Cheapest coconut flour in the UK?
 

Hi Folks

I'm looking into the types of ingredients we will need when we attempt to go Keto or Wheat Belly. It definitely seems as if we in the UK are penalised when it comes to more exotic 'foods' like coconut flour etc.

So if you use it; where do you buy it from?

And do you use it to bake yourself breads? Or if not, what else do you use?

Coconut flour is essentially just the residue left after making coconut milk, dried and then blended to a powder. If you are willing to do a bit of work (the blender or food processor does most of it), and have a use for coconut milk, and have a source for plain, unsweetened dehydrated coconut (Indian or Pakistani market is probably cheapest) then this is easy. My favorite Asian cookbook describes it this way: put 1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut in a blender or food processor, and add 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Blend for 30-40 seconds. Pour the contents through a fine sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible (this makes about 1 cup of coco milk). You can repeat the process with the same coconut to get a somewhat thinner second batch of milk. Mixed together they are fine for most recipes. To get the flour: spread the coconut residue on a baking sheet, and put it in the oven at the lowest possible heat; prop the door open a bit by inserting a wooden spoon handle between door and frame, to let the moisture escape. Leave until thoroughly dry. (Or use a dehydrator if you have one). This will take at least several hours; I've only done it in a dehydrator, so can't say how long it would take in the oven. Pulverize the dried coconut to a fine powder - and there you have coconut flour! The reason for making the coconut milk first, rather than just processing the shredded or flaked coconut directly to flour, is that you want to get some of the fat out. This ends up in the milk instead. I don't know if this actually makes a difference in the final baked product made with coconut flour, but can imagine that it might. (Be aware that coconut flour won't be as fine and powdery as regular wheat flour, but get it as fine as you can using your blender or processor)

An addendum to the above post: I have been making coconut milk in this way for decades, as I love making, and eating, Indian & Indonesian dishes. I used to compost the leftover coconut, until starting LC 5 years ago. Coconut flour isn't cheap to buy, and I am frugal by nature, so I looked into using the residue. It works fine, and the compost worms get enough other stuff that they won't starve :-)

Be careful when buying coconut flour as some brands are simply dessicated coconut ground fine. Real coconut flour is de-fatted and behaves very differently in recipes to dessicated.

If you have a Morrisons near you, they sell Groovy Coconut Flour for £3.76 for a 500g pouch which a pretty good price. Its similar to prices on Amazon for the real thing. Cheap prices usually mean its ground dessicated.

Hi Verbena

Thank you for responding and for all that helpful information. Do you live in the UK? I'm only asking as where we shop we rarely see coconuts for sale in their fruit form and if we do; they again are fairly expensive. I can't imagine getting much flour from the single nuts I have seen for sale.

Hi neo crone

Thanks for that advice; I'll bear it in mind when we purchase some. Have you ever made a bread in a mug recipe? They look as if they are a really passable substitute for bread.

I used to do all kinds of low carb baking, both bread and cakes.
I have big trouble digesting seeds and nuts these days, however, and so I don't do much of it anymore.

Hi BigPansy. No I'm not in the UK, but have spent some time there over the years. I wasn't meaning for you to start with a fresh coconut, but rather unsweetened desiccated (I think you call it that in England?) coconut. I'm not absolutely certain, but I can well imagine you will find this at Indian markets; that's where I get mine here in Oregon. It is my understanding that Indians and southeast Asians living in the more northern latitudes often use the desiccated coconut in their cooking, rather than fresh. Also, most LC recipes calling for coconut flour do not need a lot. Coconut flour soaks up liquid, so using much of it makes things dry. Often it is mixed with other LC flours, like almond. You will need to research it; all of the LC flour options have their own attributes, and none can be substituted one to one for wheat flour. I don't do much LC baking so I can't offer you any specific recipes.

Thank you Verbena for making that clear for me - apart from you and neo crone I didn't get many responses; do you think that could be because not many of us Brits use coconut flour?

I'm wondering, if I don't make some kind of bread substitute; what on earth am I going to eat? Vegetables and fruit are high in carbs and I'm used to filling myself up on them.
I just read what someone else was eating every day and I have to say; it left me feeling distinctly demoralised about commencing a LC WOE....

May I recommend that you check out https://www.dietdoctor.com/.
It is a Swedish site, but in English. There are lots of recipes, even for bready things, which, as a non American, you might find more interesting. It's where I go when I am looking for something more "European". He also has good visual aids as to which veg and fruit (and other foodstuffs) are lower on the carb scale. Topped up with lots of information about all things low carb. This site (lowcarber) also has tons of information, and is worth a good browse, but isn't as easy for me to navigate when I'm looking for something specific. The format of each is different.

Hi Big Pansy

You are in transition from one way of eating to another. Right now, you are looking for ways to keep your old way while fitting into the new way.
Looking for low-carb bread. Wanting to eat bread while being low-carb.
That is fine. But if you manage to stick with this new way of eating, you will eventually find a new way to eat that does not require bread at all.
Stick with the plan. Make LC bread and eat it to get you through the hump.
But remember, that the better way lies beyond these struggles.

Hi Verbena

Thank you; I will indeed look at that link for inspiration and ideas.