Paleo Baking, Part 1: Almond Flour

Yup, you guessed it (and wished for it) – you can still bake when following the Paleo diet. The secret ingredient this time is… drum roll please… almond flour! Almond flour is nutritionally superior to wheat flour by virtue of its higher protein and more comprehensive vitamin and mineral content. Almond flour will be your ingredient of choice when you make Paleo diet bread, snacks and treats. Of course, snacking is something you’ll eventually not need to do that frequently, as each meal should leave you fully satisfied until your next “nom” session. Almond flour gives you the chance to spoil yourself rotten in a healthy way, so here’s the scoop on why almond flour should be making it into everyone’s paleo food list.

History

The almond is biologically not a true nut, but instead a drupe (a nut with a hard outer protective case). The almond fruit is native to the Mediterranean climate of the Middle East and now California produces more than 80% of the world’s almonds.

Nutritional Comparison

Check out these tables and you’ll see exactly why almond flour is nutritionally superior to other more traditionally used types of flour:

Macronutrients (Source: USDA)

Vitamins and Minerals (Source: USDA)

 

Purchasing

Make sure to get blanched almond flour. Also, avoid buying almond flour at the grocery store as you end up paying more than $15 per pound. Instead, buy wholesale and check out one of these sites for the best quality almond flour.

NutsOnline (best price)

Benefit your Life (organic)

Honeyville

JK Gourmet (Canada)

Storage

Almond flour usually keeps well for awhile if sealed properly. Store your almond flour in glass jars to avoid having endocrine disrupting hormones from your plastic containers contaminate your almond flour.