Saturday, February 2, 2019

Almond Meal Bread


 

If you are looking to make gluten free bread, you may use almond flour or almond meal as the main ingredient. There is a small difference between almond flour and almond meal; almond flour is made from blanched almonds which have had the skins removed and is ground more finely than almond meal, which typically still contains the skins and has a more coarse grind (Kelli Foster of Kitchn).

Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticalec (a cross between wheat and rye). Gluten helps foods maintain their shape by acting as a glue that holds the food together. Thus, if we were to use gluten-free ingredients such as almond meal, we need to use more eggs or binding agents like psyllium husk powder to hold the shape of our cakes, cookies or bread.

I have looked through many recipes and read up on gluten free bread baking. Through experimentation I have come up with the following recipe for those who are interested in gluten-free bread.

Ingredients:
  • 200 g almond meal
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 20 g psyllium husk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp chia seed
  • 50 g coconut oil
  • 125 g warm water + 6 tbsp water
Method:
  • Put all dry ingredients - almond meal, baking powder, salt, psyllium husk and chia seed into a mixing bowl.
  • Stir to combine all these dry ingredients.
  • Add the eggs, coconut oil and water to the dry ingredients. Mix until they are well-combined.
  • Pour into a lined loaf tin (8 inch x 4 inch x 4 inch).
  • Bake in pre-heat oven at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes.