Do Brownies Need Flour?

Last updated on August 10th, 2022 at 04:17 am

The first known printed use of the word “brownie” was in a cookbook by Fannie Farmer. This book was printed in 1896 and was published by the Boston Cooking School.

Traditionally brownie recipes use flour and sugar as a base for the delicious dessert. You can then add other ingredients to make the brownies the consistency you prefer.

But what if you don’t have flour on hand to bake brownies? Or, what if you are allergic to wheat flour?

You may ask yourself, “Can I make brownies without flour?”, or “Do brownies need flour?”.

Although most brownie recipes include flour, it is actually possible to make brownies without flour. It will change the consistency depending on the chemical reaction of the ingredients you decide to use, but if combined in the proper way you will end up with a wonderful dessert that will absolutely melt in your mouth. 

You may decide to make your brownies without flour from that point on.

As far as flourless treats go, the brownie is the easiest dessert to convert from traditional brownies with flour to an amazing dessert with no flour. Brownies generally don’t need as much flour as other desserts to begin with, that’s why it’s so easy to convert the recipe.

You may be asked to bring a dessert to a gathering, and then remember at the last minute that one of your friends is allergic to gluten. 

A flourless brownie would be the perfect thing to whip up in a hurry. 

Some recipes for flourless brownies only call for a few ingredients and will only take around 30 minutes to combine and bake. You’re sure to get rave reviews from your friends and family, whether they are gluten free or not.

Since many people are finding they have issues with gluten allergies, there are more recipes for flourless brownies that are tried and tested. You can even find some great flourless brownies recipes on the internet.

What Is The Primary Purpose Of Flour In Brownies?

If you are wanting to make brownies without flour you might be wondering what the purpose of the flour is in the first place. Afterall, if you can leave the flour out why is it in there in the first place? 

The primary purpose of flour in brownies is to bind the ingredients together. You can use other ingredients to take the place of flour but they too will be used as a binding agent. 

If you’re running low on flour or if you are following a gluten free diet you may be looking for alternative ingredients. Since you really only need to find another binding ingredient to take the place of flour, you probably only need to look in your pantry or your kitchen cabinet to find that alternative.

A good alternative to flour would be cornstarch. You won’t even need very much of this as a substitute for the flour. Remember to increase the amount of cocoa powder you use if you are using cornstarch as a substitute.

Another alternative to flour is to just increase the amount of cocoa you use in the recipe. The cocoa will act as a binder for the ingredients of the brownie, much like the flour does.

An alternative to cornstarch is arrowroot starch. This could be used if someone in your family is allergic to the corn in cornstarch.

The flourless brownies will be a bit more chewy in the middle than a brownie with flour. You may find that it is easier to remove the brownies from the pan after they are baked if you line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper before baking. 

The result of the flourless brownie recipe is gooey goodness that you will have a hard time resisting.

What Kind Of Flour Alternatives Can You Use In Brownies? 

Many people have developed a sensitivity to flour made from wheat, or are even highly allergic to it. When you decide to make brownies you may wonder what alternative flours could be used to bake those brownies. 

Since this has recently become a common issue, food corporations have come up with many alternatives to flour made of wheat. When using alternative flours, make sure you use a brownie recipe that has been tried and tested for that particular flour. 

These recipes may have extra ingredients, or may have different measurements of traditional brownie recipe ingredients. Depending on the flour (or substitute) you use in your brownie mix, they could become so hard that you would have trouble biting into the brownie, or become so gummy that the brownie would be inedible if you don’t use the proper recipe for these alternate flours.

Almond flour is a common flour used as an alternative to flour made with wheat. It is dense and sometimes grainy, depending on the brand.

Coconut flour is another common flour used as an alternative to flour made with wheat. Coconut flour is also dense, and it will soak up any liquid you add to a recipe made with it. You will more than likely need to add more liquid to your recipe when you use coconut flour.

Rice flour is a great alternative to flour made with wheat. It is most like flour made with wheat, and can even sometimes be used in a 1:1 ratio when making baked goods. There are several great companies that make rice flour specifically for baking. The rice flour for baking will be ground very fine. 

There is also brown rice flour that can be used, and will give your brownies a slightly nutty taste without having to add nuts to your batter. When you use rice flour in brownies make sure to follow a recipe specifically for brownies made with rice flour. If you follow the recipe exactly, you will hardly be able to tell the difference in a brownie made from rice flour and a brownie made with flour from wheat

Oat flour is also used as a substitute for flour made from wheat. You can even make your own oat flour by grinding up oatmeal in a food processor. Just like almond flour, the oat flour can make the texture of your brownies a little bit more grainy. 

Remember to find a recipe that specifically gives you the ingredient list to combine with the oat flour.

Millet flour is sometimes used in baking. Normally you will have to combine millet flour with another type of flour to ensure a good tasting brownie. 

Millet flour is packed with nutrition though, so you will get the best of both worlds when using this flour. You’ll get an amazing chocolate dessert with a whole lot of nutrients.

Whether you decide to use flour or not when making brownies, the chocolate goodness of brownies can be enjoyed by the whole family.