Buckwheat on a Gluten Free Diet

Buckwheat is a pseudocereal; it is an edible seed that looks and cooks like a cereal grain, but does not grow on a grass. Instead it grows on Fagopyrum plants, which are in fact related to rhubarb. Like its fellow pseudocereal, quinoa, buckwheat is considered a complete protein because it provides all nine essential amino acids.  

Before buckwheat can be cooked, its seeds must be dehulled to become buckwheat groats. The groats are then either toasted or sold raw to be toasted at home. Toasted buckwheat is often referred to as kasha, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

Buckwheat flour is the flour that is made by grinding down buckwheat groats. It can be made from the whole seed including the hull, in which case it will be a white powder with dark/brown or black speckles; from dehulled buckwheat groats, in which case the flour will be a uniform soft white; or from toasted buckwheat groats, in which case the flour will take on a browner colour. It is buckwheat flour that is used to make Japanese soba noodles, Lombardy’s pizzoccheri and Brittany’s galettes. Buckwheat flour is also what gives Russian blinis their distinctive taste. 

Despite the name, buckwheat has absolutely no relation to wheat and is 100% naturally gluten free. So you can safely add buckwheat groats or buckwheat flour to all your meals and bakes, and reap all the health benefits of these mineral-rich grains without any of the worry. 

Buckwheat is a highly versatile ingredient that adds depth of flavour to any dish, sweet or savoury. The whole grain can be used as a rice replacement – both in rice-centred dishes like risotto and as an accompaniment. It can be used as a basis for super salads, stirred into casseroles for extra substance and stuffed into roasted vegetables. Russians boil the whole groat in water or milk to make porridge. Koreans mix buckwheat flour with potato starch to make their traditional naengmyun noodles. At Schär, we use buckwheat flour to add oomph to our whole grain loaves. 

More good news for gluten free bakers (and eaters): as buckwheat is naturally gluten free, the flour made from it is naturally gluten free too. However, as with any flour made from gluten free grains, you should always carefully check the label on the packet to make sure that any buckwheat flour you are buying has no risk of being contaminated with gluten containing grains. 

Buckwheat is particularly close to Schär’s heart. Not only is it a wonderful way to inject nutrients, flavour and variety into our gluten free cooking, but it is part of our cultural ancestry too: buckwheat is at the centre of several traditional dishes from Schär’s native South Tyrol. Schwarzplentene Torte, a traditional South Tyrolean cake made from buckwheat, almonds, butter, eggs and sugar can be found in most local restaurants and bakeries, while Schwarzplentenen Riebel is an old-fashioned homecooked classic – a kind of polenta made from buckwheat and fried with a lot of butter on an open fire. 

Therefore, we try and use buckwheat wherever we can, and as a result you will find it across the whole range of Schär products and recipes. The gluten free grain adds flavour to our breads, from our dark Landbrot loaf and Knusperbrot Dunkel crispbread, to our Ciabatta Rustica. It bolsters our gluten free Tortellini and our Mix It Rustico flour mix. Buckwheat flakes even add extra crunch to our family favourite chocolatey sunflower seed croquettes recipe! 

This gluten free grain couldn’t be easier to introduce into your culinary repertoire. For basic buckwheat, simply boil it in twice its volume of stock for around 20 minutes and you’re ready to go. If you’re using raw buckwheat, you will need to toast it first.  

Buckwheat’s robust and earthy flavour means it works well with similar sweet, rich and nutty-tasting foods. Toss it in with beetroot, spinach and walnuts to create a superfood salad; prepare a buckwheat pilaff with almonds, currants and dried apricots; or simply sprinkle the toasted groat over a hearty soup as a nutrient-rich crouton replacement. 

Buckwheat flour is just as straightforward to include in your everyday cooking and is a great alternative to wheat-based flours in gluten free bakes. Like any flour, however, the particular flavour and cooking properties of buckwheat flour mean it is better suited to some types of dishes than others. Therefore, if you are new to using buckwheat flour, we recommend following a dedicated buckwheat flour recipe the first few times you cook with it. Why not start out with our recipe for gluten free blinis? Not only is it easy to follow, but it will give you the authentic buckwheat flour experience in a dish that was made for it!