Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Almond Flour

Hi guys,

I have some questions about using almond flour (or Mandelmehl as we call it here in Germany).

It sounded wonderful to be able to make cakes, pancakes etc. using this and I have tried a few times.. however it never seems to work properly for me.

I have found that by following any recipe using almond flour to make things like pancakes (or cakes for the oven) the mixture always ends up almost totally dry. A few times I have added more water to try to make it into some kind of batter, but then the pancakes will not cook properly and just end up being a complete mess.

I have also tried to add more egg to make it stick together a little better. This works but the pancakes end up having an awful undercooked egg sort of taste even though they are burned on the outside... maybe other people do not mind this so much but I can't stand the taste of egg yolk (I always eat eggs without the yolk).

Has anybody else had any similar experience, or is there something different to almond flour which works better? Maybe I should try a cheesecake instead.

Phil

my wife used to make me verry good pancaked with almond flour, until i've quit to use it (harms my gut).
she uses eggs to stick the thing toghether.
usualy she made them with fruits (rasped apples, blackberries...). some part of the moisture of the fruits will pas onto the flour.

i don't know why yours get burned on the outside and are undercooked on the inside. Hers were perfect.

He, maybe you should get a wife?
(no offence ladies...)

Yeah I don't know either.. I've basically given up though.. not that I care too much. I can do without cakes but it would be nice sometimes.

I have a boyfriend... he can't cook though, haha!

Hi there, are you using actual almond flour recipes or trying to adapt wheat flour recipes to use almond flour coz this wont work.

BTW, my hubby reacts to almond flour if he has it too much. He can't eat many almonds either. Better solution for him is coconut flour. Quite a few recipes online too and in our Diet Specific Recipes section here at KA. He has yummy pancakes, chocolate cake, muffins, slice, cookies etc. Helps keep the weight on, feels like he's having a treat and it's loaded with fibre.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coconut Flour Brownies

Coconut Fried Chicken

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Coconut Flour Muffins

No Flour needed for these:
Coconut and Raisin Slice

Hi Phil,

You don't need a *wife* as such, just somebody who is experienced with "kitchen chemistry" and the properties of different ingredients! Since your BF is a bit useless in the kitchen department, that will have to be YOU!

I agree with Kiwi - you need to rethink your concept of 'cake' and 'pancake'... use the recipes from the forum here and experiment, experiment, experiment, then write down your own "best versions".

Here's a few tips from an experienced kitchen chemist (who also hates that "eggy" taste...!)for you, though:

1. Burnt outside and raw inside = too much heat or too much sugar in the mix. Almond (or coconut) flour pancakes take a longer time to cook on a lower heat - *very* different from regular thin crepes, pancakes or even flapjacks. Keep them small (more like pikelets).

I have actually developed my own hybrid recipe using both AF and CCNF...AF alone is a bit crumbly, and CCNF is a bit dry. I am a bit lazy and do it by "feel" - the way my mum taught me to cook, but I could try to nut out some recipes for you if you want specific things.

2. You need to up the oil/fat content when baking with AF. This can be achieved by either more egg yolks (You will see the recipes call for plenty of eggs to start with..) or oil/fat.

3. Mix your own raising agent from cream of tartar (2 parts) and bicarb soda(1 part). Mix up a batch and store it in a little jar (well sealed, as it absorbs moisture over time). Use it a bit more liberally than you would reg baking powder when cooking with AF.

3.If things are crumbly, rather than truly *dry* then increase the liquid using egg white as a binding agent. Thta's where the AF / CCNF combo comes in handy too...

4. Almond flour recipes give a nice crunchy crust on the outside and a moist filling on the inside. I find dropping the oven heat a bit more than regular cakes helps with this.

5. Try separating the eggs and beating the whites stiffly with a pinch of cream of tartar and fold them in last of all - this gives a lovely light texture to a nut meal cake.

6. Don't be tempted to use margarine - it's mainly water and poor quality fats - go for real butter or coconut oil (solid at room temperature). I can't use butter for my dairy allergic DD, so if it's for a family occasion, then I would go the CCN oil route.

7. Leave the mix to sit for 10 minutes , especially for batters before you use it. If you're using CCNF then it will really suck up the moisture! AF needs fat, CCNF needs water.... if you add more water to AF, it will just make it sloppy with a nasty texture rather than *moist*.

Here endeth the AF / CCNF cooking lesson!

Oh, and for the record - all the starch-free cakes / slices that I bake get cut up and frozen, so that there is always something on hand. A small piece is usually quite filling, so a little effort goes a long way!

Bon apetit!

Phil,

Cheesecake is a great option! I have made quite a few variations on a "cheesecake slice", as I don't think you could form sides well with almond meal mix, but then again - ther's another experiment for me...

I have made a lemon meringue slice, ( https://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=351074#Post351074 ) coffee/walnut cheesecake, New York cheesecake (all baked) and a black forest cheesecake that was set with gelatine. All worked well with the almond meal base (baked) .

I use the crumb base from this recipe:

https://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=345686#Post345686

Oh gosh - I was just cruising the archives to find these and my mouth is watering! There are so many great things posted in there!

Luckily for me, I am about to get a starch-free, dairy-free apple pudding out of the oven for my family!

Wow, thanks for the great replys! Maybe I will try and track down some coconut flour as well.

Problem is living in Germany after growing up in Australia, I don't know where to find these sorts of things here.. I guess I can always buy it online.

Now in the other tread I asked a question about frying stuff and the responses have been that we shouldn't fry things because the oil is bad for us... so much conflicting stuff makes it so confusing and difficult!

I will keep experimenting!

Phil

Don't get your hopes up too much about the coconut flour -- it tastes great but not everyone can handle it. Coconut flour makes me flare. When I wrote to a US coconut manufacturer they responded that their coconut flour was low-starch but not starch-free. The only perfectly starch-free product was coconut oil; even coconut cream had a small amount of starch.

On the other hand, blanched almond flour tends to have less starch, but there are plenty of people who have food sensitivities to nuts and should not have almonds.

Here are nutritional facts for the coconut flour and almond flour available at my local health-food stores
http://toughbanana.com/2011/02/comparing-substitute-flour-nutritional-info-paleo/

If you do the math, it is 2g starch per serving of almond flour, and 8g starch per serving of coconut flour. I suspect that different brands can have different starch content though, so these results may not apply to your local flour sources.

Hi Phil,
I am originally from your neighbouring country Denmark(I miss my red hotdogs). I tried to make the almond flour pancakes and thought I could get away with using just one egg WRONG. They fell apart in the frying pan This recipe works and my husband likes them better than ordinary pancakes. Mix one cup of almond flour, 1/4 cup of of water(sparkling water if you want them more fluffy), 2 tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar in a bowl and cook like you would normal pancakes. Cook on low heat and longer, until golden brown and add syrup before eating. I have not tried it without the egg yolk, but it may be okay. Experiment.

Hugs Nette

Ummm, Nette - this in a *no* egg recipe!!!

How may did you mean to include??? 2? 3?