Almond flour 101

Gluten-Free for Good writer Samantha Seneviratne is a large fan of baking with almond flour, and he or she thinks you have to be too. Beneath, she shares why almond flour is a must have pantry staple and the most effective methods to place it to make use of. 

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Almond flour is likely one of the most versatile flours accessible. This nutritious flour provides scrumptious richness and moisture to truffles, cookies, and past, and will be simply added to basic recipes, as lined on this earlier weblog submit on learn how to swap almond flour for among the wheat flour in recipes. 

Almond flour can also be a incredible possibility for those who’re a gluten-free baker. Attempt baking up treats utilizing solely almond flour, and you will be rewarded with super-tender and moist truffles, pleasantly brief shortbread, and smooth, fudgy brownies … all of them gluten-free. 

In case you’ve gone gluten-free and all-purpose flour is out, almond flour is strictly what you want.

In case you’re new to baking with almond flour, learn on for extra particulars on learn how to put it to make use of, a breakdown of completely different varieties, storage ideas, and my go-to almond flour cake recipe. 

Why I like almond flour

In my view, almond flour comes the closest to wheat flour in baking (other than particular gluten-free flour blends like Measure for Measure, that’s). It’s straightforward to make use of and doesn’t require the addition of any gums or different particular components to create a pleasing texture, as in some gluten-free baking.

And even higher, because you don’t have to fret about gluten improvement (which comes from over-mixing wheat-based batters), you’ll be able to combine up almond flour baked items with out fretting that they will develop into robust. As a substitute, you’ll at all times wind up with tender, aromatic baked items.

Utilizing almond flour

As incredible as almond flour is, you’ll be able to’t simply swap it 1:1 for all of the wheat flour in your favourite recipes. For totally gluten-free baked items, you’ll need to search for recipes that use almond flour particularly. However nowadays, these are straightforward to seek out.

King Arthur has a ton of almond flour recipes accessible on-line. Some nice examples embrace this gorgeous Almond Roll, decadent Almond Flour Brownies, and buttery Shortbread Cookies.

That stated, as a result of almond flour lacks gluten, it’s not an awesome alternative for making yeast breads and rolls. As a substitute, see this submit on gluten-free yeast baking for extra particulars on which flours to bake with. 

Almond flour varieties

There are various kinds of almond flour in the marketplace in the present day. We’re fortunate! That most likely wasn’t the case 20 years in the past.

You’ll sometimes come throughout two forms of almond flour:

Blanched almond flour is produced from almonds which have had their brown skins eliminated (i.e., King Arthur almond flour).Unblanched or pure almond flour is the alternative – the pores and skin of the nut is floor into the flour itself.

Some say blanched almond flour has a finer texture than pure, however I feel the variations between flours are extra a results of the model fairly than the sort. One key distinction is that blanched flour will lend a extra refined look to your baked items. Assume fairly pale truffles and fancy French macarons vs. rustic crusts and cookies.

Typically you’ll discover the product labeled as almond meal as an alternative of almond flour. Once more, that’s extra of a model distinction, and if the grind is similar, the 2 can be utilized interchangeably.

Now in relation to texture, completely different manufacturers can differ drastically regardless of the labeling. I favor the best grind accessible as a result of I need the flour that the majority resembles all-purpose wheat flour. Finely floor almond flour is much less gritty. King Arthur almond flour is tremendous finely floor, so it seamlessly blends into baked items and not using a noticeably grainy texture. 

That stated, texture could also be what you’re going for! Contemplate the ultimate product when selecting your flour. Whereas finely floor is essentially the most versatile, a coarser meal is perhaps good in one thing like a nubbly, crunchy oatmeal cookie or an apple crumble.  

Do-it-yourself almond flour

Whereas it is attainable to make your individual almond flour, it’s robust to get the constant, high quality texture of store-bought flour at residence. That’s why I like to stay with store-bought for many of my baking.

However for those who’d like to offer it a attempt, you may make almond flour simply at residence. The outcomes will merely be extra coarse and uneven than the flour you’d purchase at a grocery store. To make, simply pop blanched almonds right into a high-powered blender or meals processor. Make sure to course of the nuts in batches and cease earlier than you’ve got almond butter!

Storing almond flour

Almond flour, like almonds themselves, is filled with fats. You’ll be able to thank that fantastic fats for all the flavour and richness. However that fats also can go rancid over time. Give your almond flour an excellent sniff earlier than you employ it. If it smells impartial or perhaps a bit candy, you’re good to go. Any off, bitter, and even bitter odors imply that the flour has turned, and it’s finest to compost it.

I prefer to retailer my almond flour within the freezer to increase its shelf life. It may be a bit robust to measure straight from the freezer, so I retailer it in smaller parts that I can convey to room temperature as wanted.

Begin baking with almond flour

To point out all that almond flour has to supply, attempt baking a primary butter cake. My recipe beneath makes use of 100% almond flour as an alternative of wheat flour. It’s a stunning, moist gluten-free cake that may be break up in half and full of cream and berries, layered with frosting for the proper birthday cake, or baked on high of caramel and fruit and flipped over to make a decadent upside-down cake.

You might discover that your cake sinks a bit within the oven — this could present an excellent automobile for whipped cream and berries, or just serve the cake the other way up for an excellent high. 

I’ve added a small quantity of cornstarch to the combo. Because the cake doesn’t have any gluten, which contributes to construction, a bit little bit of starch serves as a binder and improves the general texture.

To make sure an excellent rise past the baking powder, the eggs are added individually. The yolks go into the batter whereas the whites are whipped to stiff peaks earlier than being folded in. The little air bubbles trapped within the whites contribute raise and lightness, which is very vital in a cake produced from nuts.

The remainder of the components are commonplace butter cake materials: sugar, butter, and vanilla. Be at liberty so as to add some spice or different forms of extract for various flavors. Simple, scrumptious, and gluten-free. Thanks, almond flour!

Almond Flour Butter Cake

For the cake: 

2 cups (192g) finely floor almond flour, blanched or natural2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature2/3 cup (132g) sugar4 giant eggs, separated1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8″ x 2″ spherical cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Utilizing an electrical mixer, in one other medium bowl beat the butter and sugar till fluffy and completely mixed, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat to mix. Add the almond flour combination to the butter combination and beat to mix.

In a clear bowl, with clear beaters, beat the egg whites to smooth peaks, about 3 minutes. Combine a scoop of the egg whites into the almond flour combination to loosen it. Then gently fold within the remaining egg whites. Switch the batter to the pan and clean the highest. Bake till the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with moist crumbs hooked up, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool within the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Rigorously flip the cake onto the rack to chill utterly.

In case you’re prepared to start out baking with almond flour, you’ll be able to order King Arthur almond flour (or toasted almond flour!) by the on-line store or choose up a bag in grocery shops nationwide. 

Cowl picture by John Sherman