Baking using whole wheat flour has grown in popularity in recent years as people have become more health aware. Using whole wheat flour instead of white, bleached all-purpose flour will not only have a significant nutritional influence on your baking, but it will also drastically transform the taste of your baked products.
Have a look at these ideas and methods to help you bake using whole wheat flour effectively.
Contents
- Why Choose Whole Wheat Flour?
- Challenges of Baking with Whole Wheat Flour
- How to Bake with Whole Wheat Flour
- FAQs
- What do you need to add more of when baking with whole wheat flour?
- What are the tips for baking with white whole wheat flour?
- How to bake with whole wheat flour?
- How do you make whole wheat baked goods less dense?
- Do you need more liquid when baking with whole wheat flour?
- How much extra water do I add to whole wheat flour?
- Why do you soak whole wheat flour?
- Does whole wheat flour need baking soda?
- How do you get the bitterness out of whole wheat bread?
- What happens if you replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat?
Why Choose Whole Wheat Flour?
Wheat has three major components in its raw state: bran, endosperm, and germ. As wheat is processed into white, all-purpose flour, the bran and germ, which are the healthiest portions of the wheat, are removed.
Whole wheat flour is prepared without removing the bran and germ, preserving most of the wheat’s nutritious content. The biggest advantage of whole wheat flour is that it contains about 6 times more fiber than white flour (due to the bran and germ!).
Fiber can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and keep your digestive system regular. Whole wheat flour also contains many more vitamins, such as folate, various B vitamins, and riboflavin, which are all lacking in processed white flour.
When it comes to health advantages, it seems that whole wheat flour is the obvious winner!
Whole wheat flour not only has several nutritional benefits, but it also gives a superb flavor to meals. Whole wheat flour has a somewhat nutty flavor that lends a warm, soothing flavor to everything made with it.
It also contributes a lot of color to baked foods, giving them a darker brown than when cooked with white flour.
Challenges of Baking with Whole Wheat Flour
If a recipe asks for white, all-purpose flour, you may believe that you can simply substitute wheat flour for the white flour. After all, they’re both flours, aren’t they? No, not quite.
You can use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, but the finished result will be quite different. Wheat flour may make baked foods taste drier because it absorbs much more liquid than white flour, drawing the moisture out while the dish bakes.
Whole wheat flour may also have a gritty feel that some people dislike. So, don’t allow these little changes dissuade you from using whole wheat flour in your baking. To make a tasty, healthy baked item, all you need to know is how to manage the flour properly.
How to Bake with Whole Wheat Flour
1 – Hydrate the Batter
Let the mixture to sit and rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes after incorporating the whole wheat flour. Letting the batter to rest allows the wheat to absorb some of the moisture in the batter, softening and tenderizing it.
As the item bakes, the wheat will be soft and will not strive to absorb moisture throughout the baking process, resulting in a dry finished product.
You may even create your batter the day before, allowing the whole wheat flour to absorb moisture overnight. This will give your baked items a wonderful texture, akin to soft white flour. There will be no dry baked products here!
2 – Add More Liquid
You might try adding a bit additional liquid to the batter in addition to letting it rest and hydrate.
Check to see whether your batter is thicker than usual after it has rested and the whole wheat flour has absorbed some of the moisture from the batter. If it is, add slightly extra of the liquid specified in the recipe (milk, water, juice etc).
For every 1 cup of whole wheat flour, add 2 tablespoons more liquid.
3 – Use a Little Less
Rather of adding extra liquid to a recipe, you may use less flour when substituting whole wheat flour for all-purpose white flour.
Since whole wheat flour is denser and heavier than white flour, use just one cup whole wheat flour for every one cup white flour substituted.
This is ideal for cookies, muffins, cakes, and scones. After baking, the texture will be as light as if you used white flour!
4 – Half and Half
When substituting whole wheat flour for white flour, you may only need to replace half of the white flour to get the desired texture.
Any amount of whole wheat will provide nourishment to your baked products; you do not have to use entirely whole wheat! Replacing half of the white flour with whole wheat flour is an excellent way to ease into the world of whole wheat flour.
5 – Check the Date
Whole wheat flours, as previously discussed, still retain the bran and germ connected to the wheat berry. Although these two components are what make whole wheat so nutritious, they are also susceptible to spoiling.
Whole wheat flour is high in essential oils, which may deteriorate over time. Wheat flour that has expired may smell rotten and should not be used. This would not only ruin the flavor of your baked products, but it may also make you ill.
Before you begin measuring, check the expiry date on your bag of whole wheat flour!
6 – Soften the Taste
Some individuals dislike whole wheat flour because of the nutty, rich flavor it imparts to baked products. Some people even describe the flavor as bitter.
You may replace up to 2 teaspoons of orange juice for 3 tablespoons of the liquid in your mixture to lessen the flavor of the whole wheat flour.
Orange juice is inherently both sweet and acidic. The juice will mask the bitterness of the whole wheat flour, making it more pleasant. A pleasant citrus taste is always welcome in practically any baked product!
Baking using whole wheat flour is not the same as baking with white all-purpose flour. But, it is unquestionably worthwhile! Whole wheat flour is very healthy, however white flour provides practically no health advantages.
These baking tips and tactics can also assist you in creating delicious whole wheat flour delicacies that will make your mouth wet. I guarantee you won’t miss the dull white flour after you switch to whole wheat!
FAQs
What do you need to add more of when baking with whole wheat flour?
To compensate for the higher absorption of whole wheat flour, add 2 teaspoons water (or a complimentary beverage) per cup. If you don’t do this, your cookies will spread less than they should. For further information, please visit: A baker’s guide to cookies, brownies, and bars, from white to wheat.
What are the tips for baking with white whole wheat flour?
Tips for Yeast Bread Bakers:
When using white whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour, adjust the dough consistency by adding 2 tablespoons more liquid per cup of whole wheat flour used; and leave the dough to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before kneading.
How to bake with whole wheat flour?
Since whole wheat flour is denser and heavier than white flour, use only 34 cup whole wheat flour to replace 1 cup white flour. This is ideal for cookies, muffins, cakes, and scones. After baking, the texture will be as light as if you used white flour!
How do you make whole wheat baked goods less dense?
Gluten is necessary for the structure of the dough and finished loaves. Loaves without it tend to be flat and thick. One approach is to combine white all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Even a little amount of white flour has enough gluten to give the dough structure.
Do you need more liquid when baking with whole wheat flour?
Our baking guru, fortunately, has a solution. Since whole grains absorb more moisture, Hamel suggests adding “two tablespoons of liquid every cup of whole wheat flour.” She also suggests letting the dough rest for around 20-25 minutes before kneading.
How much extra water do I add to whole wheat flour?
Add 1 to 3 tablespoons liquid per cup of flour for white whole-wheat flour. Add up to 5 teaspoons of water per cup of flour for classic whole-wheat.
Why do you soak whole wheat flour?
The overnight soak softens the grains and allows them to absorb moisture while also breaking down some of their harsh starches. This makes the grains, especially gluten-free grains like the buckwheat flour in our soba noodles, simpler to handle with the following day.
Does whole wheat flour need baking soda?
2 teaspoon baking soda to the dry ingredients, and buttermilk as the liquid. 4 to 1 Choose whole-wheat pastry, white whole wheat, spelt, or kamut flours when using entirely whole-grain flour in quick breads. For each cup of flour, use 1 teaspoon baking soda. Add 1 tablespoon to increase texture and crumb.
How do you get the bitterness out of whole wheat bread?
The addition of orange juice reduces the bitterness of the whole wheat flour. Water temperature should be lukewarm. It is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which is somewhat higher than your body temperature. You’ll need more or less water depending on the season, humidity, and altitude.
What happens if you replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat?
When baking, you can substitute whole wheat flour for some but not all of the all-purpose flour. When equal quantities are swapped, the baked products become excessively thick and have an unpleasant taste.