Often included in my recipes, cornstarch and corn flour are quite vital components in gluten free baking. But depending on whether you live in the US, the UK, or abroad, you could find it difficult to tell cornstarch from corn flour, maize flour from cornflour. Here I am providing a thorough summary of the several milled corn products (including names that refer to the same component) together with ideas on how gluten free baking could benefit from them.
The most often asked questions I have gotten ever since my book was published in the US back in August: “What is cornflour? Maestro flour maize? Does maize flour resemble cornstarch? Are corn flour and cornmeal the same thing…?
And I * totally* understand that. The terminology variations between corn flour and maize flour against cornstarch between the US and the UK are quite annoying and too complex. Still, I hope this blog article helps sort any uncertainty.
Cornstarch and corn flour differ in several ways.
Common American vocabulary includes both “cornstarch” and “corn flour.”
Extraction of the starch from maize grain—more especially, from the endosperm of the kernel—gets cornstarch. Without any fibre, protein, fat or other ingredients, it is virtually 100% carbohydrate. When you run this very fine white powder between your fingers, it squeaks and looks to be chalky. Like vanilla pastry cream, cornstarch is a common thickening agent used in custards and sauces.
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Entire dried maize grains are ground into a fine powder to get corn flour. It is essentially rather finely ground maize meal. Apart from the starch, it comprises fiber, protein, and a little of fat. manufactured from yellow corn, the more often used yellow corn flour; manufactured from white corn kernels, white corn flour. Although you can theoretically use the two sorts interchangeably, I always mean yellow corn flour when I talk about “corn flour” in my recipes.
American cornstarch is cornflour in the UK.
This is where the uncertainty first begins.In the US, cornstarch is the same as cornflour in the UK.Extracted from maize kernels, it is the pure starch and resembles a very fine white powder. Regarding the starch, note that “cornflour” is written as a single word—with no space between “corn” and “flour.”
Most of my more recent recipes will list this item as “cornstarch (US)/cornflour (UK)” in the ingredients list to help to minimize as much ambiguity as possible. But I’ll be referring to it using the US term “cornstarch” in this blog article to cut back on too much repetitiousness.
American corn flour is equivalent to British maize flour.
And the bewilderment persists. since American “corn flour” is the same as “maize flour” used in the UK. (Note the space separating “corn” and “flour!). Here we are referring to the yellow flour produced from ground dry entire maize kernels. That is really just finely milled maize meal.
Although the names “maize” and “corn” can be used synonymously, “corn” is more frequently used in North America while “maize” is frequently used in the UK – yet they are referring to the same thing.
Most of my more recent recipes will describe this ingredient as “corn flour (US/maize flour (UK)” in the ingredients list to help to minimize as much uncertainty as possible. To cut too much repetition, though, I will be referring to the US name “corn flour” in this blog post, same as with cornstarch.
Cornstarch and corn flour in gluten free baking
In gluten free baking, cornstach and corn flour have somewhat different purposes.
One “starchy,” gluten free flour is cornstarch. It therefore gives gluten free bakes their fluffiness and airiness, but it has little effect on their taste or structure. An equal weight of arrowroot starch, potato starch or tapioca starch will also work.
One “protein” gluten free flour is corn flour. Though the degree of structure it offers is somewhat small compared to that attained with “regular” wheat flour, it gives gluten free bakes taste and structure. An equal weight of light buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, white teff flour or oat flour will suffice (the latter only if you are not sensitive to oats).
My gluten free cookbook, Baked to Perfection, has a more thorough discussion on the variations in “starchy” and “protein” gluten free flours and their significance in gluten free baking—especially in gluten free bread.
Generally speaking, gluten free baking seeks to establish the ideal balance or ratio of starchy-to– protein flours, which will produce the greatest outcomes in terms of texture, flavour and appearance. For instance, my handmade gluten free flour blend combines maize flour, a protein flour, potato starch, a starchy flour, and brown rice flour, a “lighter” protein flour.
Yellow rather than white corn flour
As was already noted, there are two varieties of corn flour: white corn flour derived from white corn kernels and more often occurring yellow corn flour derived from yellow corn. The two variations are interchangeable.
Though many people think yellow corn (and hence yellow corn flour) is sweeter than white corn (and thus yellow corn flour), that is actually not the case. Carotene gives the yellow corn its color; it has no bearing on its sugar level at all.
What is the distinction between corn flour and cornmeal, often known as polenta?
The only difference between corn flour and cornmeal is their coarseness—that is, their grinding or milling degree. Though they are constructed with whole dried maize kernels, their textures differ entirely.
Given its relatively coarse grind, cornmeal seems gritty. Although it’s often used to make cornbread, gluten free recipes call for corn flour, not this substitute.
More finely ground and with a delicate, floury feel is corn flour.
Particularly coarse-ground cornmeal, polenta has great resemblance to cornmeal. But real polenta comes from a very particular, heirloom kind of maize known in Italian as eight-row flint or otto file. Additionally processed somewhat differently than cornmeal, it produces a distinct, heartier texture.
Masa harina and corn flour differ in one thing.
Though both masa harina and corn flour are flours derived from maize, masa harina is processed from corn kernels that have been steeped in a slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) solution to eliminate the hull. Made from maize tortillas, tamales, and other Latin American cuisine, the name “masa harina” in Spanish means “dough flour.”
Could you replace cornflour with cornstarch (and vice versa)?
Not! This is crucial. Whereas maize flour is a “protein” gluten free flour, cornstach is a “starchy” gluten free flour. For this reason, they serve somewhat diverse purposes in gluten free baking.
You cannot thus replace cornstarch for corn flour or vice versa.
Rather, use an equal weight of arrowroot starch, potato starch or tapioca starch if you wish not to use cornstarch in a recipe.
If you require an excellent corn flour substitute, use an equivalent weight of light buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, white teff flour or oat flour (the latter only if you’re not sensitive to oats).
Additional information
The purpose of this blog post is to provide a concise summary of the various milled maize products and their significance in gluten-free baking. It is an incomplete account of their nature, production process, and the numerous applications in baking and cookery. The primary objective of this post is to alleviate the ambiguity surrounding the various terminologies and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the applications of various flours in gluten-free cookery.
