Corn flour is a naturally gluten free flour that is nutritious but not that widely available. But if you know how to make corn flour you won’t have to concern yourself with finding it in stores.
We look at a few ways of making your own corn flour at home.
What Is Corn Flour?
Corn flour, unsurprisingly, is a flour made from whole corn, containing the entire corn kernel. This includes the hull, endosperm and the germ which means it is a whole grain flour.
Cornflour should not be confused with cornstarch which is made from just the endosperm of the corn. The endosperm is the part of the corn that contains the most starch and this is why the flour made from this part of the corn is often referred to as corn starch.
How To Make Corn Flour
There are a few methods for making corn flour which we will look at. The first involves making flour from cornmeal, but it is also possible to make corn flour from whole corn and popcorn kernels.
These different ways of making corn flour will vary in time from minutes to days spending on the method you choose. We’ll take a look at each one so that you can decide which is the best option for you.
Using Cornmeal To Make Corn Flour
Cornmeal is a ground substance that is derived from corn, yellow in color it can be a coarse, medium or fine grain depending on how it is ground. For our purposes we will be referring to coarse ground cornmeal.
It is a staple food in many countries and used for various dishes throughout the world. Cornmeal is known by different names in different countries. In Italy for example, it is called polenta while cornmeal soaked in lime water is called masa flour.
Recipe
So let’s look at how to use cornmeal to make a corn flour. This process takes just minutes and only requires one ingredient and a blender or a grain mill.
Ingredients
Cornmeal
Blender Method
Add the cornmeal to the blender to about half full. However, it should be above the blades by a couple of inches.
Using the pulse setting, operate the blender in 15 second bursts. In between bursts, rock the blender.
Continue until you achieve the desired consistency.
Grain Mill Method
Set the mill to the setting for the finest grain.
Put the cornmeal into the hopper.
Grind until you are satisfied with the texture of the flour.
If you find that the initial results of the grind are not what you want, put them through the mill again.
Using cornmeal is one of the easiest and quickest ways to make corn flour as cornmeal is widely sold in grocery stores.
Making Corn Flour From The Cob
Making corn flour out of cornmeal was the easy part, making it from scratch right off the cob is much harder. However, it is much more satisfying as it is a more traditional method.
Corn flour made this way is also a lot sweeter than using cornmeal. This is because the corn we buy for eating is usually a sweet variety.
Recipe
To make corn flour directly from corn kernels means you have to remove them from the cob, dry them and then grind them into flour.
First you will need to remove the kernels from the corn.
Cut the bottom off the corn cob and take away the silk and the husk.
Using a spoon handle, get between two of the corn rows and pop the kernels out, one at a time.
As soon as the first row is out, it’s easier to remove the rest with your fingers. Simply push the kernels towards the empty row, and they will pop out.
Once you have all the kernels you will need to dry them out. You can do this in a dehydrator, in your oven or in the sun if you live in a warm area. Just remember to cover the kernels and protect them from birds or other creatures who may like a free lunch.
When the kernels are dry you need to grind them into flour. To do this you will need to use a powerful blender with very sharp blades as the dried corn will be very hard. Or you could use a fine grinding mill if you have one.
Put the kernels in the blender and pulse for 20-40 seconds at a time, checking the consistency regularly.
When you have reached the consistency and texture that you are happy with, empty your corn flour into an airtight container to keep it fresh if you are not using it right away.
Corn Flour From Popcorn
Yes, you’ve read that correctly. You can use popcorn to make corn flour, to be more precise you can make it from ready to pop corn kernels. Don’t try to make flour from already popped corn, it won’t work, and you’ll feel silly.
Popcorn kernels have already been dried, so you can bypass the whole de-kerneling and dehydrating process completely.
Ingredients
Popcorn kernels
Method
If you are using a grain mill to grind the popcorn kernels into corn flour, add the kernels to it and grind into the consistency and texture that you want.
If you are using a blender don’t fill the container completely. The kernels are hard and may strain your blender motor if you try to blend too much at once. Instead work in batches.
Whatever method you use to make your corn flour make sure you store it in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dry place.
In Conclusion
Making your own corn flour can be easy and fulfilling with the right equipment. Knowing that you have made flour from scratch can give you a real sense of accomplishment and pride.
We hope you have had fun learning about how to make corn flour and that you will enjoy the results.
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
