The Great Bean Flour Discovery

As we conquer one learning curve and start another, I am always amazed as I look back and think about the things I always wanted to know more about but was too busy on my current project to start another.  Grains and beans have always been of interest to me but I had to start with grains first.  After several years of working with grains and their properties,  I feel more comfortable helping others.  Let us move on to beans!

Most people I’ve meet do not like big bursty beans.  Well, not in large quantities anyway.  We have had to be creative with our beans in the past and I would buy frozen or canned from the local store.  We have now found that dry beans are not only inexpensive, but really easy to cook if you take the time to learn. 

Pressure cooking is the easiest and quickest way I have found to cook whole beans.  Navy beans are excellent, black even better!  I like to soak the beans for an hour or so before pressuring, and 16-20 minutes, depending on the size of the bean, does the trick in the cooker.

Now for the bean flour!  I quickly discovered that the 11 Bean/Pea mix I stock was too hard to cook.  I decided to turn to the use of bean flour, something I always wanted to learn more about.  Now was my chance with over 200lbs of 11 bean/pea mix handy!  Milling beans is quick, easy and nutritious.  If you don’t own your own mill, consider investing in one.  Buying pre-packaged mixes is expensive.  When you mill your own you know what is in your mix.  So if you are buying refined mixes to add to your dinner, most likely you will end up constipated.  Bean flour adds fiber, soluble and insoluble to your diet.  Refined grains are missing the insoluble fiber, and lacking in pure untouched vitamins and minerals.

Buy good quality beans.   Fill your mill with 2 cups of large beans at a time.  Don't overfill the mill or it will clog.  Open the hopper all the way to coarse, motor low. 

Nutrition is handy!  Bean flour has no gluten, and is a plant protein.   Mixing with a grain or seed will complete the protein.   Bean Flour can be ¼ of a grain recipe to complete your protein!  It is very handy and you can add it to almost anything you cook!  Soups, sauces, dips, breads, baby food and more.

Get yourself a mill, a stock of beans and start adding sneaky nutrition to your family’s diet today.  

Here are a few recipes to start you out.  These crackers are a complete protein cracker, made with wheat and beans!  The peas and barley for baby are a great combination also.

11 Bean/Pea Crackers

Oven 375 degrees

1 ½ cups Hard Wheat
½ cup 11 bean/pea mix (or any bean flour)
2 Tbsp. Sprout Flour
½ cups Parmesan
1 ½ tsp Real Salt
1 T turbinado sugar
4 T Grapeseed oil
2 T dried green onion
2 T dried peppers
2 T dried tomatoes
1 cup of half n half to start

Mix all dry ingredients in the food processor.  Add oil one Tbsp. at a time.  Start mixing in half and half slowly, processing as you slowly add a little at a time.  Your goal is to get a nice soft dough. 
Dough is separated in 6 portions, each portion rolled thin about 1/8” into a rectangle.  Trim edges, use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to score into crackers.  Bake on parchment about 15-20 minutes until light brown.  They will crisp as they cool.   A nice soft dough; Roll thin, score and bake!

Peas and Barley for Baby

Making baby food is easy and very healthy for your little one!  Try this out.  Mill some dried peas.  It doesn’t matter how much you mill, just store to have on hand.  Bean flours have a shelf />life of 6 months, a year refrigerated.  Wouldn’t this be great if you had to travel and fresh wasn’t handy? 

Beautiful green powder!

Tip:  Browning any bean flour will help it cook faster.


Boil 1 cup water and whisk in 2 Tbsp of Pea flour, one Tbsp. at a time.  It takes about 1 minute or so to thicken.  Mill some pearled barley, and use the same method. 

Grain flours must be kept in freezer if you don’t use them that day.   Boil 1 cup of water, 2 ½ Tbsp. of barley flour and  cook about 5 minutes or so.  Add these two together and store remainder in the refrigerator.