Baking with Whole Wheat Flour
Can I substitue whole wheat flour for white flour? If a recipe calls for white flour can I do a straight 1 to 1 substitution for whole wheat flour?
Do particular recipes work better than others? IE Breads and pizzas vs cakes and cookies?
Thanks guys.
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13 Comments:
Whole wheat flour in pastry is almost always disastrous. In quick breads it's not so bad. In bread it works just fine.
If you really insist in using whole wheat in pastry, try to find whole wheat pastry flour. It's lighter than the all-purpose kind. Of course the easy compromise would be 50% white pastry flour and 50% whole wheat.
SqueezeBottle at 3:03PM on 05/20/09
I second the whole wheat pastry flour suggestion. However, I don't agree that straight whole wheat in pastry is disastrous. The King Arthur Flour Whole Wheat Baking book has some really fantastic recipes with straight whole wheat and how to work with it to some excellent results.
hereandthe at 3:12PM on 05/20/09
I use whole wheat pastry flour myself (fresh-ground from the low-gluten soft wheat), but not usually 1 to 1 ratio. I usually do half and half whole wheat and white in pastry-type stuff, like pie crust. Although using 100% whole wheat pastry flour does make for some very tasty and moist banana bread.
buffy at 3:26PM on 05/20/09
I use only whole wheat flour. Sometimes I have noticed things are a bit more tough and denser than normal, like my pizza crusts. But mostly things turn out fine.
PestoGal at 5:52PM on 05/20/09
I always subsitute any recipe that calls for white flour with whole wheat pastry flour... the results are exactly the same IMHO. I sometimes also substitute any white flour with spelt flour... same results.
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 6:19PM on 05/20/09
The results of using whole wheat flour really depends on the brand you buy and how the berry was processed.
Once upon a time, whole wheat flour was ground using the whole kernel. If you've ever seen a jar of wheat germ, the germ is very heavy. This in turn makes whole wheat flour very heavy. It also prevents a high rise from happening whether from yeast or chemical leaveners.
These days, most manufacturers separate the parts of the wheat berry/kernel, leaving only the endosperm (which is what white flour is made from), and then adding certain amounts of the germ and bran back to the endosperm, resulting in a "whole wheat flour" that is much lighter in weight.
Different brands offer different proportions, so you'll need to check package labels or web sites. For example, whole wheat bread flours will have a lower ratio of germ/brand.
A good rule of thumb is to mix the whole wheat flour with an appropriate white flour, keeping in mind the more wheat you add, the heavier your product will be. Breads can probably take more wheat added, where as delicate pastries would be best with a lighter ratio.
WickedGoodDinner at 10:14PM on 05/20/09
sorry...typos. germ/bran
WickedGoodDinner at 10:16PM on 05/20/09
I just made blackberry yogurt cake using 100% King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour (meaning I didn't mix in any all purpose). The result is yummy but it definitely tastes healthier than it would have with 100% all purpose and probably than if I had gone 50/50. That said, the cake is still really yummy, and I feel a little less guilty about having a big piece of it as a snack. It's moist though maybe a little denser than it would have been otherwise.
Has anyone found that you need a little more sweetner when using 100% whole wheat than all purpose and/or a combo? Perhaps b/c of the denseness? I'm no baking expert so am unsure but did notice my cake could stand to be a little sweeter.
nithya at hungrydesi at 10:50AM on 05/21/09
The 'white whole wheat' from King arthur works very well, as does whole wheat pastry flour. Most cakes really require white flour, but I do use whole wheat pastry flour in carrot cake and its delicious. I think many quickbreads and muffins are nice with whole wheat.
I also agree that its good to go 50/50 most of the time.
jennywenny at 6:14PM on 05/21/09
Wow! Glad everyone is so excited about this Weekend Cook and Tell topic, it's going to be a good one.
yemek tarifleri
yemek tarifleri at 3:04AM on 05/22/09
WickedGoodDinner sums it up well. However if you check out recipes on on Heidi Swanson's site:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/,
you will find astoundingly good recipes using a variety of healthy flours.
I have had great success with this recipe which is made of entirely whole wheat flour. True it is denser than a regular scone but mighty tasty nonetheless. I also recommend Whole Foods Brand Whole Wheat Pastry Flour which is definitely lighter than traditional whole wheat flour.
http://www.izzyeats.com/2009/03/complete-whole-wheat-goodness-maple.html
izzy's mama at 11:08AM on 05/22/09
i made a strange discovery while baking with whole wheat flour (kind arthur brand): my husband and i totally prefer our chocolate chip cookies made with all whole wheat flour. somehow they just taste more buttery and rich. i highly suggest trying it out. and i use the exact same amount of w.w. flour as the amount of a.p. flour most recipes call for.
also, pizza dough is tricky with whole wheat - but king arthur also makes white whole wheat (i guess it has less germ/ bran?) and that works pretty well for my pizzas.
filetosoul at 11:59AM on 05/22/09
Loaves made with 100% whole wheat flour are excellent substitutes for Hadite blocks. Just don't use 'em to prop up your car while you are working under it.
Grumpy Old Man at 10:37AM on 05/24/09