re going to do is allow your zucchini to grow as big as possible. This means allowing the zucchini to stay on the fine until the frost warnings come. Your goal is to get the largest zucchinis possible and therefore that means allowing them to set seed. 

From there you can choose to either remove the seeds and skin the zucchini or if you want a whole-grain type flour leave both the skin and the seeds in place. Keep in mind if you leave the skin in place some of your baking may come out slightly yellow or green if you are using full-blown zucchini flour.

From there you are going to want to cut your zucchini into strips to allow for drying. This can be done through a drying rack, in the oven or with a dehydrator. You want your zucchini to be bone dry and fragile feeling this is the sign it is completed. From here you can either choose to store the strips of zucchini in an air-sealed container or begin processing them into flour.

Once you’re ready to make the zucchini flour all you need is a blender or food processor. All you’re going to do is simply place the dried parts of the zucchini into the blender and turn it on. You want to run the blender until the zucchini flour is similar in texture to that of white or whole wheat baking flour.

From here you can choose to store your zucchini flour either in the freezer or in airtight mason jars. If you like a whiter flower with less texture then you may want to consider sifting the product at this time. The thinner the sifter the lighter the flour will become.

Zucchini Flour Bread Loaf Recipe

• 3 egg
• 3 tbsp zucchini flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• Flavouring is optional: Garlic is one of my favourites

1. Add 3 tbs butter to a microwave-safe dish and melt.
2. Take 3 eggs and mix them in with the melted butter
3. Combine and whisk all the flour and baking powder. The fresher the baking powder the fluffier the bread will be.
4. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
5. Mix the batter once again. This time it will be more of a batter consistency.
6. Bake for 60 seconds in the microwave.

Corn flour 

Corn flour is a perfect substitute for wheat flour when it comes to tortillas and chips. Not to mention corn flour can be incredibly colourful in nature, making your cooking look amazing. Corn flour is relatively high-yielding and is incredibly easy to grow for gardeners of any experience level. Not to mention corn flour is incredibly easy to store in its unprocessed state. This is the most colourful flour substitutes you can grow

When it comes to corn flour you want to specifically use either glass rainbow corn or purple corn varieties. The peaches and cream or raw eat corn varieties will not work as well for flour substitution.

The growing of this corn is relatively simple and involves very little input from the gardener. What you want to do is allow the corn to dry out on the stock naturally. When you go to harvest your corn it should feel like a mini brick. This generally means it’s not ready until the stocks of the plant begin to turn brown.

Once everything is harvested you can go through the process of removing the kernels from the main stock. These kernels can be stored in a Ziploc or container in a cool dark space for up to one year. If you want the kernels to last even longer you may want to consider a mylar bag with oxygen absorbers.

Once you are ready to process the kernels all you do is remove them from their container and place them in a blender or grinder. You repeat the same process you did with the zucchini and simply grind the kernels until it is a fine wheat flour consistency. From here you can choose to strain out the larger portions of the kernel left behind to make a white flower. Or you can choose to leave the larger bits in place and have whole wheat flour. 

Corn flour is again a substitute for wheat flour in regards to it being gluten-free. 

Here is a recipe for corn flour tortillas 

• 2 cups cornflour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups warm water

1. Add 2 cups of cornflour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of warm water in a mixing bowl. Slowly add the remaining water until a dough ball can be kneaded. Just like any other dough, you can adjust the qty of each ingredient as needed. If the dough is sticky add some sprinkles of cornflour. If it’s crumbling then add water.
2. Separate the dough into four separate balls.
3. Next, roll the dough into flat tortillas.
4. Heat your pan on medium-high and place the tortillas onto the surface. Total cook time should be one minute total. Keep the tortilla moving between each side to prevent burning.
5. You can store this in a ziploc bag or freeze them for later use.

Potato Flour

Potato flour as a wheat flour substitute is arguably one of the most interchangeable options. Flour is perfect for thickening things such as gravy, soup, stew and the list goes on. This flour is able to thicken without the flour taste that we sometimes can with wheat. Not to mention potato flour is perfect for homemade Idaho mashed potatoes. This is the tastiest flour substitutes you can grow

The process for this is again going to be identical to that of the zucchini. The bigger the potato the more flour you ultimately will get at the end. All you need to do is simply shred the potatoes down and allow them to dry either in the sun, oven or dehydrator. Once they are fully dried out you can begin the blending process.

The nice part about the potato flour is that it will not cause any discolouration like the cornflour or zucchini flour does. I personally have only ever used potato flour as a thickener and for mashed potatoes. So unfortunately that means I do not have any recipes up my sleeve however if you have any that you enjoy please place them in the comments down below.

There you have three wheat flour alternatives that you can grow in your garden. With the rising cost of groceries, these flower alternatives are perfect for anyone looking to give the budget a break. They work perfectly for anyone that needs a gluten-free or keto diet but also are tasty enough for just regular use. Hope this gave your some ideas for flour substitutes you can grow in your gardens.