Food - Drink
The Difference Between Almond Meal And Almond Flour
By JENNIFER SWEENIE
Many baked goods use wheat flour as their main ingredient, but not everyone can consume wheat or gluten, which makes the road to dessert a slightly more complicated one. Almond flour and almond meal are both popular gluten-free substitutes for wheat products, but these two ingredients are absolutely not the same thing.
The main difference between almond flour and almond meal is the way these ingredients are made. Almond meal consists of nothing but ground-up raw almonds, while making almond flour involves peeling the almonds first, then grinding them far more finely than almond meal, which is more coarse and has a nuttier flavor.
Almond flour can be used in pastries that call for wheat flour, while almond meal is best for denser goods like banana bread, or as a breading for fried foods. Always examine the consistency of an almond product before buying, especially since the terms almond meal and flour are sometimes used interchangeably by manufacturers.