[Jolly Roger]

David...welcome

I'm a personal chef and I'm in a position where I can tailor my menu and its ingredients to specific clients, so when I have a client that tells me they can't have anything containing yeast, what can I use for coatings on meats when I saute (besides corn starch)? The reason I don't like corn starch is that you don't get the same texture when you saute in hot oil,and it seems to break down in the pan and become a "sauce", rather than a crispy outer coating with flavor. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[thetincook]

Use matzho meal!

[Jolly Roger]

Hey tincook...Do mean matzho meal as in matzho balls? Is it like corn meal? I'm not familiar with that. I know what corn meal does and I've used ground corn flakes , but they tend to want to burn before you can put a good saute on the meat. So what do you mean?

[panini]

I have a rest. that orders sheets of corn bread. Nothing fancy. They dry them out and use them for breading on two of their fish dishes. I'm assuming they are just air drying and seasoning.
I'm also thinking that soda bread may work.

[Aurora]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

Hey tincook...Do mean matzho meal as in matzho balls? Is it like corn meal? I'm not familiar with that. I know what corn meal does and I've used ground corn flakes , but they tend to want to burn before you can put a good saute on the meat. So what do you mean?

Matzo meal is a meal made from crumbled matzos. Matzo is an unleaven bread made from a dough of simply wheat and water which is rolled cracker thin and baked until crisp. It contains no yeast and will give you the chrispness and texture you are looking for in a breading.

[Jolly Roger]

Aurora...Thanks! I'll look for this. I don't know why I didn't think of unlevened bread and then grinding it down with seasonings for a coating. Good suggestions.

[David Joachim]

Flatbreads and crackers were my first thought as well. You could also try breading meats with crushed tortilla chips or crushed potato chips. Or simply with seasoned flour or cornmeal; or with dried-out, finely crumbled cornbread as suggested by panini.

[foodnfoto]

You might also try panko, those Japanese style breadcrumbs. I don't think there is any yeast in them.
However, a majority of people who have yeast sensitivities also have trouble with grains such as wheat, corn, rye, corn starch and others because there is a considerable amount of wild yeasts in the flour in dry form.
Another plan of attach might be to coat your meat with dry spice rubs or crushed seeds like coriander, cumin, sesame, peppercorns and such, then broil or saute in oil or butter. They get crispy and are very flavorful too.

[Jolly Roger]

Good suggestion on the spice rub option. It's quite a challenge to provide a product that the general populace has no problem with to those who have special needs. I'm already thinking of a mixed fresh herb rub depending on the meat. Thanks for the comments, guys!

[Pete]

I have also used masa harina as a breading/coating. Usually a little finer than regular cornmeal and has a nice distinctive flavor.

[katbalou]

rice flour, corn flour, crushed cereal.(cornflakes, rice chex)