Chestnut and garbanzo flour

Question: do either chestnut or garbanzo flour contain gluten? Would I need to add gluten or wheat flour to prevent a crepe made with either from crumbling?

Christine
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6 Comments

pierino July 16, 2012
Chestnut flour can produce a nice crespelle. http://www.food52.com/recipes/10483_flame_job_crespelle_con_ricotta_fresca_e_tarocchi_carbonizzati
 
Maedl July 15, 2012
Did you see this:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/12289_tuscan_chestnut_crepes_with_ricotta_necci
 
Christine July 15, 2012
I hadn't but it looks good- although with the same fragility as the socca I've made. It might be a good jumping off point for experimenting though.
 
beyondcelery July 15, 2012
Neither flour contains gluten, unless it's been processed on the same equipment as grains that contain gluten. In that case, there may be some cross-contamination. To make a gluten-free crepe, you will need to add a starch and some sweet rice flour in addition to garbanzo or chestnut to keep the crepe from falling apart.

Here's my gluten-free dairy-free crepe recipe. You can use real butter and milk in it if dairy isn't a concern for you. I would recommend replacing the sorghum flour with chestnut flour. I've not tried that myself, but it should work fine and I bet will have a superb flavor!

Basic Crêpes (GF, DF)
Makes 8-10

3 eggs
1 1/4 cup soymilk
1/4 cup DF butter, melted
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
2 Tbls tapioca flour

Mix flours together in a small dish and set aside. In a blender, beat eggs until very smooth. Mix in soymilk. Add melted butter and mix on a medium setting for at least 1 minute, until batter seems well-blended. Gradually add flour mixture, blending well so it does not leave dry pockets. Blend for 1 more minute, then allow batter to rest about 10 minutes before using.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet on medium heat (number 4 on a 10-point heating scale works well). Grease griddle with a small amount of DF butter. When butter is sizzling, pour about ¼ cup (or more, depending on desired size) batter onto griddle and rotate griddle so the batter spreads out into a thin circle. Cook crêpe until the edges just begin to lightly brown, then flip and cook the other side. Crêpe should be cooked until golden, but still very flexible. A crispy crêpe has been cooked too long. When crêpe is done, gently roll it up using your spatulas and set under a towel on a warm plate. Continue cooking crêpes until batter is exhausted.

Fill crêpes with desired fillings and serve warm.
 
Maedl July 15, 2012
I am quite sure that neither chick peas nor chestnuts contain gluten. If you have a traditional recipe for chestnut or chick pea crepes, I would follow it, but would expect the final product to be different from crepes with wheat flour. In southern France and Italy, chick pea flour is used to make socca, a popular street food. It is delicious. I have made them with good results and would not try to change the recipe. Chestnut flour was used when wheat flour was not available, and Italians who lived through WWII do not remember it with great fondness. It was a food of last resort that saved many from starvation, but it produces leaden dishes!
 
Christine July 15, 2012
Thanks! Glutenless as I thought. I have made socca many times and love it, but was looking for a textural cross between the fragility and crispness of socca and a more pliable crepe.I'll play around with some mixtures and see what happens.

Southerners, particularly Appalachian southerners, once used the sadly doomed American chestnut as a staple food too. It seems like some of these traditional foods are better in combination with the luxuries of fats and wheat flours that were not available during hard times.
 
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