Video/Recipe: Homemade Almond Flour (2024)

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the GAPS diet require grain-free baking. Almond flour is a great alternative. However, it is difficult to find almond flour from blanched organic almonds and impossible to find almond flour from blanched organic almonds that have been soaked and dehydrated. The conclusion I came to was that I would have to make my own and it really is not that hard once you decide which almonds to use.

The issue with almonds is that the USDA in it’s wisdom now requires all raw almonds to be pasteurized. There are two methods of pasteurization: chemical or steam. Most commercial raw almonds are now heated and chemically pasteurized (and they are still allowed to be labeled “raw”). This defeats the purpose of eating “raw” almonds as they no longer have the beneficial enzymes after being subject to heat and chemicals.

The other method of pasteurization is by steam heating which in my opinion is more acceptable as it is at a low heat and is said to affect only the outer layers of the nut.

(There actually is a third option which is to buy “really raw” almonds from a reputable grower. These are more expensive and if you are going to wind up blanching (which requires heating them) and/or cooking with them I do not see the purpose in spending the extra money for these almonds.)

Consequently I decided that the organic steam pasteurized almonds were the ones I would use. After I made that decision, it was easy to obtain them at a fair price.

In order to make almond flour, blanching is necessary. Typically, this is accomplished simply by boiling a pot of water, throwing the nuts into the water for about 10 seconds and them straining them. The rest of the time is spent popping the almonds out of their skins.

If you are using organic almonds that have been steam pasteurized you simply have to soak the nuts in warm salt water as you would any other nut. After about one hour, you can pop them out of the skins (which contain most of the phytates) and continue to let them soak for the 8 hours.

Soaking Nuts in a Brine is Important

Why soak the nuts for 8 – 10 hours in salt water? This is really essential in order to remove phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that are present in the nut. While these substances protect the nut from premature sprouting, it is not wise to eat nuts that have not been properly prepared in the traditional method of soaking and/or sprouting. This preparation method neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and makes the nut a perfect snack that is much easier to digest. This is especially important for people on SCD or GAPS who already have digestive issues.

In her wonderful book Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon Morell teaches us how to soak and/or sprout various nuts. Many traditional cultures used salty sea water to soak nuts and the sun to dry them. In our culture we can use a good quality sea salt and water to soak the nuts, and the oven (at between 135 and 150 degrees ) or a dehydrator to dry them.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds organic raw almonds (steam pasteurized)

sea salt

Instructions

  • Add 2 heaping teaspoons of salt to a 3 quart pot of water
  • Stir until the salt is dissolved
  • Add the almonds and stir
  • Let soak for 8 – 10 hours at room temperature or a little warmer
  • After soaking, drain the water
  • Put the almonds in a bowl and pop them out of the skins
  • Discard the skins
  • Dehydrate the skinned nuts on a cookie sheet in the oven between 135 and 150 degrees for 12 – 14 hours
  • This should yield about 4 – 6 cups of almonds
  • Place the almonds in the food process and process until it is a flour consistency
  • Be careful not to over process or you will get a nut butter (this is also fine for eating and baking)
  • Store almond flour in the freezer

This post is linked to: Sugar-Free Sunday, Savory Sunday, Melt in Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, Meatless Monday, Midnight Maniac, My Meatless Monday, Mangia Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Weekend Carnival, Tuesday at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Tuesday tasty Tidbits, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, What’s on the Menu, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Real Food Wedmesday, Made it on Monday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Foodie Wednesday, Creative Juice Thursday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Frugal Follies, Turning the Table Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Food Trip Friday, Real Food Whole Health, Foodie Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, Fight Back Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Fun With Food Friday, Friday Food

Video/Recipe: Homemade Almond Flour (2)

Video/Recipe: Homemade Almond Flour (2024)

FAQs

Video/Recipe: Homemade Almond Flour? ›

Making homemade almond flour is very simple! It requires only 1 ingredient, 1 blender, and 5 minutes. Simply add blanched almonds to a blender and blitz until a fine, powdery flour is achieved. You know you've gone too far if it starts turning to almond butter instead.

How to make fine almond flour at home? ›

Making homemade almond flour is very simple! It requires only 1 ingredient, 1 blender, and 5 minutes. Simply add blanched almonds to a blender and blitz until a fine, powdery flour is achieved. You know you've gone too far if it starts turning to almond butter instead.

How much almond flour equals 1 cup all purpose? ›

You'll do best to substitute 1:1 to begin with, as many recipes respond well to this direct replacement. But be prepared to add more almond flour as you go to compensate for the wetter batter. You'll also want to keep a few extra egg whites handy if you want to ensure that your bake doesn't fall apart.

How many almonds do you need to make almond flour? ›

Almonds to Almond Flour conversion

1.5 cups almonds yield 2 cups plus one tablespoon of almond flour. To make 1 cup of flour , use 3/4 cup almonds.

How to make almond flour from scratch? ›

Place almonds, about 1/4 cup at a time, in the food processor. Pulse until you reach a flour-like consistency; sift into a container. Place any remaining almonds chunks back into food processor and pulse. Repeat until all almonds are transformed into flour.

Is finely ground almonds the same as almond flour? ›

Almond flour isn't a type of milled flour, rather it is simply finely ground almonds. It's typically made with blanched almonds and lacks the dark flecks of skin, though this isn't always the case. It's the main ingredient in French macarons, and commonly used for airy cakes, as well as cookies and quick breads.

Why does almond flour not bake well? ›

Almond flour is denser than wheat flour, so it cannot be used as a 1:1 replacement for wheat flour in a recipe. It requires different measurements and adjustments to achieve the right texture in baked goods.

Is it better to bake with ground almonds or almond flour? ›

As mentioned above, almond flour is made from blanched, peeled almonds that have had their skins removed. It's fairly fine in texture and light in colour, lacking the darker specks from the skins. Ground almonds, on the other hand, are the same thing as almond meal – they're just ground, skin-on, unpeeled almonds.

How much almond flour do I substitute for 2 cups of all-purpose flour? ›

Almond flour can be substituted for regular flour at a 1:1 ratio.

Is it cheaper to make almond flour? ›

If you love baking with almond flour, but don't love how expensive it is at the grocery store, try making it at home! It's cheaper than store-bought options, and is ready in just minutes when you use a food processor or blender.

Can almond flour go bad? ›

Since they are both higher in fat than traditional wheat flour, almond and coconut flours can go rancid if not stored properly. How long does almond flour keep? When sealed, almond flour will keep for 1-2 months past its best-by or expiration date at room temperature (pantry) and 6-12 months in the fridge or freezer.

What happens when you replace all purpose flour with almond flour? ›

Almond flour can carry more moisture than traditional flour, therefore, you may need to add more of it to a recipe to prevent watery batter or dough. The extra moisture helps prevent baked goods from drying out quickly.

Can I make almond flour by grinding almonds? ›

To make almond flour in a food processor: Place a cup of raw or blanched almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse for 50-60 times in 1-second increments. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl of the processor every 10 seconds to make sure that they are ground evenly.

Why is almond flour so expensive? ›

Why is almond flour so expensive? There are two main reasons buying flour from almonds at the store is so expensive: 1) Because it's made entirely from almonds, it tracks closely to the price of almonds, and 2) Because of lower demand than wheat flour, almond nut flour is more expensive than other flour.

How do you make almond flour not gritty? ›

Our chef prefers to add a little xanthan gum or cornstarch to the almond flour to help with the texture, though it is not entirely necessary to do so. Almond flour is pretty forgiving in that regard. Some use arrowroot powder to achieve a similar effect in their bread recipes.

What is a substitute for Superfine almond flour? ›

People can use a variety of flours to replace almond flour, depending on their dietary requirements. Other nut flours such as walnut or macadamia have similar nutritional profiles and are suitable for people following low-carb or keto diets. People can also use flours made from seeds such as sunflower or flaxseed.

Is there a fine almond flour? ›

Our Super-Fine Almond Flour is made from the finest California-grown almonds, which have been blanched and ground to a fine meal that is ideal for gluten free baking.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rev. Porsche Oberbrunner

Last Updated:

Views: 6034

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Porsche Oberbrunner

Birthday: 1994-06-25

Address: Suite 153 582 Lubowitz Walks, Port Alfredoborough, IN 72879-2838

Phone: +128413562823324

Job: IT Strategist

Hobby: Video gaming, Basketball, Web surfing, Book restoration, Jogging, Shooting, Fishing

Introduction: My name is Rev. Porsche Oberbrunner, I am a zany, graceful, talented, witty, determined, shiny, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.