Specialty Flours NZ: Besan, Coconut, Millet, Oat, Spelt & Rye Compared
Specialty flours can completely change the texture and flavour of a recipe — but they are not interchangeable cup-for-cup. Besan behaves differently from oat flour, coconut flour absorbs far more liquid than wheat flour, and rye and spelt bring their own gluten and baking characteristics.
This NZ guide compares the main specialty flours stocked by SpiceBloom so you can choose the right one for flatbreads, baking, batters, thickening and everyday pantry cooking.
Specialty flours at a glance
| Flour | Flavour / texture | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Besan (chickpea) | Nutty, savoury, fine | Pakora, chilla, batters, savoury baking |
| Coconut | Light coconut note, very absorbent | Specialist baking, coating, small additions |
| Oat | Mild, soft, slightly sweet | Pancakes, muffins, cookies |
| Millet | Mild, earthy | Flatbreads and flour blends |
| Buckwheat | Distinct, earthy, robust | Pancakes, crepes, kuttu recipes |
| Sorghum | Mild, slightly sweet | Jowar roti and flour blends |
| Spelt | Wheaty, lightly nutty | Bread, muffins, pancakes, pastry |
| Rye | Deep, earthy, malty | Rye bread, sourdough blends, crackers |
Besan flour: the savoury all-rounder
Organic Besan Flour is made from chickpeas and is a staple in Indian cooking. Its nutty flavour works especially well in savoury recipes.
Use it for pakora batter, chilla, kadhi, savoury pancakes and coatings. It can also help bind patties and fritters. Because it contains no wheat gluten, it does not behave like bread flour in yeast baking.
Coconut flour: use much less than you think
Organic Coconut Flour is unusually absorbent. This is the flour most likely to cause trouble when somebody swaps it cup-for-cup for ordinary flour.
Recipes designed specifically for coconut flour generally use more eggs or liquid and a much smaller quantity of flour. If a recipe calls for wheat or oat flour, do not automatically replace the full amount with coconut flour.
Oat flour: easy for soft baking
Organic Oat Flour has a mild flavour and makes tender pancakes, muffins, cookies and slices. It is one of the easiest specialty flours to work into familiar baking.
It does not create the same stretchy gluten network as wheat flour, so breads and cakes may need a recipe formulated specifically for oat flour or a blend with other flours.
Millet flour: useful for flatbreads and blends
Organic Millet Flour has a mild earthy flavour. It is useful in traditional flatbreads and in mixed-flour baking where you want a different grain profile without an overpowering taste.
For free-form bread, it is commonly paired with other flours and binders because millet itself does not provide wheat-like elasticity.
Buckwheat flour: robust flavour, despite the name
Organic Buckwheat Flour (Kuttu Atta) is not a type of wheat. It has a strong, earthy flavour that works particularly well in pancakes, crepes and traditional kuttu preparations.
Its assertive taste can be a feature rather than a drawback. If you are new to it, start by blending it with a milder flour in recipes where that is appropriate.
Sorghum flour: jowar for rotis and baking blends
Organic Sorghum Flour, also known as jowar flour, has a mild flavour and is widely used for flatbreads.
Jowar roti technique is different from kneading ordinary wheat dough because there is no elastic gluten network holding it together. Warm water and careful shaping are commonly used.
Spelt flour: a wheat flour with its own character
Organic White Spelt Flour is a wheat species and does contain gluten. It has a slightly nutty flavour and can be used in breads, pancakes, muffins and other baking.
Spelt dough can feel softer and more delicate than dough made with modern bread wheat, so aggressive mixing or simply applying the same hydration to every recipe may not give the best result.
Rye flour: ideal when you want deeper flavour
Organic Wholemeal Rye Flour gives bread and crackers a darker, earthier flavour. Rye contains gluten-forming proteins, but dough behaves very differently from high-protein wheat bread dough and is often stickier.
For an approachable first attempt, use rye as part of a wheat-based loaf before moving to high-percentage rye bread.
What about ordinary stoneground wheat flour?
If you want classic bread, roti or general baking behaviour, wheat remains the reference point. SpiceBloom stocks both Organic White Stoneground Wheat Flour and Organic Wholemeal Stoneground Wheat Flour.
These are useful comparison points when a specialty-flour recipe seems unusually dry, crumbly or dense: the problem is often not the quality of the flour but that the substitution changed how the recipe binds and absorbs water.
Can you substitute specialty flour 1:1?
Usually not. Flour affects water absorption, gluten development, tenderness, browning and structure. A successful substitution depends on what the flour is doing in the recipe.
- Coconut flour: almost never a straightforward 1:1 swap.
- Besan: excellent in savoury batters but not a direct bread-flour replacement.
- Oat flour: relatively forgiving in pancakes and cookies, less so in yeast bread.
- Spelt: closer to ordinary wheat flour, but dough may need gentler handling or hydration adjustment.
- Rye: often works best as part of a bread blend unless you are following a rye-specific formula.
- Millet, buckwheat and sorghum: use recipes designed for them or combine thoughtfully with other flours.
Which specialty flour should you choose?
- Pakora, chilla or savoury batter: besan.
- Soft pancakes and muffins: oat flour.
- Jowar roti: sorghum flour.
- Kuttu recipes or robust pancakes: buckwheat flour.
- Nutty wheat baking: spelt.
- Dark bread and sourdough blends: rye.
- Recipes written specifically for very absorbent flour: coconut flour.
- Flatbreads and mixed-grain baking: millet flour.
Storage tips
Keep flour airtight, cool and dry. Wholegrain and seed-based flours can contain more natural oils than highly refined white flour, so do not buy a quantity that will sit open for a very long time. For slower household use, cooler storage can help maintain freshness.
Frequently asked questions
Is spelt gluten-free?
No. Spelt is a type of wheat and contains gluten.
Is buckwheat a wheat flour?
No. Despite the name, buckwheat is not wheat.
Why did coconut flour make my baking dry?
Coconut flour absorbs a large amount of liquid. Use a recipe designed for coconut flour rather than making a full cup-for-cup substitution.
Which flour is best for pakora?
Besan, or chickpea flour, is the traditional choice and gives pakora its characteristic coating.
Where can I buy specialty flours in NZ?
SpiceBloom stocks a growing range of organic and specialty flours online, including besan, coconut, oat, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, spelt, rye and stoneground wheat, with NZ-wide delivery.
Always check individual product labels if you have allergies, coeliac disease or other specific dietary requirements. A naturally gluten-free grain does not by itself guarantee a finished product is suitable for every allergy-sensitive use.