GAPS-friendly baked goodies…
It may seem like a tall order, but I have the answer: almond flour.
As a nutritional therapist and GAPS practitioner, I get a lot questions about almond flour. Many of my GAPS clients miss their favorite baked treats from time to time. And almond flour usually fits the bill!
Almond flour is nothing more than ground almonds, yet it has important qualities. Let’s talk about them.
Why Use Almond Flour?
Almond flour is a wonderful alternative to wheat and other gluten-containing flours. Almonds are nuts, so it’s also grain-free. People sensitive to grains or on a gut-healing protocol like GAPS can often eat almond flour goods.
However, it’s not for everyone. Obviously, those allergic or sensitive to almonds or nuts in general won’t be able to tolerate it. And anyone with oxalate issues is wise to avoid almond flour because it is high in oxalates.
(If you answer to either of those descriptions, check out A Primer: Baking With Coconut Flour!)
Almond Flour vs. Almond Meal
Say you’ve started exploring alternative baking flours, and you’ve seen almond flour referred to as both “almond flour” and “almond meal”. Is there a difference?
Well, many people use the terms interchangeably.
However, I think this is confusing. I believe there is a real difference. For me, almond meal is coarser while almond flour is more finely ground. I prefer the more finely ground texture of almond flour all around, but especially in baked goods.
There are further differences as well. Almond meal often includes the skins, and I’m not a fan of this. Almond skins contain phytic acid — an anti-nutrient that inhibits mineral absorption.
Phytic acid is one reason that we soak nuts and seeds (and grains!). To avoid this, almond meal either needs to be made from soaked almonds, or the cook’s recipe needs to involve soaking.
You can skip this hassle simply by purchasing blanched almond flour!
Blanched almond flour comes from almonds without skins. I buy and use this in all my almond flour recipes. Double check before purchasing that your favorite brand of almond flour has had the almond skins removed by steam — without chemicals. If they have used chemicals, opt for blanched almond flour instead!
Baking With Almond Flour
Now you know what almond flour is. How do you use it?
Because blanched almond flour is so finely ground, it substitutes for wheat flour in many recipes, both sweet and savory! I make a wide range of items like muffins, quick breads, tarts, cakes and even bread chicken and fish — all with blanched almond flour.
If modifying a family recipe to use almond flour, substitute it at a rate of 1:1 with wheat flour and go from there. You may need more almond flour, so increase till you get the desired consistency. Most often, this method works nicely.
Keep in mind that almond flour does not contain gluten, so it will not behave the same way in loaves of bread. But, muffins and the like generally turn out great!
My Favorite Almond Flour Recipes
Here are some of my favorite almond flour recipes:
- Gluten Free/Grain Free Maple Blueberry Pecan Pancakes
- Gluten Free/Grain Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Gluten Free/Grain Free Stonefruit Tart
- Gluten Free Chicken Parmigiana *see notes on recipe for GAPS
- Gluten Free/Grain Free Harvest Cookies *see notes on recipe for GAPS
- Gluten Free/Grain Free Clementine Cake (also naturally dairy-free)
Also, Wardee shared these 2 recipes in the past: Blueberry-Lemon Muffins and Grain-Free Almond Bread. There are also cookbooks dedicated to baking with almond flour and many European recipes call for this traditional ingredient.
Have you tried baking with almond flour before? What’s your favorite way to use it?
New to our GAPS series? Get up to speed by browsing past posts in this series or reading what the GAPS diet is. Also, check out our other post on baking with coconut flour.
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Can you please tell me the brand of Almond Flour that you prefer…where I live I can only seem to find Almond Meal, I have looked at all the health food stores for Almond Flour but everyone only carries the Meal….
Cara — Honeyville has good prices and good quality:
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/almondflour
If you get on their email list, you’ll be notified of periodic sales. They happen quite frequently and when they do, I stock up!
I use Honeyville, too!
I’ve been trying two types of almond flour. One is Honeyville, the other Lucy’s Kitchen. I do not see a different in either and Honeyville has a standard shipping cost, no matter what the size of your order. Yet, I can’t for the life of me get a good product working with almond flour. I find it’s too oily, especially since I’m using butter. It flattens out and burns easily as well. I’m working on my own blend of almond flour, almond meal and arrowroom flour, but still having issues. Is almond flour simple too oily so I should cut down the amount of butter that the wheat flour recipe is calling for? Today I added corn starch and xanatham gum, but still it flattened out. I was making scones. I want to work with almond flour, but the oil in the almond with the butter is too much. I can almond ring the result product out like an oil-filled washcloth! Any suggestions? I want to have an all-purpose almond flour I can use for most all of my baking. Thanks
Hi Cally!
I have never had this issue, even when converting gluten recipes to gluten-free. I use the blanched almond flour from Honeyville, and most of my recipes have a good amount of butter and/or coconut oil, but I’ve never noticed extreme oiliness. Does it stay that way when cooled? The product will not be as fluffy as a wheat flour product- it will be a bit flatter and denser, which is why these recipes often call for baking soda and/or baking powder. However, I’ve never found the texture to be unpleasant, especially in cookies or muffins, and certainly never in “breading” – like with the Chicken Parmigiana or nuggets/strips. I have never mixed almond flour, meal and arrowroot, so I can’t comment on that blend. I’m sorry I can’t be more help- perhaps another reader has experienced this?
I would just put the almond meal in a food processor and grind down till its real fine. That would be flour.
I didn’t know that about the phytic acid in the skins…another reason why most people seem to recommend Honeyville. I sure wish they sold it in stores though. The only almond meal I’ve ever worked with was TJ’s and it seemed to work for my purposes, but I can see how Honeyville is superior in many ways. My hubby always wants me to make my own, but it seems so hard and time-consuming and I can’t imagine I’d be able to get it fine enough.
Loretta — I have made my own and while it is possible, it is more expensive to make it than buy it. If you have the option of buying, it is more frugal, IMO.
Are you on the Honeyville mailing list to get a discount?
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/almondflour
Also found out from a friend today about Bob’s Red Mill and that they carry blanched almond flour. I have not tried it and can’t personally vouch for it, but she made one of my (new) recipes with it and it worked well for her. It does not have skins and I think she said it’s organic, but not sure on that. I prefer, buy and recommend Honeyville, but if you need it fast at a store, you might try to find this certain Bob’s style. (They also have a regular almond meal that is coarser and has skins, so avoid that one!) Hope that helps!
Amy, I have used Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond meal/flour and it works beautifully. I checked the package and it does not say it is organic, however, the Honeyville does not claim to be either. They are comparable in price, but I like the idea of the larger 5 lb bag that Honeyville offers–most stores only carry small bags. Great post, thanks.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing that, Judy! That will give people other options, especially if something is needed quickly, it can be found at many local stores. 🙂
my son has severe tree nut allergies, so almond flour is out…can coconut be subbed for almond? how can i do that conversion?
Hi Mary! Coconut flour baking is another whole issue in itself. To coat chicken or fish, you can usually sub ground coconut, or coconut flour, but for baking…it’s certainly different. It is a special flour that honestly can’t be used like anything else! It absorbs a lot of liquid and is used in small amounts, usually with extra eggs. It definitely can not be subbed for regular wheat flour or almond flour in a recipe.
Coconut flour recipes abound on real food blogs these days, because of nut allergies, sensitivities and oxalate issues. Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife is another good resource. I have a few coconut flour recipes I can share, and Wardeh probably has several as well!
One note of caution- coconut flour IS very fibrous and some people do not tolerate this well if they have gut issues. Start slowly and small and see how it’s tolerated (there would probably be bowel changes and/or tummy pain if not tolerated) and then you will know if it’s something you can use now or if it needs to wait until after gut healing. Hope that helps!
Here’s are two coconut flour recipes:
Honey Butter Muffins
http://www.realfoodwholehealth.com/2011/07/grain-free-gluten-free-honey-butter-muffins/
Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins
http://www.realfoodwholehealth.com/2010/12/gluten-free-blueberry-muffins-with-coconut-flour/
This is awesome. We’re following gluten-free diet so it’s perfect. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Is it possible to bake my original recipe of saffron yeast dinner rolls, using almond flour? My next option would probably be to make saffron muffins, right? Thanks!
Annette — I’m not sure you can go tright to yeast rolls, but the muffins would probably work! 🙂 Let’s see if Amy has an answer for you, though. She may know more than me.
I don’t think you would be able to make yeasted rolls from almond flour. I think it needs the glutinous structure to rise properly, so yes, the muffins would probably be the best option 🙂 Sounds yummy!
What about Arrow Root instead of yeast?
I have read that Almond Flour needs to be homemade because the almonds do need to be soaked and dried prior to using. I have read this on several WAPF members’ blogs, among others. The reason stated, aside from the phytic acid you mentioned, is enzyme inhibitors. I have been using Honeyville as well, but would love to hear your take on this. Is the heat from cooking enough to break down the enzyme inhibitors?
Hi Krissy!
I’m not sure about that. I feel like the blanching does take care of these issues, but I would be open to learning more if you have links, studies or experience with this.
Hi Krissy,
If the phytic acid is in the skins and you are buying blanched, I don’t see what the problem would be.. and the phytic acid is the enzyme inhibitor, correct? They are one in the same. I have never heard of heat breaking that down either. I believe that would defeat the whole process that we go through with soaking with an acidic medium.
Wardee and Amy, please correct if that is wrong.
Hi Ladies
You are correct that the Phytic Acid is the enzyme inhibitor. When you soak the nut in 1-2 Tablespoons of Celtic Sea Salt for 7-12 hours it helps to break down the Almond. I then dehydrate the almonds to maintain the nutrients. If the skins fall off that is good, if not that is fine too.
I think with Almond flour the question is digestibility. If the almond flour was made with the skins left on it is harder for your body to digest. So, what I do at home is pulse the almonds I just soaked/dehydrated in the food processor until it becomes a fine meal like. I use this in baking muffins, loaf bread, cookies etc. But, before I do this I soak the almond meal in 1/2 Cup of Whey (dripped from Organic Whole Milk Yogurt or Kefir) to about 2 Cups of the Almond meal in a bowl overnight before I prepare my baked good. This will help make the skins on the almonds more digestible to your body.
I don’t think heat breaks down the enzyme inhibitors. The best way to maintain the nutrients in your nuts & seeds is to not heat them above 110 degrees. Or roast them at the lowest temperature your oven will go. The higher the temperature the more nutrients will be cooked out of these nuts & seeds.
I hope this helps answer some of these questions I see. Am I correct Wardee?? Hope it was okay to help answer these questions.
Hi Amy, I’m curious what you think about this? http://empoweredsustenance.com/avoid-almond-flour/
Hi Christine- I do feel that almond flour should be used sparingly- we personally bake something with almond flour 1-2x per month, and use it for breading chicken, in meatloaf/meatballs or in other savory recipes maybe once a week, if that (in 1/4-1/2 cup or so amounts for a full recipe).
Coconut flour is not tolerated by everyone, including many of my clients with gut issues, nor is almond flour (oxalates, etc). It’s about finding solutions that work for you. I definitely agree that nuts in general should not be overconsumed due to Omega 6 imbalance rampant in the modern diet, but I feel that in the context of a traditional foods diet (REPEAT- in the context of a TRADITIONAL foods diet), most people can tolerate some Omega 6 fatty acids- as they ARE essential after all- but need to make sure to keep up with the Omega 3 to keep the ratio in check.
I also feel like the butter/coconut oil buffers some of the “damage” done to the PUFAs in the almond flour. Just like you would mix olive oil and butter to get a higher heat stability of the olive oil, I think these healthy saturated (and stable) fats buffer some of the issues here. Plus, even though it’s 350 in the oven, the food isn’t that hot. You can cook a chicken at 400 degrees for an hour and the internal temp will be like 150-160, so even though it’s not meat (dense) it’s something to keep in mind.
The important thing to remember is that while alternative flour goods can help the transition to whole foods (especially with kiddos or a resistant spouse), the goal is really to EAT WHOLE FOODS in their natural form, not rely on substitute foods. However, I am all for using almond flour (or coconut flour) when it’s tolerated, in moderation, and in the context of an otherwise very healthy diet 🙂
Hi, I’d like to ask you for some advice. I’ve bought almond flour that contains the skins, too. I wasn’t aware of the fact that this flour soaks all the moisture from the other ingredients. I tried to bake an almond bread but it was a disaster! The flour soaked all the moisture and the “dough” was so dry that there was no way it would hold together. I would really appreciate if you could give me some advice how to amend the recipe to be able to make a perfect almond bread with the flour I have bought. Could I maybe add some coconut milk? Do you think it would work? The original recipe consists of 2 and a half cups of almond flour, 1/4 sup of melted butter and 3 eggs.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Can you soak already made almond flour? If so, how should that be done? I don’t want to waste my already made almond flour, but I am very sensitive to the phytic acid.
I’ve found that separating and beating the egg whites, then folding them carefully into the batter, improves the muffins I make. This is all fairly new for me. I have auto-immune disorders and finally decided to to gluten-free to see if it will help me. It’s certainly worth a try.