Coconut flour. It's an interesting ingredient. First and foremost, not all coconut flours are created equally. Some have more fiber, or have been further defatted than others, so don't get discouraged if your first few tries of coconut flour recipes are a flop. I've been using Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour since I started Atkins, and love it. Keeping in mind that not all flours are the same, if I come across a recipe that does not specifically say what brand they use, I keep an eye out for how dry the batter is. Sometimes all you need is to add a little more of whatever liquid is in the recipe. Too liquidy? Let it sit for a few minutes, if it still doesn't thicken up, sprinkle in a teeny bit more flour and let it sit. With coconut flour, a little goes a long way, so if your recipe doesn't quite pan out, you usually haven't lost out on much flour.
But why not almond flour? Can't I substitute it? Yes and no. Besides the flavor being very different, almond flour is not very absorbent, while coconut flour reminds me of those packets of desiccant that come in purses and shoes. It is ridiculously absorbent. From what I've seen, the rule of thumb for subbing one flour for the other is 3 cups of almond flour is equivalent to 1 cup of coconut flour. I haven't been bold enough to try out that theory yet.
One of my biggest hurdles going low-carb has been giving up bread and bread like products. Bread was always a part of every meal, and that soft and fluffy harbinger of metabolism sabotaging carbohydrates was very hard to give up. I rarely come across "real" bread now that makes me want to indulge, but there are times when you just need something bready. I've tried a bunch of low carb bread recipes with some very different, and mostly disappointing results.
These biscuits were just what I was looking for. Fluffy but crisp, with a hint of cheese. Coconut flour has a very unique taste and can sometimes be a little hard to get past. I used a mild colby jack when I made these, but will definitely go for something with a little more oomph next time, like cheddar. The only other thing I would change is I felt like it could use a pinch of garlic powder. Not a lot, just a little. They don't rise a lot, so however you plop them down on your baking sheet, is pretty much how they'll come out.
For the recipe, click here: Buttoni's Poppy Seed Cheese Biscuits
Labels: bread, cheese, coconut flour
