Sorghum is America's third largest cereal crop, according to Bob's Red Mill. Although regularly used in Africa and India, sorghum flour is less commonly used in kitchens in American. The flour offers several nutrients and is a good alternative to wheat-based flour.
Calories and Macronutrients
A 1-cup serving of sorghum flour contains 437 calories. It provides about 4 g of fat and 94 g of carbohydrates. Sorghum flour offers 9.5 g of protein per cup.
Other Nutrition Information
Sorghum provides 15 mg of calcium per serving, or about 1.5 percent of the recommended dietary allowance based on a 2,000-calorie diet. One cup provides about 32 percent of the RDA for iron and 54 percent for magnesium. With 376 mg of potassium, 1 cup of sorghum flour may be considered a good source of this mineral. Sorghum flour provides 25 percent of the RDA for zinc and about 42 percent of the RDA for niacin.
Fiber
Sorghum flour provides 8 g of fiber. The Institute of Medicine recommends consuming 25 g of fiber daily for women younger than 50 and 38 g for men. An ounce of whole-grain white sorghum flour counts as a serving of whole grains, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends make up half, or 3 oz., of your total daily grain intake.
Uses
Use sorghum flour to make pancakes, flatbreads or a hot cereal. It may be used as the only flour, or added to regular wheat flour, in baked goods to add nutrition and fiber. The flour has a neutral taste so it does not affect the flavor of your foods like some other gluten-free flours.
Considerations
Sorghum flour is gluten free, making it a good alternative for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Sorghum is less expensive than some gluten-free flour mixes. Sorghum grain may also be pressed into oil or starch or fermented to create a gluten-free beer. The grain may also be popped or puffed to make a breakfast cereal.
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