Looking for a nutritious — and delicious — gluten-free flour option? Almond flour lends a slightly sweet, nutty flavor to foods and is easy to bake with once you get the hang of it. There are a few things to keep in mind when using almond flour in your baked goods:
- Go for a fine grind. The finer the grind, the better your baked goods will turn out. A coarsely ground flour will produce a grainy texture.
- Nut flours burn easily. When you substitute almond flour for wheat flour, you may need to use a lower baking temperature. Decrease the temp by 25 degrees, and bake the item for a longer time. It’s important to keep a close eye on your baked goods to avoid burning them.
- Almond meal is not the same as almond flour. Almond meal is ground almonds with the skin on. Almond flour is blanched almonds with the skin removed. Both will work in baked goods, but almond meal will create a denser texture.
- You may need an extra egg or half an egg to provide more structure for breads and muffins. There’s no fool-proof measurement ratio for all-purpose flour and almond flour, so stick to recipes that call for almond flour rather than trying to estimate a substitution.
Almond flour can add a nutritional boost to your baked goods. Almonds are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber. Almond flour is a great source of vitamin E as well as the B vitamins folate and niacin. Cup for cup, almond flour has nearly as much calcium as milk, and it also contains phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, all key minerals for bone health.
Almond flour will keep for up to a year. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Almonds are rich in oil, so keep almond flour away from light and heat. You can also store almond flour in the freezer; just let it come to room temperature before you use it.