Almond flour for a gluten free diet

Almond flour, almond meal flour or ground almonds are all names for a nutritious, low carb ingredient that can be used in gluten free cooking.

Containing healthy monounsaturated fats nut flours are said to lower your cholesterol levels and can help to satisfy your appetite, assisting with a weight loss diet.

You will find nut flours used in a number of recipes on this site including almond flour cake, pancakes, and in the topping for my acclaimed gluten free apple crumble.

They can also be used in muffins or as a thickener in sauces, soups or stews.

This flour is often obtainable in your supermarket or grocery store or you can order it online in bulk from Amazon

Grinding almonds into meal/flour yourself

Removing the skin from the nuts before you grind them will give you almond flour, whereas leaving the skins on will produce almond meal which has more fibre content. Don't overgrind or you will end up with nut butter! Once ground keep your flour in the fridge or freezer as it has a short shelf life.

You can use coffee grinders to prepare small quantities of ground almonds such as the Krups Fast Touch Coffee Grinders or something more robust such as the Capresso 560 Infinity Burr Grinder, Black which can grind extremely finely without heating the almonds.

If you plan to grind a variety of other grains into flour as well, then the economical Blendtec KTEC Kitchen Mill - Grain and Flour Mill or the The WonderMill Grain Mill, (billed as the world's cleanest, quietest, easiest to use mill) might be more appropriate.

Other uses for almonds in the gluten free diet

Warm, roasted almonds can be soaked in water for one day, then strained and sweetened with honey to produce almond milk, a dairy free alternative suitable for gluten free casein free diets.

Everyone can enjoy almond paste or marzipan on top of a cake, gluten free or not. Here the ground almonds are mixed with icing sugar (powdered sugar) and egg white to form a stiff paste that can be rolled flat or coloured and moulded into shapes.

Blanched almonds can be added to sweet or savoury dishes and add a bit of crunch to salads.

Using almonds in baking

Almond flour can take the place of some or even all the flour in a recipe. It may be necessary to increase the quantity of eggs and/or raising agent to counteract the heavier almonds.

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