Basic Need to Know Facts
Almond meal is ground almonds with the skin included.
Almond flour is ground almonds with no skin included.
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Fine almond flour is a finer grind of almonds with no skin included.
Blue Diamond Almond Flour is a very finely and sifted product that leads to superior results every time, especially with baked goods.
Use the finest grind of almond flour (Blue Diamond) for the lightest baked goods. The more texture the almond flour has, the more grainy texture your finished product will have.
The coarser the grind of almond flour or meal, the more your recipe will be flat or spread during cooking.
How to measure.
Scoop and level? Unlike traditional flour which should be spooned lightly into the measuring cup, scoop your measuring cup directly into the almond flour then level off, lightly packing down.
Gluten free cooking.
Without the gluten as a binder, almond flour batters and doughs need a bit of firming up. Egg whites are a great binder that don’t change the flavor. You can use whole eggs but the yolks add an eggy flavor that isn’t always desirable.
For extra light texture, separate the egg yolks and whites called for in your recipe. Beat the egg whites with some of the sugar called for in the recipe to form a meringue. This will give you a sturdy mixture to lightly fold into your recipe.
For very light textured baked goods such as cupcakes and coffee cakes, always start with finely ground almond flour. Adding 2 tablespoons of a gluten-free or traditional baking mix per cup of almond flour will help to give you texture.
Adding a few tablespoons of chia seeds or ground flax seeds to your recipe will also help to stiffen up a batter or dough as the seeds absorb moisture.
Substituting Almond Flour.
Substituting almond flour cup for cup? Unfortunately, there’s no exact substitution number as every recipe is different and it all depends on the amount of liquid (moisture) and fat (moisture) in the recipe. Since almonds also have a fair amount of fat which traditional flour doesn’t, that makes the swap out a bit more difficult.
Here’s a great example: the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups of flour per 1 cup of butter. The Blue Diamond Almond Flour Recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups for only 1/2 cup butter.
The best way to start is by adding the same amount of flour called for in your recipe then slowly add more almond flour, enough to make a stiffer batter. Almond flour doesn’t absorb liquid the same as traditional flour so you’ll need to add more to thicken doughs and batters. Both should be on the thick side for the best baking results.
Since almond flour is gluten-free, it’s not a good substitute for traditional flour in yeast breads. A gluten free yeast “dough” needs to be more of a thick, sticky batter and is far too soft to knead and very difficult to work with.
Almond flour makes a great thickener for a sauce but don’t expect it to act the same as traditional flour. You’ll need to cook off excess liquid to achieve a thicker consistency. For a smoother sauce, puree mixture after cooking.
Baking with Almond Flour
Increase leavening agent by 25%. Almond flour is much heavier than traditional flour so a bit of extra leavening will help give baked goods a light texture.
After baking, let food stand for 30 minutes or so. They may not seem “set” in the center but will firm up or set as they cool. Baked goods made with almond flour are very moist in the center. Freezing and thawing the baked goods can help improve this texture.
Refrigerate cookie dough for taller cookies. All cookie recipes may be prepared as directed, but won’t spread as much if dough is refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Because of the extra moisture in almond flour, a longer cook time may be beneficial. Add 3 to 5 minutes to a cookie recipe and 5 minutes to a muffin recipe.
Since almond flour may burn faster on the surface, tent with foil if food browns too quickly.
Reduce fat by approximately 25% when baking with almond flour as the flour itself has a higher fat content compared to traditional flour.
Almonds have a sweet flavor on their own so sugar may be reduced by about 25% in baked goods.
Since almond flour is gluten-free, there’s no need to worry about over mixing your batters, which makes traditional quick breads tough in texture.
Storing Baked Goods.
Unlike traditional baked goods, those made with almond flour have far more moisture. Do not in store airtight containers but instead, store on a tray, very lightly covered, or in a container with a loose fitting lid. Sealing the container will make the food too moist and soft.
The extra moisture has a beneficial effect as well! Traditional baked goods become dry and seem stale in a day or two. Those prepared with almond flour stay moist for days.
If you need to freshen up baked goods that may be too soft or moist after standing, bake at 350°F for 5 minutes or so to remove some of the excess moisture.
