Over the past few years, I’ve experimented with quite a few gluten-free flours and I thought I’d seen, or at least heard about, most of them. Then, recently, I found a new one: black bean flour (or powder). The reason I hadn’t seen it before? It was in the coffee and tea aisle in an Asian market.

See, the coffee and tea aisle in an Asian market is not like the coffee and tea aisle in other markets. In an Asian market, next to the Folger’s and Maxwell House and Lipton and Celestial Seasonings, you’ll find an enormous assortment of beverage mixes to which you would add hot water. The teas, of course, include herbal “health” teas, but next to the coffees, you’ll find beverages made of grains, roots, and beans. These are all drunk in various Asian countries for various health purposes. In the case of bean flours, they provide protein.

Black bean flour lends a dark color to whatever you add it to, so it’s generally added to breads, chocolate cakes, or dark vegetable dishes, such as black bean quesadillas. I decided to try my hand at bread. It turned out very well, and I’m going to try incorporating it into a gluten-free loaf next time.

Black bean flour has an unusual flavor and takes a bit to get used to. But after I processed the first bite, I found the taste to be pleasant. I think it makes a great snacking bread with butter or jam to accompany coffee or tea. But I think it would also make a good hearty sandwich bread—any kind that you would make with a pumpernickel or dark European-style loaf.

If you want to give it a try, look for black bean flour in an Asian market or Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, Bob’s Red Mill has it (they seem to only have one size, though—6.5 lbs.). Oh, and be careful–I found one of those preservative packets in mine (oddly named “oxygen absorber”).

Black Bean Flour Bread with Herbs

1 tablespoon dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup black bean flour
1 cup whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ chipped dill

In a small bowl, stir yeast and sugar in ¼ very warm water until dissolved. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy.

Whisk together the flours and salt.

(If you have a mixer with a dough hook, you can use that. You can also use a food processor. Otherwise, mix the flours and salt together in a large bowl.)

Pour in the yeast along with another cup of very warm water. Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Unlike most yeast breads, you don’t have to knead this. This will be a moist, somewhat sticky dough. Add a little more warm water if it seems dry.

Coat the bottom of a large bowl with the oil; place dough in bowl and turn it over until completely coated with oil. Cover with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free place and let rise for 2 hours.

Lightly dust a board with flour and turn the dough out. Flatten it a little. Add the chopped parsley and dill and begin folding it in. When herbs are well incorporated, stop working the dough.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover again with the towel and let rise another hour. (You can divide the dough into 2 loaves, or make 1 big loaf.)

Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Bake bread until it sounds dense when you thump it, about 40 minutes for smaller loaves, 45-60 minutes for a larger loaf.