Almond Milk Recipe

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 cup raw natural almonds
filtered water or tap water if you normally drink it
vanilla extract optional
almond extract optional
1/4 cup coconut milk optional

Soak almonds for at least 2 hours. I find that's the minimum to get the nuts to jump out of their skins. Some recipes call for soaking 12 to 24 hours, but I find that the taste gets more bitter with a prolonged soaking. I like soaking about 6 hours.  Rinse several times thoroughly with good water.

"Blanch" the almonds, that is, remove the toxin-laden skins by squeezing the nut between your thumb and index finger,  The nut inside will pop right out! I admit it takes a few minutes, you can do it while listening to an audiobook for example, anyway it gives you an excuse to sit down for a few minutes.  You have to keep the almonds wet because the skin dries fast and sticks firmly to the nut when dry.  Frankly, some pop right out, some you have to peel. 

Put the almonds in a blender with 2 1/2 cups water (room temperature). Blend on high for one minute. In a Vitamix, about 30 seconds is plenty.

Pour the milk into a strainer lined with a juicing cloth. Put another 1/2 cup water in the blender jar, swish around to rinse out ALL the almond foam and add to the almond mixture in the strainer. That's a total of 3 cups water for 1 cup almond milk. Let the milk drip out for 15 to 30 minutes, then press out by hand (see my first post on how to do this) or in a press.

Add vanilla and almond extracts to taste, if desired. I use 1/2 teaspoon of each, if at all.  I prefer to add 1/4 cup of coconut milk, which removes the dry edge that raw almond milk tends to have, and adds creaminess and sweetness.  See my last post on Mixed Nuts Milk for how I arrived at this formula.

This makes a pretty thick milk, no guars, gums or xanthan anything needed. It keeps about 3 days in the refrigerator, but in my house it's gone within 24 hours.  So I set my cup of almonds to soak every morning and some evenings too.