While flour tends to be a versatile ingredient, different kinds of flour suit different kinds of recipes. For instance, farina flour is not as common as plain flour since farina flour has specific uses.
If you have never had farina flour before, you may curious as to what farina flour is. I looked up the facts, and this is what I learned!
What Is Farina Flour?
Farina flour, which is better known as “farina,” is a type of coarsely ground powder made from farina. Since farina is ground a bit more coarsely than regular flour, farina is often used to make hot cereals similar to oatmeal. Generally, farina is not used like regular flour because farina is too coarse.
Do you want to learn if farina flour has gluten, what other names farina flour has, and what you can substitute farina flour for? Keep reading!
What Is Farina Flour Made Of?
Generally, farina flour is made from farina, which is a kind of cereal derived from wheat.
Normally, what makes farina flour unique is that farina flour is made from the germ and endosperm.
Moreover, farina flour is typically ground coarser than plain flour yet slightly smoother than cornmeal.
Many manufacturers like to add iron to their farina flour to enrich the farina flour, making iron a common ingredient.
What Is Another Name For Farina Flour?
Typically, farina flour may simply be called “farina” along with farina cereal and cream of wheat.
Keep in mind that most people use the term “farina” and not farina flour. Some people may call it “farina flour” because the farina resembles flour.
What Is Farina Flour Used For?
Normally, farina flour is used as an ingredient to make hot cereals that are usually eaten for breakfast, which is similar to oatmeal or porridge.
Generally, farina hot cereal is made by boiling water with a little salt and farina until the mixture thickens to a similar consistency to porridge.
Additionally, farina flour can be used as an alternative to breadcrumbs for meat pies and sweet pies because the farina flour can absorb excess water.
By absorbing the excess water, the farina flour will keep your pies from getting soggy and ruining the pie crust.
Moreover, farina flour can be sprinkled over baking surfaces if you do not want your food to stick, leaving a bit of farina flour on the bottom of your food.
Can Farina Flour Be Eaten Raw?
It is not recommended to eat farina flour raw because farina flour is a form of wheat flour.
Generally, non-heat-treated or raw wheat can carry harmful bacteria like E. coli, which is why you need to properly cook farina flour before eating it.
Are Farina And Flour The Same Thing?
Technically, farina and flour are not the same things even though they are both made from wheat because they are ground differently.
Flour is finely milled or ground cereal grains, which is usually wheat. On the other hand, farina is slightly coarser than flour milled from farina.
Therefore, farina and flour are not usually used for the same recipes. For instance, flour can be added to bread recipes whereas farina cannot because farina is too “large” to work as flour.
Is Farina Better Than Flour?
Farina is not necessarily better than flour because farina has far fewer uses than flour, making flour the more versatile ingredient.
Normally, farina’s main use is to create hot cereals whereas flour can be used to make baking recipes, batters, and much more.
Moreover, farina cannot be used to replace flour because farina has much larger granules compared to flour.
Is Farina The Same As Cornmeal?
Generally, farina is not the same as cornmeal because cornmeal is made from corn whereas farina is made from farina, a specific type of wheat.
However, farina has a similar texture to cornmeal but cornmeal tends to be coarser than farina.
Is Farina The Same As Grits?
Farina cannot be the same as grits because grits are derived from corn whereas farina is wheat.
Typically, farina and grits have very similar textures and are both used to make dishes similar to porridge.
However, farina is often used to make sweet dishes while grits can make savory and sweet meals.
Does Farina Flour Have Gluten?
Since farina is made from wheat, farina is not gluten-free and will likely cause negative reactions in people who are allergic or sensitive to gluten.
What Can I Use Instead Of Farina Flour?
If you want to use farina flour to make a bowl of hot cereal for breakfast, regular oatmeal or porridge oats are the best replacement.
Generally, porridge oats and oatmeal are ready to be boiled and used, making them excellent alternatives for hot farina cereal.
Other good alternatives to make a hot breakfast cereal are grits and cornmeal. While they are made from corn, they have very similar textures to farina.
Moreover, grits and cornmeal may be better choices for substitutes, particularly if you want to make a savory dish.
If you want to keep your dough from sticking to baking surfaces, almost any type of flour will work great.
Check out our related articles to discover what fortified flour is, what finger millet flour is, and what fufu flour is.
Conclusion
Farina is a specific type of milled wheat that is slightly coarser than regular flour but finer than cornmeal.
Generally, farina is used to make dishes similar to porridge, but you may also use farina to keep food from sticking to baking surfaces and to absorb excess water from pies.