The Fresh Loaf

News & Information for Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts

Bean flour vs mashed cooked beansWhat's the difference in loaf?

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clazar123's picture

Bean flour vs mashed cooked beansWhat's the difference in loaf?

I want to start working with beans in bread to develop a higher nutritional protein content. What would be the difference in the outcome if I used bean flour vs mashed,cooked beans?

At a local Indian market,I recently bought a bag of  Sujata Atta with Multigrain :

and the outcome was an outstanding,soft loaf. I just did a simple french with natural levain to see what characterisitcs developed - definitely different than the usual french loaf.Apparently bean flour is a rather thirsty flour is one thing I noticed immediately. The crust and crumb were not at all crispy but had a great chew. The flour was relatively expensive compared to what I usually buy so I wouldn't want to use this flour for large projects but it gave me an idea that I can like a loaf with beans in it. It did not age as well as the usual French loaf,becoming a little more rubbery as it staled. I suspect the same ingredient that made it soft did that.

 What difference does using mashed beans vs bean flour have? Does anyone have a favorite ratio of beans to flour?



sharonk's picture

I  am glad you asked these questions! I hope someone will have some experience and share. Thanks for the info that you shared!

clazar123's picture

I was hoping to shorten my learning curve on incorporating beans into breads.  My aim is to increase the nutritional value of a dough and shoot for an all-in-one-meal-in-hand kind of bread roll-carbs,protein,fiber,high vitamin and mineral value.  It needs to be tasty and soft as well. Cost is a factor-low being desirable.

Cornell bread was suggested on another thread which basically uses milk powder and soy flour (both rather expensive ingredients here) to boost its nutrition and is described as very tasty. That recipe is on the learning list-which is getting kind of long. Any thoughts/experiences are appreciated to help me shorten this learning curve.

I have a grain mill but I have to research (dig out the instruction booklet or google) if I can mill beans in it-it is a Nutrimill and only a few years old and so far I have only done wheat. Dried beans (even soy beans) are cheap so that may be a great route to go.

Weekends are so short!