If you’re looking for a way to incorporate more whole grains into your diet, but you haven’t been sure how to do so without sacrificing great flavor and texture in your baking, then we’ve got the perfect solution for you!
Whole wheat flour offers many health benefits, such as lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, and obesity. This article will give you some helpful tips on baking with whole wheat flour!
As long as you know how to use it properly, whole grain flour can be delicious. Here are some tips for baking with whole wheat flours!
Tips for Baking with Whole Wheat Flour
- Hydrate the Batter
- Add Liquids
- Use Less
- Half and Half
- Mix With Ease
- Leave Baked Goods Uncovered
- Mill your Flour
- Soften the Taste
1. Hydrate the Batter
An excellent way to soften the batter before baking is to let it sit and rest for 10–15 minutes. This will give the flour time to absorb some moisture in the batter, making it softer. As a result, when baked, your baked goods will have a fantastic texture similar to soft wheat.
That way, when it comes time to bake, your whole wheat flour has already soaked up some of the moisture in the batter and won’t be trying to absorb any during baking, causing a dry, stale end product.
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2. Add Liquids
Whole wheat flour absorbs a lot of moisture from the batter, so in addition to letting it rest and hydrate, you should also add a little more liquid to your batter.
Once your batter has rested and the whole wheat flour has absorbed some of the moisture from the batter, check and see if it is thicker than usual.
If there wasn’t enough liquid in the dish, to begin with, add some more of the recipe’s liquid (milk, water, juice, etc.). Add two teaspoons extra liquid for every 1 cup of whole wheat flour used in a recipe.
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3. Use Less
It’s also necessary to know how much flour you’re using when baking with whole wheat flour. When replacing all-purpose white flour with whole wheat, only use ¾ of grain for every 1 cup of white.
It can be difficult to judge how much less you need to use. One rule of thumb is to measure the amount of all-purpose white flour in the recipe and cut it in half. That’s usually enough.
If you find yourself having too little dough for the pan, add one tablespoon more at a time or until you get it right.
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4. Half and Half
When you want to bake with whole wheat flour, use a ratio of 50/50 whole wheat and white flour. In general, the heavier and denser the end product will be the whole wheat flour present in a recipe.
This is because whole wheat flour does not have white flour refined white-flour refined, finely milled texture. On top of this, whole wheat contains more moisture than white flour due to its natural components.
This means that adding too much whole wheat flour will result in a sticky, wet mess being formed instead of baked good! A ratio of 50/50 is just right for getting your desired product without having to worry about it being too dense or gooey.
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5. Mix With Ease
This is an example of improving baking with whole wheat flour. You don’t have to worry about overmixing when using whole wheat flour. Well, that is, generally speaking.
Mixing allows for the elastic gluten in baked goods to rise. When you overmix white flour, you thicken these “elastics,” making it difficult for air bubbles to expand. The gluten is broken down by bran with white flour, so you don’t have to worry about overmixing.
When you overmix with white flour, your baked good becomes doughy; however, when you overmix with whole wheat, your baked good stays fluffy and delicious!
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6. Leave Baked Goods Uncovered
It’s unnecessary to cover your so-called “sinful” desserts when you use whole wheat in the recipe. This is because the grain needs time to soften its bran and any rough texture. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but trust me.
7. Mill your Flour
The first step is to get whole wheat berries. Whole wheat berries are ground into flour using a mill. There are two types of mills to use depending on what kind of flour you want: stone or steel.
Stone mills work well for light grains like rice and post, while steel mills work better with heavier grains like whole wheat and barley; this prevents clogging in the stones, making them break.
Next, weigh out your desired amount of wheat berries (100 grams) and put them in the hopper. The grind should be set somewhere between coarse and medium, but it heavily depends on personal preference – does some experimenting if you don’t know what you’re looking for!
Once the grain has been ground into flour, use a sieve to separate any larger chunks of grain or husks that may have come along with the flour.
8. Soften the Taste
To soften the taste of the whole wheat flour, you can substitute up to 2 tablespoons of orange juice for three tablespoons of the liquid in your batter. Orange juice is naturally sweet and also acidic.
The juice will compensate for the whole wheat flour’s more complex, bitter taste, making it palatable. A nice citrus flavor is always an excellent addition to almost any baked good!
Baking with whole wheat flour is different from using white, all-purpose flour. However, it is also definitely worth it! Whole wheat flour is nutritious while white flour offers almost no health benefits.
Conclusion
There are many ways to improve your baking with whole wheat flour, but one simplest is, using a 50/50 ratio. Whole wheat flour contains more moisture than white flour and has an earthier taste that may not be desired in all recipes; this means that you should compensate for these factors when adding it into your recipe.
You can reduce any bitterness or hardness by mixing two tablespoons of orange juice (or other liquid) for every three tablespoons needed from the original recipe. With some experimentation, you’ll find what works best for you! Good luck and happy baking!