How to make almond milk

Eva, author of Bake-Street , brings us the secrets to making a delicious almond milk: a recipe that you will love to prepare at home for its simplicity, flavor and benefits for your health.

Almond milk is one of my favorite plant-based milks, followed by hazelnut and cashew milk.

The first time I heard about them, it really caught my attention. In fact, I was already considering stopping drinking cow's milk because of all the contraindications it has, and I'm not referring to lactose.

I admit that the first time I tried almond milk I really liked it, but when I saw the amount of fruit it contained and, even worse, the amount of sugar they added, I decided to go a step further and make it at home.

The result was spectacular , a white milk, with an incredible texture and an unbeatable flavor. The recipe I share with you does not contain any added sugar but, if you prefer, you can sweeten it by adding a couple of dates, agave syrup, honey or even banana.

In this way we leave aside refined sugars and achieve a more natural sweetening. We can also flavour it with cocoa, vanilla…

Tellier juicer mesh

It is a type of vegetable milk that does not contain lactose, gluten or cholesterol , which makes it a perfect element for people with intolerances. It has a high content of potassium, vitamins A, E, B1 and B2, helps improve gastritis or gastrointestinal problems, is very rich in soluble and insoluble fiber protecting the intestinal wall, fights osteoporosis and, in addition, regulates sugar and cholesterol levels.

This type of milk was already being produced in the Middle Ages and was called “amygdalate”. It was widely consumed in European countries as far as East Asia. It appeared in a medieval cookbook called “Viander” by Guillaume Tirel in 1375, dedicated to the chefs of the French kings Charles V and Charles VI.

In Taiwan, after the Chinese Civil War, it was a widely consumed type of milk, even more than soy milk.

There really is nothing better than making your own vegetable milk at home. You control all the elements that interfere and your body receives many benefits.

INGREDIENTS (for approx. 1L of almond milk)

• 200 g of raw almonds with skin
• 900 g of water

ELABORATION

1. We rinse the almonds with water to remove any traces of dust that they usually have naturally.
2. Soak the almonds in water , you can use filtered water if you wish. Add enough to cover them. Let them soak for 8-12 hours, this way it will be much easier to process and digest them. If you are going to soak them for more than 12 hours, I recommend changing the water and keeping them in the refrigerator.
3. We drain the almonds very well and wash them with cold water.
4. Add the almonds to a blender along with half the water and blend until you obtain a very fine powdery texture .
5. We prepare a large bowl and our Tellier juicer mesh . We pour the mixture into the mesh, place the wooden ring and lower it to press the pulp well.
6. The wooden ring will not be enough to extract all the juice: we will have to use our hands and squeeze the mesh well so that only the almond pulp remains inside.
7. We add the rest of the water and mix very well with a whisk .
8. Pour the almond milk into bottles, preferably glass (you'll love the Bormioli ones for this purpose), and refrigerate for a maximum of 3-4 days.

GRADES:

• Don't throw away the remaining almond pulp, you can use it to make spreadable creams, cakes, biscuits or even dry it to make almond flour.

• It is likely that sediment may appear at the bottom of the tea when it is left to rest in the cold, even after being strained through the mesh. This is normal, you just need to shake it before drinking.

As you can see, making your own vegetable milk is very easy. You just need to soak the chosen fruit or seed for 8-24 hours, process, strain and enjoy.

This Tellier mesh is very practical for making any type of vegetable milk. Its striking design is not only for aesthetic purposes, the ring helps us to press the fruit until the mesh is completely tight, instead of tying a knot. In addition, it allows us to place our hand on it, to hold the mesh, and press with the other hand to extract the milk. In this way we will extract all the liquid until only the pulp is left inside.

It washes very well under the tap, dries very quickly and the fabric can be conveniently stored folded inside the ring.

This almond milk has nothing to do with the ones we can buy in stores, the taste is not even similar . In addition to having a greater presence of the fruit with which we have made it, we will be able to control the amount of sugar (or omit it completely) and the chemical additives such as preservatives, additives... that are very harmful to our health.

Go ahead and try it and tell us about your experience!

How to make hazelnut milk

If you try this almond milk and discover that making milk at home becomes your passion, you should know that you can prepare other types of vegetable milk. If you love nut milk for its flavour and benefits, you should know that hazelnut milk is also delicious and you can prepare it following exactly the same steps that we have described for almond milk... Of course, you can also add cocoa to it, to give it a different touch that both children and adults will love.

How to make coconut milk

Like other plant-based milks, you can also make coconut milk. Whether with whole fresh coconut or with grated coconut, making it is also very easy. You will see how to do it in this post .