Latest news with #flour
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘The dry and grainy results wouldn't persuade me': the best (and worst) gluten-free plain flour, tested and rated
Gluten-free flour is commonly considered in two ways: there are individual flours, such as rice and buckwheat (and that includes starches such as corn, potato, tapioca), and then there are blends. Blends are a mix of those singular flours in varying ratios, and for familiarity's sake are usually labelled as either gluten-free plain, self-raising or bread flour. These blends are more versatile, and it's the plain flours that we've got under the microscope today. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. To test their mettle, I made a batch of gluten-free cookies with each product. And, seeing as gluten-free food can be extortionately expensive, cost is factored into my ratings, too. A slight caveat: different gluten-free flour blends work better (or worse) depending on the recipe involved. Most will do just fine as a thickener for sauces or as a coating, but when it comes to baking, some are better suited to cakes, others to pastry and others still to bread. That means it's very hard to say which flour is the 'best', but I've done my best to figure it out. £1.95 for 1kg at Sainsbury's (20p/100g)£1.95 for 1kg at Ocado (20p/100g)★★★★★ Gluten-free flour blends were originally created to emulate wheat flour (so you can use them to adapt recipes to be gluten-free), and this one produces a similar performance to wheat for everything outside of bread baking. Of course, it's not magic; you still need good recipes and, in some cases, the addition of xanthan gum. £1.10 for 1kg at Asda (11p/100g)★★★★☆ A solid performance for the price, and certainly a blend that will produce satisfying results for baking. It's a bit less absorbent than I'd expect, which might mean your dough ends up a little stickier, but if you know what consistency you're looking for, that shouldn't be hard to remedy by adding a little more to compensate. £8 for 1kg at Ocado (80p/100g)£8.29 for 1kg at Amazon (83p/100g)★★★☆☆ This blend contains gluten-free wheat starch so, while it's gluten-free, it's not suitable for people with a wheat allergy. As such, its strengths lie in bread-making, rather than your average cake or bake. For bread, it would be five stars, but for pure versatility (and considering the sky-high price), it's not a panacea. £3.90 for 1.5kg at Ocado (26p/100g)★★★☆☆ While this boasts an unconventional range of ingredients, such as vegetable flour and fibres, it produced results comparable to my best buy. However, the higher price means there's little reason to go hunting for this one. Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion £2 for 1kg at Ocado (20p/100g)★★☆☆☆ With an identical list of ingredients to the Asda flour above, it's no surprise this yielded almost identical results. However, considering it's nearly twice the price (and while the Asda flour exists), there's not much justification for buying this. £2.50 for 750g at Shipton Mill (33p/100g)★★☆☆☆ This was less able to bind and absorb common baking ingredients, making it feel as if you hadn't added enough – of course, adding too much can result in heavy, dense or dry bakes. The biscuits weren't all that far from expectations, but they were a little greasy. £13.71 for 3kg at Food Angles (46p/100g)£20.82 for 3kg at Amazon (69p/100g)★☆☆☆☆ Even if this was considerably cheaper, the dry and grainy results wouldn't persuade me to use it in the average recipe. Its absorption and binding are far off expectations – although still not the worst of the bunch – and the finished result gave me the feeling that the balance of the blend must be completely off. £2.50 for 1kg at Holland & Barrett (25p/100g)★☆☆☆☆ Despite having almost identical ingredients to my best buy, the results this produced were extremely disappointing. It lacked binding power and absorption to the point where it made the dough greasy, sticky and difficult to handle. Sadly, the end results were also excessively greasy and too far away from that of the average flour blend. Becky Excell is a gluten-free cook and author of Quick + Easy Gluten-Free (Quadrille, £20). To order a copy, go to
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
Hungry civilians take food from aid truck entering Gaza
CBC News followed a humanitarian truck that entered the Gaza Strip in the southern city of Khan Younis on Wednesday evening as it was besieged by hungry civilians who took bags of flour from the truck before it could arrive at the bakery where it was meant to unload.
Al Jazeera
22-05-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Video: Palestinians in Gaza unload flour as limited aid finally arrives
NewsFeed Video: Palestinians in Gaza unload flour as limited aid finally arrives Palestinians in Gaza received long-awaited aid trucks into the enclave, but UN officials say the amount allowed through by Israel is far from enough.
Argaam
12-05-2025
- Business
- Argaam
MC4 maintains strong demand in Q1 2025: CEO
Khalid Al Maktary, CEO of Fourth Milling Co. (MC4), said the company's net profit rose by 8% in Q1 2025, supported by revenue growth, improved financial efficiency, and a SAR 2.3 million reduction in deferred tax liabilities. This was also buoyed by a SAR 1.3 million increase in returns from Shariah-compliant investment deposits and effective cost control. In an interview with Argaam, Al Maktary added that demand for the company's products remained strong in Q1 2025, with flour sales rising 4.3% year-on-year (YoY) and 6.4% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ). This was supported by seasonal demand during Ramadan and an improved product mix. He noted that this growth reflects robust demand from both business and retail segments. Animal feed sales also maintained positive momentum during the quarter, although revenue from the bran and feed segment declined by 5.6% QoQ due to seasonal factors and the company's focus on improving margins over volume increases. MC4 retained its leadership in the Saudi flour market during Q1 2025, backed by strong performance from its flagship brand, FOOM, which held a 28.4% market share—the highest in the packaged flour category. According to the CEO, the company seeks to enhance its competitive edge through target marketing campaigns, expanding its distribution network, and continuous innovation in product development to meet market needs. Geographically, sales were significantly supported by performance in Madinah and Al-Kharj, benefiting from advanced infrastructure and proximity to demand centers, which improved distribution efficiency and market responsiveness. Regarding flour exports, Al Maktary said the company plans to leverage surplus capacity at its Dammam facility—strategically located near King Abdulaziz Port—to expand into Middle Eastern, Asian, and African markets. This aligns with the company's long-term strategy to diversify income sources and grow its geographical presence. The top executive forecasts growth momentum to continue into the second half of 2025, driven by an expanding customer base, improved coverage in high-density areas, and stronger offerings for both business and retail segments. Thanks to optimized distribution strategies and continued consumer demand for essential products, the company is well positioned to sustain stable revenue performance in H2 2025.
