A lot of the baking recipes I have been using lately call for almond flour instead of wheat or bleached flour. This has led me to ask the questions, what is almond flour and why is it better? After a bit of research, it turns out, all of these recipe creators are on to something good.
Almond flour, also known as almond meal, is higher in protein, gluten-free, part of a paleo friendly diet, low in sugars, and low in carbs. Surprisingly, almond flour is simply ground up almonds. This means that almond flour has all the same health benefits of an almond. One cup of ground almonds has 20 grams of protein (for real!), 125% the daily intake of vitamin E, and 29 grams monounsaturated fat. Almonds are also surprisingly high in calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, and phosphorous. This is a great low-carb dessert addition since one cup of almond meal has 20 grams of carbohydrates, 11 of which are from fiber. When compared to the 87 grams of carbs from wheat flour ( 14 grams from fiber) and the 95 grams from traditional bleached bread flour, 9 grams of carbohydrates is seriously impressive. Bread flour only has about 4 grams of fiber from that 95.
New research is also finding that a diet rich in almonds and other nuts will help reduce the risks of heart disease and cancers. This is partially due to the almonds reducing Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. Almonds will also help to lower the glycemic index after meals.
If you are counting calories, you should know that almond flour does have a higher calorie count, although the calories are far better than other flours, nutrition-wise. You can either purchase almond flour/meal at your local health food stores or online. If you prefer the really all-natural approach, you can use a food processor and whole, shelled almonds to create your own almond flour. Be sure to only pulse almonds until finely ground. Over processing will lead to almond butter instead of flour. Almond flour can be stored in the freezer for up to six months, or, in a sealed glass jar for three.
Since it is only blanched, ground almonds, it is better to use almond flour in recipes that do not call for kneading dough. Almond flour can be used in the same ratios as wheat flour.