Almond flour is a big thing, here to stay

What’s the next big thing? It’s almond flour, finely ground almonds.

But almond flour is not the next big thing, it is the big thing. Food writers, pastry chefs and home cooks are going nuts transposing wheat flour recipes as fast as they can. We should have seen it coming.

Almond flour can be substituted for or combined with wheat flour in cakes, cookies, brownie bars and pancakes. Fish fillets and chicken cutlets can be dredged in it and sautéed.

Almonds are gluten-free and high in protein, fiber and healthy fats. Many people want to eat fewer carbohydrates and almond flour is low in carbs, about 24 grams per cup whereas gluten-containing wheat flour has approximately 95 grams per cup. And eating almonds every day is supposed carry broad health benefits that will do just about everything for you except pour your coffee.

When ground into a fluffy, slightly textured flour, almonds can be snuck into all kinds of dry ingredients. But baking with

almond flour is different than baking with all-purpose flour. Before you cast aside your wheat flour, you need to understand what almond flour can and cannot do.

For usage guidance, accuracy and fail-free recipes, I consulted the science-based bakers at King Arthur Flour. They suggest that some classic recipes can be converted to almond flour exclusively, but other recipes give better results when almond flour is used in combination with wheat flour. For usage, they suggest this template:

For yeast dough of all kinds (bread, rolls, pizza), ADD up to ⅓ cup almond flour per cup of wheat flour (all-purpose, bread or whole wheat). When you add almond flour to yeast-based recipes, bread or rolls will be moister and more tender — fine if you’re talking soft dinner rolls and even some crusty-chewy breads and pizza crust. Rise may or may not be affected.

For non-yeast baked goods (cookies, cake, muffins), SUBSTITUTE almond flour for one-quarter of the flour in the recipe. When you replace some of the allpurpose flour with almond flour in non-yeast recipes, you’ll probably notice a difference in how your baked goods rise or spread. Cookies and scones may spread more; cake, biscuits and muffins may rise less.

Don’t expect baked goods made with almond flour to rise as high as their all-purpose flour counterparts. Why? Gluten is the proteinbased structural element in all-purpose flour that allows baked goods to rise. Replacing all-purpose with almond flour removes some of this structure.

For baked goods that replace ALL of the wheat flour with almond flour, it’s best to refer to specific recipes. Almond flour-centric cookbooks are popping up everywhere, and there are many tested recipes at www.kingarthurflour.com. That’s the best starter option.

Almond flour adds flavor in the form of very mild sweetness (though not enough to negatively affect savory recipes), and a certain richness. Baking with almond flour extends the shelf life of baked goods by adding fat, which helps retain moisture. Cakes, muffins and cookies stay soft and moist for a couple of days, while standard goods tend to dry out.

But there’s a catch: Almond flour, which is sometimes called almond meal, is expensive. Here are prices at some local supermarkets: Bob’s Red Mill Brand, $11 per pound and King Arthur Flour brand, $10 at Shop ‘n Save and Whole Foods Market. Costco’s Kirkland brand is $22 per 3-pound bag and $17 at Trader Joe’s.

In the kitchen

Try a few recipes to see if almond flour is right for you and your wallet.

Almond Flour Plum Good Coffee Cake — This recipe combines wheat and almond flours and is one of my top 10 favorite cakes this year. Make one for the freezer.

Almond Flour Favorite Layer Cake — This tall, onelayer cake uses all almond flour. It can be split and transformed into a Boston cream pie, birthday cake or burnt almond torte. Try it topped with berries for a shortcake or cubed for a trifle. I bought a decorative 8inch charlotte pan from the King Arthur Flour website that is perfect for a pastrycream-berry topping for the cake.

Almond Flour Pancakes — classic pancakes with a secret ingredient. Nutty, slightly chewy, but tender. Pricey but so good.

Almond Flour Brownies — everybody’s favorite. A good place to start your almond flour baking. Expensive but fast and easy. Nobody will notice the absence of grain flour.

There are also recipes using almond flour as a breading for fish, chicken, crab cakes and other savory dishes. I think I’ll try breaded baked chicken thighs and breaded pan-fried trout.

Marlene Parrish: marleneparrish@icloud.com or 412-481-1620.