When baking desserts, a small amount of nut flour, such as hazelnut or almond flour, is often added to flour to enhance the desired flavor. Sometimes, nut flours can also become the primary ingredient. So, how should hazelnut and almond flours be used in baking, and what are their uses?

Nut flours are a type of baking ingredient made by grinding nuts into a fine powder. Common nut flours used in baking include hazelnut and almond flours, which can be combined with flour to make bread, pastries, and more.

The Role of Nut Flour in Baking:

Flavor Enhancement: Mixed into flour and baked, nut flours can impart a subtle nutty aroma to pastries. Nut flours are often used in cakes and tarts.

Flavor Enhancement: Dusting a small amount of powder on finished desserts, like powdered sugar, enhances the flavor.

Adding Fluff: Nut flours contain oils, which can be mixed into flour to add a flakiness to dough or finished products.

What is Hazelnut Flour?

Hazelnuts are primarily produced in Turkey, the United States, and Italy. The hazelnuts or hazelnut flour you typically eat are the European variety. Ground hazelnuts become baking powder (hazelnut flour). The hazelnut flour used in Taiwan is imported.

Uses of Hazelnut Flour

Hazelnut flour is commonly used in bread and cakes, primarily adding a small amount to flour to enhance flavor. Hazelnuts are high in fat and protein, and when ground into flour and added to dough, it enhances flavor and increases the fat content.

Hazelnut flour is considered a minor ingredient in flours. It can be used with flours of varying gluten strengths and is rarely used alone. It is sometimes used in place of almond flour, particularly in chocolate-related baked goods.

For example, when making fenanche, almond flour is typically combined with flour. However, when making chocolate-flavored fenanche, the almond flour can be replaced with hazelnut flour. Since the hazelnut flavor and chocolate complement each other perfectly, this combination of flour and hazelnut flour can be used to create chocolate-flavored baked goods.

What is almond flour?

Compared to hazelnut flour, almond flour is more commonly used in desserts. In addition to replacing some flour to enhance the flavor of the finished product, it can also be used as a main ingredient in desserts. For example, well-known dessert cookies like macarons and almond biscuits are all made with almond flour as the main ingredient.

Almond flour is made from ground almond nuts. The almond flour referred to in baking powders is ground from almonds produced in the United States, Spain, and other places. Almonds are the kernel of almonds, which are oval in shape.

Can nut flours such as hazelnut flour and almond flour be used in cookies?

Almond flour and hazelnut flour differ in their nut composition, aroma, and oil content. Almond flour has a lower oil content than hazelnut flour, making it suitable for use in pastries and tarts, as well as cookie dough.

Almond flour has a fat content of nearly 50%, while hazelnut flour has a fat content of approximately 62%. If you’re using a recipe where sugar + oil = flour, for example, almond flour might be used at 20% of the total flour content. If sugar + oil is less than flour, the amount of almond flour should be reduced, and vice versa.

Thus, when making cookies and other pastries, it’s important to be mindful of the amount of nut flour used. Besides enhancing the flavor, it also helps maintain the cookie’s shape and crispness. However, adding too much can compromise the texture.

When experimenting with pastries containing nuts, try combining hazelnut flour and almond flour! They might add unexpected flavor and a touch of flair to your desserts.