Sun-Flour

Remember a couple of posts ago when I mentioned that I made homemade sunflower seed flour in order to make nut-free French Macarons?

I wanted to share the process with you guys, since it's really pretty simple, and the flour is an awesome, protein-rich alternative to nut flours.

I thought that the "recipe" would be to simply take sunflower seeds and grind them. And, well, some recipes (yes, I looked up many) called for just that.  But a couple called for an extra step, and I decided I would try it. Following the directions in this recipe, I first soaked the seeds in salted water.

Both kids were highly confused as to why I would leave a container of submerged seeds on the counter all day, but apparently this process neutralizes certain enzymes found in the seeds that can sometimes cause stomach distress for some people. Not wanting to cause belly-aches, I figured it was worth a shot.

Once the seeds had soaked, I simply rinsed them and then dehydrated them (I wanted flour, not pulp!). To dehydrate them, simply spread the seeds on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or two) and place them in a very, very low oven (no more than 125) (if you have a dehydrator, even better!) overnight.

In the morning, my seeds were fully dried out and delightfully crispy.

Little man and little miss sampled quite a few right off the tray.  But left enough for me to begin grinding, using my little mini-blender with the grinding lid.

The resulting flour felt nice and fine and soft, but let me warn you - you still need to sift the flour before using it!

I couldn't believe all the big pieces there were in my "fine and soft" flour!

But it worked beautifully in my recipe and I can't wait to find another recipe to try with it - I have the leftover flour in an airtight container in the back of the fridge just waiting to be turned into something yummy.

If you know anyone with nut allergies or are looking to try something new, I definitely recommend giving this a shot.

Sun-Flour

(from Empowered Sustenance)

2 cups sunflower seeds

Enough water to cover the seeds fully, with about an inch extra water

1 tablespoon sea salt

Cover sunflower seeds with filtered water and add approximately  1 tablespoon sea salt for about every 2 cups of seeds. Soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Rinse the sunflower seeds in a colander.

Spread sunflower seeds onto a parchment linked baking sheet, making sure that the seeds are spread in a single layer (use two sheets if you have to.  Dehydrate the seeds in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12 to 24 hours, until crispy. (mine took 12 and were perfect.)

Grind sunflower seeds in a carefully cleaned coffee or spice grinder until fine, about 15 seconds. Grind in batches. I promise, it doesn't take as long as it sounds like. Grind the seeds until the flour is very fine. It’s okay if it starts to get clumpy, that just means it is finely ground and you can fluff out the clumps with a fork.

You will get approximately 1 cup flour for every cup of sunflower seeds you started with. Store your sun-flour in a jar in the refrigerator or freezer, and use within a few months. Substitute for almond flour in recipes.

Enjoy!