Macarons made with regular flour: a step-by-step recipe without almond flour with photos

Macarons (Macarons, Maccarone) – a pastry consisting of two halves of crispy almond meringue and a layer of filling that can be a variety of flavors. The classic version of this dessert is made with the addition of an expensive ingredient – ground almond flour – but today we'd like to share an alternative step-by-step recipe for delicious macarons without almond flour.

Macarons: A Step-by-Step Recipe Without Almond Flour

Nutritional value per serving

346 kcal

Proteins: 8 g
Fats: 6 g
Carbohydrates: 57 g

*Nutritional value is calculated per 100g of ingredients

Total time: 1 hour
Time in the kitchen: 1 hour
Complexity:

It's easy and straightforward to prepare, but it does require some experience. Not everyone can do it right the first time.
Number of servings: 20

According to the international encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique, the birthplace of Macarons is France, as it was in this country that the first almond flour pastries were made back in 791.

However, very similar recipes for sweets exist in the culinary traditions of Italy, Poland, Japan, Canada, and the United States, so chefs from different countries continue to argue over who is the creator of this incredibly popular dessert.

If you've ever wondered how to make homemade macarons, you know that the most expensive ingredient in the recipe is almond flour. And since they rarely turn out right the first time, novice cooks often ask if there's a macaron recipe without almond flour so they can practice making the new dish at home without spending so much money.

Most experienced cooks react extremely negatively to requests for a recipe without almond flour, as macarons have a unique character that is lost when the main ingredient is replaced. However, a macaron recipe without almond flour does exist, and it will definitely be useful if you need:

practice making "lids";
make decorative macarons (for example, to decorate a shop window).

It's important to remember that when making macarons with wheat flour at home, you may encounter the following issues:

the need to use more protein (wheat flour has a higher ability to absorb liquid);
difference in consistency at the macaronage stage;
significant differences in the taste of the finished product (obviously, macaroons made from regular flour will not have the characteristic almond flavor).

So, if you're still considering trying macarons with wheat flour, pay attention to the ingredients required for the recipe. The macarons are made with the finest flour (usually sold labeled "cake flour") and the finest powdered sugar.

Important! Don't even try to make the caps with regular wheat "baking" flour; you'll just waste your time.

It is also very important to follow all the proportions specified in the recipe and not to violate the cooking technology.

Homemade macaroons from regular flour

Homemade Macarons Recipe Without Almond Flour with Step-by-Step Photos

Ingredients

Servings

Wheat flour

70 G
Powdered sugar

110 G
Egg white

70 G
Sugar

45 G
Citric acid

1 pinch

Preparation

Step 1

We begin by mixing the dry ingredients—flour and powdered sugar. Sift both ingredients through a fine sieve to remove any lumps or foreign particles.

Step 2

Mix the ingredients with a whisk, achieving their most even distribution in the dry mass.

Step 3

Separate the egg yolks and whites (2-3 eggs), making sure that not even a drop of yolk gets into the whites.

Measure out exactly 70 grams of room temperature egg whites, add a pinch of citric acid and beat with a mixer until a fluffy white foam forms.

Step 4

Next, add finely crystalline sugar to the egg whites in small portions, continuing to beat at high speed until you get a dense, glossy meringue with stable peaks.

Step 5

Add the dry flour and powdered sugar mixture to the meringue, stirring with a spatula (using a circular motion). Continue mixing until the mixture becomes smooth and elastic.

Step 6

If you followed all the steps correctly, without violating the proportions, you should end up with a soft, glossy mass, as shown in the photo.

The kneading process must be continued until the macronage begins to flow from the spatula in a continuous ribbon, without breaking into pieces.

It's important not to overmix! If you stir too much, the mixture will become too runny and will spread during baking. If you don't stir enough, the caps won't turn out smooth and will have tails.

Step 7

Place the finished dough into a pastry bag with a simple round tip (optimal diameter 8-10 mm).

Step 8

We place our wheat flour macarons on a roasting pan covered with a silicone or Teflon mat (the latter option is preferable).

After depositing, the baking sheet must be lightly “beaten”, removing air bubbles from the dough.

Step 9

Next, the jars need to be thoroughly dried until a thick crust forms on the lids. In a warm, dry place, this will take about 1 hour.

To speed up the process (or if you have high humidity in your room), you can place the blanks in the oven and dry at 35℃ for approximately 20-30 minutes.

Step 10

Step-by-step recipe for macarons without almond flour - step 11

Bake the macarons at 130-140℃ for 15-20 minutes (time may vary significantly in different ovens).

After about 4-5 minutes, the pieces should develop a characteristic “skirt”.

Step 11

Step-by-step recipe for macarons without almond flour - step 12

Let the finished “hats” cool and carefully separate them from the mat.

Now you know for sure whether it's possible to make macarons at home without almond flour. All that's left is to figure out what kind of filling to make this treat, because macarons aren't just sweet.

Macarons are a rather complex dish, so novice pastry chefs don't always succeed in creating beautiful "hats" on the first try. The final result is influenced by:

quality of ingredients;
meringue quality;
Features of the oven.

It is recommended to try baking the caps at 130℃ for the first time, and if it doesn’t work, then repeat, adding a temperature of 140 or even 150℃ (experimentation is necessary here).

Also watch this video tutorial on how to make Italian meringue cakes at home in a more professional manner (using a stand mixer):