Many people already use easily-dissolving Wondra Instant Flour for lump-free gravies and sauces. This wheat flour has been pre-cooked and then dried (much like instant rice), so it dissolves without seizing up when stirred into a hot liquid.
But its low-protein content and baby-powder-like consistency also make it great for other uses. It's one of those little secrets to keep in your back pocket.
• If your summer plans include fish fries, pan fries, or breading and frying other meats and vegetables, instant flour makes a light and crispy crust. Try it in this recipe: Moist and Tender Chicken Breasts
• Julia Child recommended instant flour for crepes. Because the flour dissolves so easily, you'll only need a ten-minute resting period rather than the hour or so required for crepes made with all-purpose flour.
• When making pies, many professional chefs use pastry flour. But pastry flour isn't readily available on supermarket shelves. Since Wondra is low-protein, but not bleached like cake flour, it makes a good substitute. (We've read that Wondra is even more low-protein than pastry flour, but haven't been able to confirm this) Recipe for Basic Pie Crust
• If you butter and flour your cake pans, instant flour evenly covers the pan, without clumping in the corners. Another tip: Grease and Sweeten Cake Pans
Wondra is the most readily-available brand of instant flour; it includes a small amount of malted barley flour which helps with browning and caramelization. Pillsbury also makes an instant flour called Shake & Blend, but we've never seen it on our supermarket shelves.
How do you use instant flour?
Related: What's the Difference Between Cake Flour and Pastry Flour
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I first learned the advantages of this flour when sauteeing sweetbreads.
Now, I use it as the main component of my calamari flour mix.
view art's profile
Wow! Good tips! I've pretty much exclusively used Wondra for gravy and pop overs...until now...
view EmmaC's profile
I dredge tofu in it before frying. It makes it nice and crispy on the outside.
view saradanger's profile
It's great for white sauce, too. It can be added to hot liquids without clumping - whisk and go!
view Aldyth's profile
My boyfriend's mother is the master of Wondra - I'd never seen it until I opened her pantry... this article makes me excited to buy too much of it.
view scarrico's profile
I never heard of this stuff before, but it sounds like pure genius.
And in response to art's comment about calamari-- this stuff sounds perfect for coating fried squash blossoms too. Sometimes I like a bit of cornmeal crunch with mine, but usually I just want that perfect, feather-light, hardly-there crisp that you just can't get with regular flour.
Consider me intrigued.
view elise_the_great's profile
I use this for my sauces and for thickening gravies...I hate when regular flour clumps!
view verily's profile
Dude... kitchn just blew my mind. I'll be picking this up on my nexy grocery trip.
view DahliaCactus's profile