Almond flour is one of the best alternatives to replace regular wheat flour.
Almond Flour
This flour gives baked goods a slightly sweet aroma and taste, and it's ideal to use for cookies, cakes, breads and dough recipes.
The finer it is, the better texture result you will have in your baked goods.
Almond flour is naturally gluten-free and is obtained by grinding almonds.
It is low in carbohydrates and high in fat.
It's also high in protein, vitamin E and fiber.
You find almond flour in three forms:
• Ground almonds with skin
• Blanched almonds flour
• Reduced fat almond flour
1 Ground almonds with skin
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
Energy: 603 Kcal
Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
Protein: 21 g
Fat: 52 g
Ground almonds flour (with the skin) is cheaper than blanched almonds flour.
It is not the perfect substitute for wheat flour but if there's the only option you have, you can easily make anything that is crumbly, for example cookies or tart bases.
The result may not be visually perfect and the color of the products may be darker from traces of peel contained.
When I mention almond flour in my recipes I always mean the 2nd form which is also the most common.
If I use another form of almond flour in a recipe, it is always indicated.
2. Almond flour from blanched almonds
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
Energy: 609 Kcal
Carbohydrates: 4.7 g
Protein: 24.7 g
Fat: 51.6 g
This flour has an off-white color and a slightly sweet flavor.
If you try to make a dough with this almond flour instead of wheat flour, you will notice that the dough does not have the same consistency.
The almond flour dough looks runny and doesn't easily form.
It doesn't rise or gain volume during baking time. This is due to the absence of gluten.
This flour should be mixed with other flours, such as flaxseed flour, for better texture and elasticity.
If you bake a cake you have to add more eggs and backing powder or baking soda to rise on baking time and have a good structure.
Also, as almond flour contains a relatively high amount of fat, you should minimize the quantity of oil or butter in the recipe.
Another thing you have to look for is that almond flour burns easily during baking time.
If you bake a cake you have the impression that the cake needs to be cooked for longer.
It looks raw, but if you let it in the oven for longer it will be burnt.
You must bake at 5°C less than you would normally bake and cover with aluminum foil when the product you are baking browns quickly.
3. Reduced fat almond flour
Nutritional value per 100 grams
Energy: 380 Kcal
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Protein: 63 g
Fat: 12 g
This flour is more expensive and harder to find than the previous two.
I usually get it from online stores.
It is the product we have after almonds are processed to remove the almond oil that has other uses.
It has more, almost three times more, liquid absorbency than plain almond flour.
I usually use it in small quantities, so one package lasts for long.
Reduced fat almond flour gives a good consistency and volume in baking mixtures and doughs.
Storage
Almond flour should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or in the freezer otherwise it will go rancid.
Almond flour cons
The only problem by using this flour is that one can very easily overdo by consuming more than it should.
One cup of almond flour, for example, is 90 almonds!
Amount that is usually not easily consumed in their original form.
So while there are many health benefits, eating large amounts of almonds can worsen pre-existing health problems.
Any nutritional analysis (macros) on this blog is based on an estimate calculated by the "Cronometer" application for the ingredients of each recipe. Differences can arise for a variety of reasons, such as product availability and food preparation. There is no guarantee that this information will be accurate.
I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.
Always keep in mind that ingredient replacements can change the outcome of the recipe in terms of taste, texture, appearance and of course macronutrients.
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