Almond meal

Almond meal being made by hand

Almond meal, almond flour or ground almond is made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made both with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour.

It is used in pastry and confectionery – in the manufacture of almond macarons and other sweet pastries, in cake and pie filling, such as Sachertorte and is one of the two main ingredients of marzipan and almond paste. In France almond meal is called frangipane and is an important ingredient in the traditional Galette des Rois cake.

Almond meal has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. Items baked with almond meal tend to be calorie-dense.

Almond meal has a low heat conductivity.

References

• Almond Flour or Meal: How to Use it and Where to Get It

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.