Grinding Whole Nuts into Nut Meal and Nut Flour

Freshly ground nuts impart more flavor than store-bought nut meals and flours. Nut meals are milled more coarsely while nut flours are milled more finely. Nut meals are suitable for recipes with a medium or medium-to-fine grind. Nut flours, which have a fine or super-fine grind, are best as a substitution for all-purpose flour (for example, to make gluten-free crusts and cakes). The consistency of store-bought nut meals and nut flours varies by brand and the method used to mill the product. Many commercially ground nut meals and flours available in the States are much finer than what home bakers can produce with their kitchen machines. The finer the milling, the more absorbent the meal or flour will be. For example, one cup of whole nuts, coarsely ground at home, produces about one and one-third cups of meal, which will have the same absorbency as one cup of finely ground, store-bought meal. Store-bought, super-fine nut flour will be even more absorbent.