Store-bought almond flour is expensive, that I agree with you. But who said you have to buy it to have it! DIY yours cheaply and easily at home using some of your kitchen gadgets such as food processor, blender or grinder. Almond flour is a popular ingredient in baked good especially for people who have gluten intolerance and health-conscience people like me. Learning to make this flour at home will safe you a lot of money. Additionally, this flour is not commonly found in food stores (especially where I come from) and therefore a need to know how to make it at home.
What is Almond flour made of?
Almond flour is made using raw almonds. The almonds can be either whole or blanched. Blanching is done by soaking the almonds in hot water for a very short period to make it easy to remove the skin. Then they are cooled with cold water before removing the skin. When almond flour is made using whole almond (with skin), it is called almond meal.
How do you blanch almonds?
First, heat up the water until it’s boiling. Put the almonds in a bowl. Then pour the hot water over the almonds so that they are fully covered. Cover the bowl and wait for about 1 minute. Drain the water and rinse the almonds with cold water until they cool down. Take them out of the strainer and use a towel to dry them. Squeeze the almond to easily get rid of the skin. Make sure they are fully dry before grinding them into flour.
The Alternative way of removing the skin from the almonds is by soaking them in warm water for several hours to soften them. This method also makes them more tolerable.
How to make almond flour
You can make almond flour from either blanched almonds or raw almonds with skin on. Almonds with skin on make almond meal whereas blanched ones make almond flour. You can tell the difference between the two by their colors. Almond meal will have brown specks but the blanched one will be creamy white without the brown specks.
To make the flour using a food processor, place almonds into the bowl of the food processor fitted with the appropriate blade then pulse many time in 1 minute increments. Remember to stop and scrape off the sides of the bowl to make sure that all the almonds are ground evenly. The same process can be done using a high power commercial blender. However the blender will be faster than the food processor.
If you require finer almond flour, sift the flour several times to separate the fine particles from the coarse ones. Grind the coarse particles following the same process above.
Baking with almond flour
Almond flour is different from wheat flour because it doesn’t contain gluten. This means that it cannot be used in the same way as wheat flour. When it comes to baked goods that need yeast such as bread, the use of almond flour is limited, unless it’s combined with wheat flour. In that case, a small amount of almond flour can be used. The flour is best suited for recipes that don’t rely on gluten to provide structure. It is particularly suitable for simple desserts like cookies. If you’re making cakes, pancakes, or waffles, you can replace 1/2 to 1 cup of wheat flour with almond flour.
Why use almond flour?
Almond flour doesn’t contain gluten, which means it’s a good option for people who can’t tolerate gluten or have celiac disease. It also has a good taste and provides a crunchy texture to baked goods.
How do you store almond flour?
Homemade almond flour spoils very quickly and therefore it is important to keep in an airtight container and refrigerate it. It is also advisable to use it within a few weeks.
