Learn how to make bread healthily and deliciously.
The other day Bruna from my team asked me why we didn’t compile a collection of ideas for healthy batters, since many people were asking this and so they could always have it on hand.
And I thought that now that summer is approaching when the season of beach bars and eating fried fish begins, it is the best time to do it. Because, in addition to frying it in very poor quality oils, the batter they use is made with refined flours.healthy
The same goes for breaded foods, which are also topped with breadcrumbs, which are nothing more than ground hard bread (made with refined wheat flour), and to which, if you look at the ingredients, sometimes sugar, refined vegetable oils, additives are added… healthy
This is why when we want to eat healthy and take care of our health, we give up battered or breaded foods. The thing is that the crispiness and deliciousness of food cooked this way makes it hard to resist, but why should we?
As I always say, for me, flavor and health have to go hand in hand. You don’t have to give up anything, you just have to look for healthier alternatives that are just as delicious.
And this is what I am going to show you in this article: 5 ideas for healthy and nutritious breading, but with that crunchy texture that we like so much. In addition, all the options are gluten-free , in case it makes you feel sick like me, or you are a celiac.
So, even if you choose healthier ways of cooking food when you eat out, such as grilling, you can still enjoy your breaded fish, meat, vegetables, etc. at home.
Try these 5 types of healthy batters.
Although there are more options, I am going to give you the 5 that I use the most, the ones that give me the best results, and the ones that I tell my SANO Method students.
I encourage you to try them all and combine them with different foods.healthy
However, for some time now, I have a clear favorite batter and it is always a hit at my house. Let’s take a look at them all and I’ll tell you which one it is.
- Sesame seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds… You can use just one of them or make a mix with several. They are super crunchy and are a very nutritious type of coating.
- Chickpea flour is one of the most used and gives very good results.
- Almond flour, which you can buy or make yourself by grinding peeled natural almonds until you get a floury texture.
- Corn flakes, you crush them a little and you get a very crunchy texture. Make sure they do not contain sugar and that they are certified gluten-free if you are a celiac. If they are organic, even better.
- Crunchy Yuca, I tried it recently, but I loved it. It’s just grated yuca but it makes a very crunchy coating. I bought it already made at Naturitas,
And now I’m going to tell you my star batter, which is…healthy
The almond flour one, but adding onion or garlic powder and nutritional yeast. It’s so good you’ll die for.
I add those spices, but you can add the ones you like the most, since as I said before, almond flour has a milder flavor, giving it a tastier and different touch.
How I make batters so they turn out perfect: differences between battering, breading, and flooring.
Although the final objective is the same: to obtain food that is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and when talking about it, everything is usually grouped as breading (hence the name of the article), you have to keep in mind that breading, coating and flouring are different things.
Flouring involves covering food with flour and then cooking it (the normal way is to fry it, but later we will see that there are other ways to do it that make them healthier).
On the other hand, to coat a food you also have to cover it with flour, but once it is well covered, you pass it through a beaten egg.
In the case of breading, it would be the same, but after the egg, you also pass it through breadcrumbs.healthy
How do I do it?
I make a mix.
Because in our case we are not going to use breadcrumbs and, in addition to flour, I have given you other options, such as seeds or cornflakes.
And we’re not going to fry the food afterward either.
So, I’m going to tell you how I get the best results taking this into account:
- First, dip the food (fish, meat, croquettes, etc.) in a well-beaten egg.
- And then cover it with the coating of your choice (chickpea flour, almond flour, cornflakes, etc.).
As you can see, it would be something like breading, because I use egg, but instead of first adding flour, then egg, and then breadcrumbs, I skip the first step and instead of breadcrumbs I use some of the 5 options that I have left you above. healthy
I do it this way because the egg makes the batter set better and I like it better.
But if you can’t use egg, it’s okay, just don’t add any and “flour it” (I put it in quotes because as you know, you have more options besides flour).
I often do it this way because it’s quicker and they also turn out delicious.
Ways to cook battered foods without frying.
Besides the fact that batters are usually made with refined flour, there is another thing that makes them unhealthy and that is the way they are cooked.
You will usually find them fried and if you order them anywhere outside your home, they are usually fried with vegetable oils such as sunflower oil.
And when these oils are subjected to high temperatures, they release substances that are toxic to the body. In addition, they become very poor-quality fats.
So if you are going to make them at home and you feel like eating them fried, very occasionally (once a year won’t hurt), ALWAYS use extra virgin olive oil and don’t reuse it for the reason I mentioned before.
Once used, it must be thrown away.
There are other healthier options.
For me, the truth is that frying is not worth it, because as I said, it is only done once a year and a lot of oil is wasted.
Other, much healthier alternatives for cooking battered foods are just as delicious:
- Bake at 180º with heat from above and below. The temperature will vary depending on the food you have coated, but they are ready in about 15 minutes. Keep checking them to make sure they are crispy but not burnt. And turn them over halfway through.
- Or turn them over and over in a frying pan with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. This is the quickest way and they also turn out very well, although less crispy than in the oven.
Are you looking forward to trying these healthy batters? You can use them with these foods.
I’m sure you’re eager to get started and try out all the better options I’ve shown you.
They go great with fish.
I like them with sardines or anchovies because they are ready in no time and the batter gives them a different touch. healthy
I often use seeds for salmon or cod. Instead of frying them on both sides in a pan or in the oven, you can coat them with sesame seeds or whatever you like, and it has a delicious crunchy texture.
And I love cornflakes for making nuggets. I make them with hake and my daughter Olivia loves them. healthy
You can also make them with chicken or cut chicken breasts into pieces and coat them with cornflakes or my favorite coating (almond flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder…).
At home, they will succeed.
