Hazelnut Flour
Hazelnut flour or (meal) is made from whole hazelnuts that are broken down to a fine texture. Grinding nuts (and other grains) at home, guarantees your baking flour is fresh and packed with the nutrition nature intended. In the Vibe Blender System, the simple process takes less than 10 seconds and just like homemade almond flour, hazelnut flour is low in carbohydrates and naturally gluten and grain free and is a great alternative to flour.
Commercial hazelnut flour is one of the more expensive nut flours and it can be often hard to find. Hazelnut flour’s high fat content also means that it is at a greater risk of going rancid. Buying and storing whole hazelnuts to make flour or meal as required is fresher, tastier and more cost effective.
Few nuts are as notably improved by roasting as the hazelnut. Briefly roasting hazelnuts before grinding intensifies their unique flavour and removes some of the moisture giving them a crunchier texture, making them easier to grind. As a bonus, roasting also helps to crisp and detach the skins which can bring a bitter taste to the flour. It is possible to buy roasted hazelnuts and skip this step. Activating hazelnuts before grinding will also remove the bitterness that resides in the skins and give you an SCD and GAPS friendly nut flour for baking.
1 cup of whole raw or activated hazelnuts
Preheat the oven to 130°C / 266°F.250°F (120°C/100°C fan, Gas Mark 0.5)
Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes checking every few minutes towards the end to make sure they are roasting evenly and are not burning. They will give off a nutty aroma and the skins should start to split when they are done.
Remove from the oven.
Lay out a clean tea-towel on your bench.
Pour the hot hazelnuts into the centre of the tea-towel, fold in the edges and gently massage the bundle so the hazelnuts rub against one another and lose their skins. Don’t worry if a small amount of skin remains.
Set the nuts aside until they are completely cold. You can put them in the fridge to speed this along. Blending warm nuts will produce sticky flour.
Add one cup of hazelnuts to the blender jug. Blend on ‘nut’ mode for 8-10 seconds. Do not over-blend the nuts. If you blend for too long they will release oil, become sticky and be on the way to hazelnut butter.
The hazelnuts will be the texture of meal (not flour) suitable for baking.
Sifting the meal into a finer flour is optional. Place a wire sieve over a large bowl.
Add 1 cup of meal into the sieve then gently shake or stir until the finer grains fall into the bowl.
Place the pieces of unmilled hazelnut back in the blender jug, pulse a few times and then sift again. Repeat this process until all the meal is sifted.
Cook's Notes:
- Purchase whole raw hazelnuts in bulk to save money.
- Always make sure the blender jug is completely dry.
- If making a larger batch, blend one cup of hazelnuts at a time to ensure the nuts rotate evenly and are not weighted down onto the blades. If the jug is too full, the blender will heat up and release the natural oils in the nuts, resulting in a sticky nut flour.
How to Use Nut Flours:
- Nut flour can be used in place of regular flour. One to one in baking recipes, but the final outcome will be different both in taste and texture. To compensate for the denser texture, use a little extra leavening in your baking recipes.
- You can use nut flours in savoury cooking too. Try coating meat and vegetables in place of breadcrumbs.
- For frying or baking, or sprinkling over soups, stews and pasta dishes to make a crunchy topping.
- Nut flours can also be a great substitute for breadcrumbs in meatloaves or meatballs.
- Nut flours can be used to make cookies, muffins, cakes, pancakes and pizza crusts.