Making Pigeon Pea Flour at Home

How to make homemade pigeon pea flour by grinding dried pigeon peas yourself.

Making Pigeon Pea Flour at Home

Everyone is used to flours made from wheat and corn; however, pigeon pea flour is not used in many recipes because it is not well-known. Pigeon pea flour, when mixed with other flour such as wheat, makes delicious loaves of bread.

Bread flour is used to make bread with high protein content, so the bread will rise during the bread-making process. Pigeon pea flour would fall into specialty groupings such as Paleo baking and gluten-free flour.

Making pigeon pea flour is easy to make at home; you simply need a blender or coffee grinder.  For the most part, the amount of dried pigeon peas you put into the grinder is the amount of flour you will get. This means you will need to grind the amount of flour you need for a particular recipe plus a little more so you do not run out of flour halfway through making your recipe.

The length of time you will grind the pigeon peas depends on how course you want your flour to be; the longer you grind, the finer your flour will become. If you want super fine flour, we suggest you use a food processor instead of a coffee grinder. Alternatively, one way to get your flour finer is by sifting the pigeon pea flour through a fine mesh and regrinding the larger bit that does not pass through.

About small mighty Pigeon Peas

Pigeon peas serve as a source of protein, carbohydrates for millions of people across the African continent. Pigeon peas are packed with nutrients and have high protein content, making them an ideal source of protein, particularly in regions where meat and dairy are not physically or economically accessible. 

Pigeon peas are low in fat and rich in soluble fiber, which can lower cholesterol and help in the control of blood sugar.

For farmers, pigeon peas are an important crop because they can be both sold and consumed by the farmers and their families. Pigeon peas can contribute to climate change modification by reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. The nitrogen-fixing properties of pigeon peas improve soil fertility, which increases and extends the productivity of the farmland.

Recipe Using ground pigeon pea flour

Ginger cake make with fresh ground pigeon pea flour is a super gingery cake recipe that is easy to make from scratch.

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 50 min Total time: 1 hour 10 min

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups pigeon pea flour

2 tablespoons grated young fresh ginger root

2 sticks unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Directions

Grease and flour two bread loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl hand mix pigeon pea flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt. In another large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Mix in eggs, grated ginger root and vanilla into the butter mixture. Then add milk, mix in the flour mixture until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a serving plate. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and ground ginger before serving if desired.