How to use chestnut flour: pancakes, cakes, bread and cookies (2024)

Have you tasted a product made from chestnut flour or have a packet of chestnut flour at home? Find out how to use this delicious flour.

Naturally gluten-free and rich in fiber, chestnut flour can be used to make bread, cakes and all kinds of sweet recipes. It can also be used in savoury recipes to bring extra flavour to different types of pasta or to bind sauces. We also appreciate the chestnut flour for its delicately rustic and slightly sweet taste, as well as the pretty brown color that it brings to the dishes after cooking.

Measure out the chestnut flour well

Mostly used for bread and cakes, chestnut flour should never be used on its own at the risk of having a result that is too stiff, too flat or simply not very good. The chestnut flour is very good associated with other ingredients.

Cakes with chestnut flour

You can take your usual cake recipe and replace some of the wheat, rice or corn flour with chestnut flour, you can use 20 to 50% chestnut flour depending on your recipe and your taste.

For gourmet recipes with just the right taste, try to keep the chestnut flour to no more than 10% of the total weight of the ingredients used in your recipe (beyond that, you risk smelling too much chestnut).

Our advice is to start by replacing a quarter of the usual amount of flour with chestnut flour, and to increase during the next tests to see what is the ideal dosage.

Bread with chestnut flour

Since chestnut flour doesn't contain gluten, you need to mix the flour with other ingredients that allow it to rise. You have two possibilities depending on the type of bread you want to make:

For a gluten free bread: use 30 to 50% chestnut flour and the rest rice flour (for a more neutral taste) or corn flour (more airy) combined with guar gum or xanthan gum and baking powder to obtain a bread-like texture.
For a bread with wheat flour: use a maximum of 30% chestnut flour and the rest wheat flour with your usual baker's yeast to obtain a correct bread making. The more chestnut flour you add, the more compact your bread will be.

Remember to avoid exceeding 30% of chestnut flour when making bread.

Priméal

Organic chestnut flour (500g)

500g bag

12.50 €

Muriel et Christian Fouquart

10 recipe ideas with chestnut flour

Here are the proportions of chestnut flour to use for the following recipes.

Pancakes with chestnut flour: 50% chestnut flour, 50% white flour (you can make a vegan version with almond milk or water instead of milk),
Ravioli or tagliatelle with chestnut flour: 25% chestnut flour for homemade egg pasta,
Chestnut flour sauce for prey: 100% chestnut flour to replace wheat flour or starch in a binding,
Cake, muffin with chestnut flour: 30% chestnut flour and 70% of your usual flour,
Sweetened shortcrust pastry with chestnut flour: 250g sifted chestnut flour, 150g melted butter, 1 egg, 70g brown cane sugar, 50g almond powder and 60ml water (add water if too crumbly),
Pumpkin soup: add 70g of chestnut flour to thicken about 2 liters of soup (mix well to blend the flour),
Pastry flan with chestnut flour: replace wheat flour with 100% chestnut flour,
Pizza dough with chestnut flour: replace 10% of pizza flour (wheat) with chestnut flour,
Macaroons with chestnut flour: replace the flour in your recipe with chestnut flour.

Tasty combinations with chestnut flour

Chestnut flour goes well with other ingredients:

Chocolate, cocoa and chocolate chunkles,
Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pine nuts,
Dried grapes,
Chestnut honey,
Pears and apples,
Citrus fruits, lemon and orange, as well as zests and candied,
Brocciu in Corsica
Vanilla.

Replace chestnut flour

If you don't have any chestnut flour left, you can replace it with other flours that have taste, such as buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, spelt flour or even quinoa or millet flour.

How to keep chestnut flour

Chestnut flour can be kept in its package or in a well-sealed jar, in a dry place and protected from light. In this way and like all flours, you can keep your bag of flour for a long time and beyond the dates indicated on the package without any problem.

FAQs

Can you substitute chestnut flour for all-purpose flour? ›

It can be used as a partial or complete flour substitute in baked goods to lend sweetness and density. Low in fat, and high in carbs, chestnut flour is a tasty and satisfying addition to gluten free and regular diets alike.

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What do you use chestnut flour for? ›

Chestnut flour can be used for a variety of recipes, in cakes, pancakes, pasta, but my new favourite use for it is Castagnaccio.

Why is chestnut flour so expensive? ›

Made from finely ground dried chestnuts, it is highly seasonal and is usually produced in small batches. Chestnuts are harvested by hand, peeled (hopefully, mechanically) and the inside nut is dried before being ground into a fine flour. It's a lengthy process that explains its high prices.

Is chestnut flour better than wheat flour? ›

If you are using chestnut flour as a substitute for wheat flour, the good news is that it's actually more nutritious than many other alternative flours. It is high in quality proteins, essential amino acids and fibre, low in fat, and cholesterol free.

What is the best flour to replace all-purpose flour with? ›

But if you don't have any in the pantry, or can't find any in the store, there are other flours you can use in its place. Bread flour and cake flour—on their own or mixed together—can substitute for all-purpose.

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How healthy is chestnut flour? ›

Full of fiber and energy

With 12 g per 100 g, chestnut flour is a fantastic source of dietary fiber. Food fiber is difficult to digest. It helps food pass through your intestines as it moves through your digestive system, and because it is so incredibly filling, it stops your hunger.

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Does chestnut flour need to be refrigerated? ›

Chestnut flour should be kept in a cool, dry place to prevent any increase in moisture content that can lead to spoilage. Refrigeration can extend the shelf life to 3-6 months, while freezing can preserve it for up to a year. Airtight Container: Prevents exposure to air, retaining freshness.

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Is chestnut flour good for diabetes? ›

Chestnuts have low glycemic index (GI) which are preferable for people with diabetes. Lower the glycemic index higher is the Fiber. Fiber in chestnuts improves blood glucose levels by helping insulin work more effectively. This is extremely important for people with diabetes type 2.

What is chestnut flour called? ›

Chestnut flour, also called sweet flour, is a flour made by grinding chestnuts. Chestnut flour. It has a hazelnut-like color and a sweet flavour. It is mainly made in Italian mountain regions, which is between 450 to 900 meters above sea level, where the sweet chestnut can be found.

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How to use chestnut flour in baking? ›

You can take your usual cake recipe and replace some of the wheat, rice or corn flour with chestnut flour, you can use 20 to 50% chestnut flour depending on your recipe and your taste.

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What is the healthiest flour for your gut? ›

What flours include prebiotics and fibre for gut health?

Buckwheat – a source of resistant starch and polyphenols.
Rye – a source of arabinoxylan, beta-glucan, galactooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, resistant starch and polyphenols.
Sorghum – a source of arabinoxylan, resistant starch and polyphenols.

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What is the healthiest nut flour? ›

Almond Flour

Since almond flour is made from ground, blanched almonds, it's naturally gluten-free. In addition to being gluten-free, almond flour is much lower in carbs and higher in fat than all-purpose flour, which is why it's a staple ingredient in low-carb and keto recipes, like baked goods.