Acorn flour is easy to make at home and contains no gluten. You must leech acorns of their tannins before consuming or the flour will be very bitter. This is done by soaking and replacing the water over several days. You can start tasting your acorn mush after day 4 to check bitterness.
- Forage & Sort: Collect acorns (white oak varieties are less bitter than red oak). Discard any with black spots, holes, or cracks.
- Float Test: Place nuts in water; discard any that float.
- Shelling: Crack the outer shells and remove the inner nut meat and wipe off the papery covering. Place the nuts in a bowl of water. When you’re done, puree nuts and water in a blender and place in a glass jar.
- Cold Leaching (Best for flavor): Keep the jar in the fridge, changing the water daily until it’s clear and not bitter (3-7 days depending on the nuts).
- Drying: Pour the nut meal into a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Be sure to place a bowl underneath it because you really want to save the nut starch*. Squeeze out the cheese cloth to get the meal as dry as possible.
- *Pour the nut starch into a baking sheet and let the water evaporate. What’s left over is acorn starch which must be added by into the dry meal.
- Spread the damp acorn meal out to dry. I use a dehydrator at 95°F. Do not use an oven or the flour will burn.
- When the acorn meal is dry, place it and the acorn starch back into the blender and blend until a smooth flour forms. Store in the fridge for up to a year.