John Myers
Almond flour is a popular ingredient in low-carb baking recipes and a gluten-free alternative to grain flour. Here we will tell you how to grind whole almonds and what to watch out for with regard to the fat content.
How to make almond flour yourself
Baking with almond flour has the advantage that you save carbohydrates and can prepare gluten-free treats compared to baking with wheat or spelled flour. Many also appreciate the nutritional value of almond flour: it is rich in vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and zinc, among other things. Depending on the recipe, you can simply grind almond flour from whole almonds and use it directly in the dough, or additional steps are required. Because natural almond flour has a high-fat content, which is not desirable in every pastry or has the right baking properties. Ready-made almond flour is therefore de-oiled or partially de-oiled. So there is a crucial difference between almond flour and ground almonds: You should definitely keep this in mind if you want to bake low-carb cakes and other delicacies with almond flour.
Provide equipment, prepare almonds
To grind whole almonds, you need a blender, coffee grinder, or food processor. It won’t work without one of these devices. An oil press is also required for de-oiled almond flour. When the kitchen helpers are ready, the whole almonds can be prepared. It is best to soak the stone fruit seeds overnight – this makes them more digestible. Boil them for two minutes and drain the almonds. Now the brown skin can be easily removed. You can also leave it on, but many specialties work better with white almond flour. For example, if you make your own almond flour for macarons, it should be as fine as possible. And that’s only possible without skin. After the blanched almonds have dried for several hours, they can be ground. Here it is important to wait for the right moment before the flour turns into mush. Depending on the kitchen appliance, less than a minute is enough for processing. The finished flour goes into the oil press for de-oiling. You can also make almond flour yourself from ground almonds. Then all you have to do is press the oil.
Store homemade almond flour properly
Whether you want to bake our low-carb cookies with natural almond flour or use the de-oiled version for your favorite recipes: you should store the flour carefully, because it quickly becomes rancid. It is best to pack it airtight and put it in the fridge or in a cool place in the basement. It will keep like this for up to six months. By the way: If you also make almond milk yourself, you can process the pomace into flour. To do this, dry it in the air or in the oven and then process it into flour like whole almonds.
