Hazelnut flour is obtained by grinding the fruit of the famous ‘tonda gentile delle langhe’ variety of hazelnut. Unlike other types of flour made from legumes or cereals, which are rich in carbohydrates, hazelnut flour is characterised by the prevalence of lipids compared to other macronutrients; for this reason, despite being dried, hazelnut flour has a very limited shelf life and is sold in vacuum packs.
Hazelnut flour can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen, both dry and soft baked desserts can be made.
An alternative use of hazelnut flour is in breadmaking, but with a limited percentage of 10% compared to 90% of wheat flours; the result is a very energetic bread, rich in lipids. Lately, it has come back into vogue because it is suitable for both a vegan diet and for people who are intolerant to gluten (coeliac disease).
The retail cost of this particular product is quite high, mainly due to two reasons: the BIO specification and commercial reasons. For the end consumer, the purchase of hazelnut flour rarely falls below 19/20 euros per kilo.