Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Cook With Glutenfree Almond Flour

You can substitute almond flour for almost any baked good that calls for wheat flour.


In order to avoid cooking with gluten, which is the protein in barley, rye and wheat, many people use gluten-free products in their recipes. Due to growing popularity, there are many gluten-free flours available on the market today, and one such product is almond flour. Almond flour is high in protein, sweet and nutty and can bring a rich and balanced flavor to many dishes that require a gluten-based flour.


Instructions


1. Find a recipe that calls for almond flour or gluten-free flour, rather than one that calls for traditional flour. There are countless recipe sources in gluten-free cookbooks, magazines and even online. While you can substitute almond flour for a gluten-based flour, it could ultimately affect the taste and other measurements.


2. Beat an almond-flour based dough very thoroughly. Unlike with wheat dough, where overbeating would increase toughness, beating almond-flour dough will aerate the dough and make the finished product light. Follow beating times carefully in an almond-flour recipe. If you are substituting almond flour for wheat flour, double the beating time called for in the recipe.








3. Use only non-stick utensils when working with almond-flour, as the flour has a tendency to stick much more easily than wheat dough. If knead dough or working dough with your hands, make sure your hands are wet or oiled first so that the dough doesn't stick to them.


4. Adjust the cooking time to help keep almond flour-based dough crisp. Bake bread in slightly smaller bead loaf pans to increase their rise. When bread is 2/3 into its cooking time, remove it from the pan and allow it to continue to cook directly on an oven rack. For flat breads or pizza dough, bake on a pizza stone, which will help reduce moisture and encourage crispness.


5. Store almond flour in the refrigerator or freezer. Because of its high-protein content, almond flour can spoil quickly. Be aware of its expiration date, and freeze it to preserve its freshness.

Tags: almond flour, almond flour, that calls, cooking time, gluten-based flour