Homemade Lentil Flour

I made this back in May 2017 but just now got to posting. See my last blog for reasons why! 

I had started looking into trying to make foods higher in protein for my toddler. She’s high energy from the moment her eyes open to when they close for the night. I was told that some studies suggest a high protein diet can help to calm hyperactivity. So I started there. Plus, we all need protein in our diet. My child had started to get picky like most toddlers do. So I began looking for foods she may like with a better source of protein. I tried pumpkin protein bites, peanut butter protein cookies, etc with some success. My sister suggested lentil bread but wasn’t sure if that was actually a thing. The two year old loves bread so sneaking in more protein would be good! Unfortunately, lentils are an incomplete protein but I was already deep into recipe testing when I discovered this. 

I essentially used this recipe but took pictures and such of my own as a first step recipe before the bread recipe that will come next. I also changed a few things: http://thecookiewriter.com/homemade-lentil-flour-tutorial/

I took two cups of green lentils and split it in half. 

One half I ground in our Vitamix as best I could. If you are using a food processor or less powerful blender it has been suggested to work it in half cup measurements.

The other half I toasted in our cast iron skillet. Stirring the entire time. I did this for about 10 minutes on high heat. I should note if you’re using a wooden spoon to stir lightly so you don’t burn it from the constant movement against the hot skillet. 

I then let the toasted lentils cool completely before grinding in our blender. 

Mix both the raw and toasted lentil flours together! The combination lends the blend a better flavor than purely raw or all toasted. 

You can put the flour in a sifter to only get the most finely ground flour if you wish. 

If you have a picky kid you can use this as a hidden protein. It needs more prep than regular flour (more liquid, longer cook time, etc) but is great for flatbreads, pancakes, etc. Look up gluten free recipes with lentil flour or just lentil flour recipes! We are not a gf family but some of the recipes are amazing!