When you’re baking, there’s one ingredient that’s going to be needed for the vast majority of recipes. That’s right – flour.
All things from cakes to cookies to pastries are going to need flour in order to taste and look the way they should though.
Another thing that you may also be aware of is the fact that there are a whole bunch of different kinds of flour on the market.
You can have all purpose flour, which is the most common type that’s used in most recipes. There are also other kinds of flour that you can use depending on your dietary requirements.
You then combine this basic flour with anything else that you need in the recipe in order to make some yummy pastries.
One thing that you may not know is that wheat isn’t the only thing that you can use in order to make flour. It can also consist of other things like seeds and nuts.
One example of such a type of flour is almond flour, which is full of a bunch of great nutrients for a healthy diet.
Other than the almonds though, what are the differences between these two kinds of flour? Is it possible to use one instead of the other?
Well, you will be shocked to learn that in reality, it’s not a good idea to use almond flour instead of regular flour.
It’s certainly possible to attempt to make your baked goods with almond flour instead of regular flour, but the problem is that the flours are both structured differently and are not made in the same way.
We’re going to be exploring these two key kinds of flour on the market and their similarities and differences. In addition to this, we will also cover a couple of other substitutes that could be used when you next take to the kitchen.
All About Almond Flour
First, let’s talk a little bit about almond flour. This flour is made out of nuts – blanched almonds to be specific.
It’s also gluten free, making it a suitable exchange for flour made of wheat for things like pastries and wheat flour. If you’re trying to have a low carb diet then almond flour is generally a good choice to use.
Of course, there’s one slight caveat. Dough from almond flour doesn’t behave the same way that wheat flour does when you are trying to cook different recipes.
It’ll be imperative that you get something that will absorb the liquid inside of the flour. A good example of this is eggs and protein powder, though there are certainly other options that you can use too.
If you want to, then you can add a crust to fish, chicken or vegetables using this kind of flour.
What’s very beneficial about this kind of flour is that it has low carbohydrate content, and it contains a bunch of nutrients.
You should check the specific brand of almond flour that you are using to see the calorie and nutritional content, but they should all be roughly the same.
In specific, this kind of flour contains a lot of magnesium and vitamin E. These are good for you and are especially important for improving a person’s health.
DIY Almond Flour And The Uses
Some people prefer not to buy almond flour. That makes sense – you can make it suitably on your own at home. It’s possible to make it with a single ingredient and just a blender. It takes less than 5 minutes to do.
To start with, add a few blanched almonds into your blender. Press the blitz button and eventually it will have a flour-like consistency.
Don’t do too much as this can end up turning the almonds into butter instead. Around 5 to 10 seconds should do the trick. Then shake is, and do the same again for the same amount of time. Simple and fast!
Uses For Almond Flour
You can use almond flour for all sorts of different things, such as bread crumbs, cookies and cakes. It’s a pretty versatile kind of flour, so it’s certainly worth having some stocked up in your cupboards.
Some examples of things that you can make include gluten free carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies, and you can also make vegan gluten free waffles.
Multi Purpose Flour
Multi purpose flour is what you will see listed for the vast majority of baking recipes on the internet. You may sometimes see that it is called refined flour.
It generally consists of grains of wheat and the brow covering is removed. It is basically made out of soft and hard wheat.
When you buy multi purpose flour it has usually been bleached already. This makes it a much softer texture.
You can also find unbleached multi purpose flour a lot, and this is great because it has an additional texture which is handy for baked goods. It’s best to use this kind of flour for things such as cookies, cakes, pizza dough and bread.
The flour contains quite a significant amount of protein, though perhaps not quite as much as almond flour. This protein means that the flour has a good structure when it’s baked.
Of course, it’s not ideal for people that can’t eat gluten, since there’s a lot of it in this kind of flour. It’s unclear whether this flour is actually good for you or not.
You’re going to lose a lot of nutrients with this kind of flour because it is made out of the strachy sections of a grain of wheat.
When you aren’t using it, keep it stored in dark and cool locations as this will let the flour breathe. If you don’t store it correctly then insects can crawl all over it, or it will end up being unusable.
The Uses
Multi purpose flour is good for a whole bunch of different traditional baking goods, and it’s also good for cooking. You can use it for things like noodles, cookies, pie crusts and pizza, bread and pancakes.
It’s worth noting though that making a cake out of this kind of flour is not going to give you the fluffy, light texture that you would usually get if you had used cake flour. You will also get much softer bread if you use multi purpose flour.
Multi Purpose Or Almond Flour?
So, those are the basics that you need to be aware of when it comes to these two kinds of flour. Now the specifics are through, it’s a good idea to talk in detail about the key differences between these two kinds of flour.
Is it possible to use one as a substitute for the other? Let’s find out.
The fact of the matter is that the major difference between these two kinds of flour is the gluten content. If you use almond flour then it doesn’t contain any gluten.
Multi purpose flour, on the other hand, does indeed contain gluten, making it unsuitable for people on certain kinds of diets.
Likewise, you cannot use almond flour instead of multi purpose flour. It simply won’t work as you want it to. With that being said, there are a bunch of alternatives that you can use instead.
Substitutes
If you want to use something instead of one of these kinds of flour, you’re in luck. There are a wide range of different substitutes that you can use. Here are some examples.
Almond Flour Alternatives
Coconut Flour is the main choice when it comes to finding a substitute for almond flour. The main thing that you need to know though is that you cannot use equal amounts of both types of flour.
Instead, if you are using 1 cup of almond flour then you should replace this for ⅓ of coconut flour instead. Eggs may be necessary for the recipe too. You can keep the temperature the same while you are cooking, though.
If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, then it’s possible to use wheat flour instead. There’s a much higher fat content with wheat flour than what you would have with almond flour, but it does still work as a substitute.
Don’t use a 1:1 ratio though- this kind of flour creates much flatter baked goods and there isn’t any gluten in it either. Unlike with coconut flour, eggs are not necessary with this kind of flour.
Substitutes For Multi Purpose Flour
There are a few different things that you can use instead of multi purpose flour. White whole wheat flour, for instance, can be a wonderful choice.
You’ll just need to use a 1:2 ratio of multipurpose and white wheat flour when you are cooking. The nutritional value is the same though.
Likewise, you can also use buckwheat flour, rye flour or oat flour for the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Taste The Difference Between Almond And Regular Flour?
Yes – you will get a slightly more nutty flavor with almond flour than you would with regular flour. If you want something a little more neutral then regular flour will be more suitable.
Can You Bake With Almond Flour?
Yes – it can be used for all sorts of baked goods, like cakes, pancakes, cookies, bread and more. It’s perfect if you’re following a paleo diet.
Does Almond Flour Get Crispy?
It contains a lot of fat, meaning that actually, a baked good that you make using almond flour is more likely to be like a cake instead of being crunchy or crispy. It’s a much more tender texture.
Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.
I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!
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