Insensitivity or intolerance to wheat
As many people today appear to have an increased sensitivity to wheat, and because we all look for interesting variations in our breads cakes and pastries, Shipton mill have a varied range of flours which do not contain wheat. Some are produced in the same mill as wheat flours, and even though we take scrupulous care, there exists the possibility that a tiny amount of wheat flour could be within and so we recommend coeliacs to take this into account, but for most with a simple wheat sensitivity these flours are suitable.
However we now have an exciting range of totally gluten-free products (some are mentioned below) which are produced in a dedicated gluten-free mill and warehouse.
Buckwheat flour
Buckwheat flour has been used since antiquity and is from a plant unrelated to wheat in the Dock/Rhubarb/Sorrel family. Called “sarrasin” often in Europe which betrays its origins as originally coming from Arab traders. It is widely used in many countries as Kasha, the whole grains roasted and cooked much like rice.
In Brittany it is used to make a savoury pancake galette de Sarrasin or galette de ble noir (black wheat). In Russia these are Blini, usually a savoury pancake with a filling. Buckwheat has been elevated to a high art in Japan in the manufacture of soba noodles, which is not easy as it contains no gluten.
This makes buckwheat suitable for those with an allergy or sensitivity to wheat.
Buckwheat can be leavened with yeast or sourdough to make lighter flatbreads or pancakes.
Chestnut flour
Our chestnuts (Chataigne) are sourced from the hills of the Ardeche region of southern France. The region has recently received DOC status for the Chataigne D`Ardeche. In this perfect climate with its mountainous chestnut forests, a genetic resource of 80 old varieties of chestnut are found, some being 800 years old. Chataigne are used in the local diet, now much celebrated in gastronomy as important terroir, and the dishes are well documented such as breads, cakes and tarts.
Chestnuts are low in calories and a rich source of complex carbohydrates, also containing dietary fibre. They are rich in Vitamin C, and contain other vitamins including Vitamin A, Folates, the B vitamin complex and minerals, in short a rich natural food with delicious smoky-sweet flavour. Our chestnut flour has many culinary applications, search the site for inspiring recipes.
Brown rice flour
We also mill Brown rice flour which can be used for Indian-style breads such as Dosa, added to a regular bread to decrease the amount of wheat, or simply cooked alone to make delicious porridge or a polenta, as well as for fine crepes or pancakes/waffles.
Wheat-free flour
Our wheat-free flour is a blend of barley maize rice and millet flours. It has a delicious nutty flavour, especially when lightly toasted and can be used to make excellent crumbles waffles pancakes or even traditional flat breads.
Oats
Oats have been a major staple food for thousands of years and provide important basic nutrition as well as comfort and warmth in the winter months. In keeping with this tradition we mill the best flavoursome pinhead oats for porridge and medium oatmeal for use in baking, especially for tasty biscuits.
