FOOD
Toward a Grain-Free Flour Pantry Baking with alternative flours for Passover By Adeena Sussman
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year’s Zoë Bakes Cakes cookbook and the star of the Magnolia Network television show Zoë Bakes. “I hadn’t heard of it but learned quickly how to use it to its best effect,” said François, who notes that almond flour formulations have improved over the years. She advises bakers to be aware of the difference between the two almond products widely available in stores: almond meal, which is coarser and is typically ground with the skins on, and almond flour, which is fine and lighter since the skins are usually removed during production. “If you are going for more of a cakelike result, such as an angel food or sponge, almond flour is the choice,” said François, who uses the flour in her Almond Plum Cake for Passover. For denser desserts like chewy cookies or bars, almond meal works well. “Almond meal has a slightly ‘healthier’ taste, while almond flour is a bit closer to regular
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nother passover means another classic flourless chocolate cake for dessert, right? Not necessarily. This year, flex your baking muscle and make desserts using alternative flours that can up the flavor and fiber. Alternative-grain baking substitutes continue to grow in popularity and availability thanks to wider health trends like gluten-free and ketogenic diets. The result is an unexpected bounty of choices—think cassava, sorghum and tapioca, among others—for Passover bakers looking beyond matzah meal to help satisfy an eight-day, unleavened sweet tooth. Pastry chef Zoë François remembers her first encounter with almond flour nearly 25 years ago. She was working at a popular catering company in Minneapolis when Passover came around. “As the resident Jew on staff, all the desserts fell to me, and someone mentioned almond flour,” said François, author of last
flour.” In a pinch, almond meal and almond flour can be swapped, but the results will vary. “When baking with alternative flours, some trial and error is to be expected,” said David Tamarkin, editorial director for King Arthur Baking Company (kingarthurbaking. com), who has noted an increase in requests to the famous Vermontbased company for desserts using grain-free flours. “Anything gluten-free is hot,” continued Tamarkin, who is adding more grain-free recipes to King Arthur’s recipe archive to meet demand. (This includes flours like buckwheat and teff, which are technically grain-free but often still considered off-limits during Passover for many Ashkenazi Jews since they are kitniyot, or legumes.) “The main thing to look out for when baking with these alternatives is how much liquid they absorb,” said Tamarkin. “It’s all about hydration. They pretty much all require an infusion of liquid beyond what you would expect.” Take coconut flour, the latest darling of the grain-free flour pantry. “It’s extremely thirsty and absorbs a lot more moisture than real flour and even almond flour,” said Tamarkin. To compensate when replacing all-purpose flour in a conventional
MARCH/APRIL 2022
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