Sorghum on a Gluten Free Diet

Another benefit to sorghum is that it is naturally gluten free. This, coupled with the fact that it is high in dietary fibre, proteins, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, makes it the perfect addition to any gluten free diet. 

Sorghum grains are small and round. They are usually white or yellow-ish in colour, but can also be red, purple, brown or black depending on the variety. The grains generally retain their shape when cooked, but become softer and stodgier the longer they’re done. 

Sorghum is usually sold as whole grain sorghum or pearled sorghum (which has had the thick outer husk removed), but can also be sold in flake form, like rolled oats. 

White sorghum 

White sorghum is the most commonly consumed type of sorghum and the type most commonly used for sorghum flour. 

Waxy sorghum 

Waxy sorghum comes in white and burgundy and has a thinner bran layer than other types. It is particularly good for improving the texture of gluten free breads. 

Sumac sorghum 

Sumac sorghum is the richest in antioxidant content; it has even higher antioxidant levels than blueberries and pomegranates. 

Burgundy sorghum 

Burgundy sorghum has the next highest levels of antioxidants; its particular antioxidants happen to be very similar to those found in red wine. 

Black sorghum 

Black sorghum has similarly high levels of antioxidants and is rich in phytochemicals. Its mild, sweet taste makes it a favourite in gluten free chocolate biscuits, brownies and cakes.  

Sweet sorghum 

Sweet sorghum is a slightly different plant variety to the previous types of sorghum. It is harvested for its stalks (rather than its grains), which are crushed to produce sorghum syrup.  

What is sorghum not used for, more like! When we said sorghum was versatile, we weren’t joking. In the countries where it is most popular, sorghum grains are most often used to make traditional flatbreads (particularly in Africa and Asia) and tortillas (Central America). 

However, sorghum is also used in all the same ways as any other grain, and more. It is prepared and served like quinoa or rice, it is cooked into a porridge and it is popped like popcorn. In addition, sorghum syrup is used to sweeten many different foods and beverages; while sorghum grains can be crushed to make edible oil, brewed to make gluten free beer and ground down to make a flour. 

Just like the grain itself, sorghum flour is naturally gluten free, making it an excellent choice for gluten free bakes. Even better, it is milled from whole grain sorghum, so the full amount of nutrient and protein content present in sorghum is retained in the flour. This protein content is what makes sorghum flour the most similar gluten free alternative to wheat flour. Therefore, it can easily be swapped in at a 1:1 ratio for most recipes, simplifying the job of any gluten free baker. 

For those reasons, sorghum flour is an indispensable ingredient in many of Schär’s best-selling gluten free bread, pasta and pizza products. You can find it enriching our Vital del Mastro Panettiere, Sauerteigbrot and Sandwich Dunkel breads; and you can even find it fortifying the base of our Pizza Veggie ai Cereali. 

Cooking sorghum yourself at home is pretty straightforward and there is no shortage of ways to introduce it into your diet. 

You can cook whole grain and pearled sorghum by boiling them in three times their volume of stock for about 40-60 minutes, depending on how tender you like your grains. Then you can serve it as a side, stirred into salads or cooked into a pilaf. 

For popped sorghum, simply add the grains to a heated pan and watch them pop. 

Sorghum flakes can be mixed into muesli, cookies or sweet treats like flapjacks and cereal bars. 

Sorghum syrup can be used anywhere you’d usually use treacle or sweetener. For example, why not try swapping sorghum syrup into our recipe for pear and treacle slices? 

As for sorghum flour, given it works well as a direct wheat-flour replacement, you can do a straightforward swap in any of your favourite bread, muffin or cake recipes to turn them gluten free. 

With so many easy ways to introduce sorghum into your diet, the hardest part will be deciding what to start with!