Hazelnut flour: how to prepare it and use it in the kitchen

Hazelnut flour: nutritional values ​​and benefits for living well and fit and having a healthy and regular intestine.

Introduction

Hazelnut flour is a versatile and delicious ingredient, perfect for adding a touch of flavor and aroma to your sweet and savory preparations. Making it at home is simple and allows you to obtain a natural product , without additives or preservatives, which maximizes the flavor of the hazelnuts. In addition to being ideal for preparing desserts such as cakes, biscuits and tarts, it can be used to enrich bread, pancakes and even savory dishes, such as breading or sauces.

Preparing hazelnut flour at home is an excellent way to make the most of valuable ingredients such as Piedmont hazelnuts, known for their nutritional properties, rich in healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Let's find out how to do it together!

How to make hazelnut flour

To prepare hazelnut flour at home you will need fresh hazelnuts in quantities of your choice. Toast the hazelnuts at 200°C for 5-6 minutes then leave them in the switched off oven for another 5 minutes. Transfer them to a cold baking tray and let them cool completely.

Then place the hazelnuts in a blender and blend intermittently until you have obtained the desired consistency. To obtain a perfect result it is advisable to take short breaks while blending the hazelnuts, otherwise the risk is that too much heat is produced and that the flour turns into hazelnut paste , good but not suitable for our purposes.

A very important aspect is to use a powerful robot. If you have the Thermomix in just 10 seconds speed. Turbo you will get perfect flour.

How to use hazelnut flour

In desserts , hazelnut flour is a true ally to enhance the flavor of preparations and give them a unique note. It can be used to prepare soft and fluffy cakes , such as the classic hazelnut cake , where its aroma is released to the maximum.

It is also perfect for crumbly biscuits , which thanks to the hazelnut flour are excellent to serve with tea. Adding it to the brownie dough gives a soft consistency and a richer flavour, while in tarts, used for the base , it gives an irresistible fragrance. In this case, replace about 1/3 of the flour called for in the recipe with your home-made flour.

In savory preparations, however, it can be used for breading or to give a crunchy note to your first courses. Try it in gratins or instead of parmesan in all those risotto recipes with an autumnal flavour.

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