Baking Question

[oobiecoo]

I have a recipe that calls for pistachio flour or unsalted pistachios to make into flour. Am I supposed to be using raw pistachios (thats all I could find unsalted) or are there roasted, unsalted ones somewhere out there?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I use raw pistachios and use a food processor to turn them into "flour". You can blanch them first if you want [I don't bother]. Make sure you use the pulse function to make sure that they are grinding evenly.

 

[soocool]

You can buy pistachio flour in a gourmet shop or on-line.

To make your own, use a food processor, take raw shelled pistachios and pulverize for at least 1 min. steady. You want to get a powdery substance.Because of the fat and moisture in the nuts it may begin to form a ball (like dough). What you want to achieve are small grains (like cornmeal). You can then add the flour, baking powder, and whatever other dry ingredients you need.. Process again for about another 20 seconds. You should now have a very fine powder.

Depending on what you are making, sometimes I also cheat and use pistachio pudding mix!

 

[JulieN]

add some of the flour that was going to go into the cake into the food processor so that it doesn''t become pistachio butter

 

[oobiecoo]

Ok so it looks like raw is ok... thanks guys! I''ll add some of the flour in as well to keep it from sticking together. Depending on how this goes, I may try the pistachio pudding mix next time... I''m making French Macaroons! I''ve never had them and I''m dying to try one! If anyone has any tips for them then please let me know. I''m using a recipe from Martha Stewart.

 

[FrekeChild]

I would actually roast/toast the raw ones first. Doesn't take that long--toss them in the oven (350 or so) for 10 minutes and check on them frequently after 5 minutes. As soon as they smell fragrant, time to take them out. From there, let them cool and then do the food processor thing.