WEDO Gluten Free Banana Flour is the first and only banana flour company in the U.S., and it’s Park City based! Started by two locals, Todd Francis and David Wintzer, their vision was to bring a better tasting flour to the gluten-free world while creating jobs overseas and feeding America’s hungry. They have instilled a buy-one-feed-one program into their company, meaning for every purchase you make from WEDO, a meal will be provided to a hungry child in need via the World Food Program USA. Talk about a great cause while supporting locally!
The concept of the company was brought to life after a trip to Kenya by Wintzer during which he was assisting a small group of women through the Women Entrepreneurs Development Organization (WEDO) in granting micro-loans to start up small business. One of those was a banana flour factory. This banana flour factory would end up being WEDO Gluten Free Flour’s first and original supplier of their flour. Once the idea was sparked to bring the flour to the U.S., and after much research and travel, they were able to build relationships with suppliers all over the world. Through the process of making the flour, economic opportunities were created for small scale farmers and manufacturers.
Not only is this local company pretty amazing, the product is fantastic as well. You would probably think that flour made from bananas would inevitably taste like bananas; however, it won’t make everything taste like bananas. It really takes on other flavors very well and is a fun product to experiment with. It is great to bake with, and every time I have used it the end result has been so satisfying. You can purchase WEDO banana flour at local grocery stores such as Park City Market and Whole Foods or online by clicking here. Their website contains several awesome recipes like fried chicken, pancakes and even pizza crust.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups banana flour
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- Mix yeast with water until fully dissolved and then add to other wet ingredients and mix all the wet ingredients together.
- Mix all the dry ingredients separately, and once mixed fully, combine wet and dry ingredients together.
- After mixing the dough, cover and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- Pre-bake crust for 5 minutes at 375 F.
- Add toppings of your choice and continue to cook for 8-12 minutes at 375 F.
