Do you love to whip up all kinds of baked treats? Is coffee your all-time favorite beverage? If you answered “yes” to both questions, then you will surely be glad to know that there’s coffee flour available on the market. So in effect, using the said product allows you to enjoy your homemade muffin and coffee all at the same time!
Actually, there are a couple of kinds of coffee flour for you to choose from. They both come from the cacao or cocoa tree, and they pack caffeine, albeit at varying amounts. What’s more, both types of coffee flour enable you to benefit from a powerful antioxidant coffee brings, which is chlorogenic acid of CGA.
Coffee Flour From Coffee Cherries
The first type of coffee flour is the kind that comes from coffee cherries, not the beans. The fact is this coffee flour type has been around for quite some time already.
What’s so nice about coffee flour from coffee cherries is it contains approximately half the fat of your good old all-purpose flour. What’s more, nutritionists say that it has more protein, plus some added protein, calcium and vitamin A. Oh, and coffee flour from coffee cherries is packed with iron as well — have a tablespoon of this baking ingredient and you can obtain up to 13 percent of your day’s iron needs!
Coffee Flour From Coffee Beans Themselves
Then there is also coffee flour from coffee beans, which is a relative newcomer. Just like what the name says, it is from the same beans that are turned into coffee, but roasted at lower temperatures.
Roasting at lower temperatures — this is exactly what makes coffee flour from coffee beans a very healthy alternative to your regular all-purpose flour. Slow roasting of coffee beans help prevent much of the antioxidant content from getting damaged. The said antioxidant is called chlorogenic acid or CGA, and it’s the one responsible behind the wide variety of health benefits that a cup of freshly-brewed coffee is scientifically-proven to bring!
Packing Different Caffeine Levels
If coffee comes, can caffeine be far behind? You may be itching to ask at the very start of this article questions concerning caffeine. Yes, coffee flour, be it from coffee cherries or coffee beans themselves, contain caffeine — that chemical which stimulates the nervous system. However, caffeine levels in these baking ingredients vary.
People who are sensitive to caffeine may opt for coffee flour from coffee cherries. Since it’s from the cherries of the cacao or coffee tree, it contains small amounts of caffeine only — the same amount that you can find in small chocolate bar.
On the other hand, coffee flour from coffee beans contains good amounts of caffeine in it. According to studies, a muffin made from coffee flour from coffee beans packs the same amount of caffeine as half a cup of coffee! Needless to say, coffee lovers who can tolerate caffeine very well will surely fall in love coffee flour from coffee beans!
A Highly Versatile Baking Ingredient
Won’t baked goodies made using coffee flour all taste like coffee? The answer is no. Coffee flour, be it from coffee cherries or coffee beans, actually has a mild nutty flavor, which makes it excellent for baking a wide variety of treats, from scones to cookies.
Even the flavor of coffee flour straight from coffee beans is very mild. Do take note that coffee beans that will be turned into coffee flour are roasted at low temperatures only, and this is something that keeps the characteristic bold flavor and aroma of coffee from surfacing. So there — baking with coffee flour, even something from coffee beans themselves, won’t make your oven masterpieces all taste like coffee.
