Using Leftover Buckwheat Flour

Our answer

Nigella's Triple Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) have a smoky, nutty taste and a slightly crumbly flavour thanks to the buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is actually a seed, rather than a grain, and is gluten-free. However it is difficult to substitute plain flour completely with buckwheat as the structure of the baked goods can become too heavy and crumbly. Buckwheat also has quite a strong flavour, which is fine for chocolate cookies but can become overpowering in other recipes.

If you have leftover buckwheat flour then you could use it to partially replace plain flour in some recipes. As buckwheat flour is used in blinis and galettes you could try using half buckwheat and half plain flour in recipes such as Scotch Pancakes and Crepes, but bear in mind they may be slightly more savoury than sweet. And it may be possible to replace a quarter of the plain flour with buckwheat flour for Chocolate Banana Muffins. However as we have not tried these substitutions we are unable to guarantee the results. We would also suggest storing leftover buckwheat flour in the freezer as this will extend the shelf life. Usually buckwheat flour will last 2-3 months in an airtight container in a cool place.