baking with white whole wheat flour?

[zoe b]

I was so pleased to find King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour in the supermarket today--can't wait to try it out!

Have you worked with it? The KA site says use it like whole wheat flour, so I've got that--but how does it compare in taste, texture, etc with regular whole wheat?

I'd love to hear of your experiments--and if there are a million threads on this--mea culpa--i did do a search, but had no luck.

Zoe

[MissAmy]

I'm really glad you asked this question. I want to make a cake for a diabetic friend of mine, and I want to use this flour. I would love to know how it works and what to expect before I blindly start baking with it.

[K8memphis]

White whole wheat? You mean like White Lily flour where there's no barley four in there? I didn't care for baking with the White Lily. I like what I'm used to. It's a bit heavier but nothing major.

[TRK]

I was so pleased to find King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour in the supermarket today--can't wait to try it out!

Have you worked with it? The KA site says use it like whole wheat flour, so I've got that--but how does it compare in taste, texture, etc with regular whole wheat?

I'd love to hear of your experiments--and if there are a million threads on this--mea culpa--i did do a search, but had no luck.

Zoe

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White whole wheat is milled from whole white (as opposed to red) wheat berries. I have used it, and also used whole wheat pastry flour. I find that the white whole wheat does result in a lighter (in color and texture) than WW pastry, but also has a very distinctive flavor. It is by no means as light (in either) as unbleached flour. I would be very nervous about making a cake with this flour, I think it would result in a very heavy result. Perhaps if you treated it more like a torte, you would be okay, but do not expect the texture you are used to in cakes.

I have used it in breads as well as pancakes and other quickbreads. I like it in bread, but find the flavor too odd in chemically leavened applications. I prefer to use regular (red wheat) whole wheat pastry flour for those.

[CaliPoutine]

Have you seen this book King Arthur Flour Whole grain baking

They advocate using whole wheat pastry flour for cakes and the white whole wheat for breads/quickbreads.

I've used the white whole wheat for over a year( I buy it in MI). I've made muffins, and various breads( a fabulous hamburger bun) and I love it. I dont think I'd use it for cakes though.

[MissAmy]

Have any of you had any experience with the white whole wheat pastry flour in cakes?

[zoe b]

calipoutine said--

I've used the white whole wheat for over a year( I buy it in MI). I've made muffins, and various breads( a fabulous hamburger bun) and I love it. I dont think I'd use it for cakes though.

here's some info from Kansas Hard White Wheat Products & Sources

WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR — milled from Kansas Hard White Whole Wheat

Ingredients: 100% Hard White Whole Wheat Flour from the whole wheat berry

A rich, golden amber color; lighter colored baked goods

Naturally milder-tasting because the bran in white wheat contains less tannin, which gives the wheat a sweeter taste.

Milled from the entire wheat berry so it’s nutritionally the same as traditional whole wheat flour, with the same high levels of fiber, and nutrients and minerals.

Enjoy successful results in a variety of recipes: cookies, pancakes, muffins, quick breads, pizza crust, coffee cake, yeast breads and rolls, pie crust, tortillas, noodles, multi-grain and 100% whole-grain breads. Less sweetener is required to make good tasting breads.

Works wonderful in bread machine recipes!

Whole wheat flours absorb more liquid than all-purpose flour. Because of this, you may need to use a bit less when substituting whole wheat flour. In recipes calling for whole wheat flour, you can substitute white wheat flour in direct proportion.

Since whole wheat flour contains the germ and bran, it needs to be stored in a cool, dry place to preserve freshness. Place in an airtight bag or container and refrigerate or freeze it to keep it fresh.

I've used the white whole wheat for over a year( I buy it in MI). I've made muffins, and various breads( a fabulous hamburger bun) and I love it. I dont think I'd use it for cakes though.

trk said--

but find the flavor too odd in chemically leavened applications.

now i have to try this too to see what the odd taste is!!!

[andiesenji]

I have used the KAF white whole wheat flour in "sturdy" quick breads, such as pumpkin, banana nut and date bread. I have used it in carrot cake but it gave a pretty heavy result.

To get a feel for it, try making pancakes with it. I use that method for testing various types of flour before I start a larger project. (I ordered some French "strong" flour and pastry flour as well as an Italian flour and tested them by preparing pancakes. - the "strong" flour pancakes were tough. but it is a great bread flour.)

[M. Lucia]

I love the white whole wheat flour, and have used it in many breads, quick breads, and even tart shells. I never noticed a 'funny' taste. However, I would agree that for cakes would go with whole wheat pastry flour.

[TRK]

I love the white whole wheat flour, and have used it in many breads, quick breads, and even tart shells. I never noticed a 'funny' taste. However, I would agree that for cakes would go with whole wheat pastry flour.

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The taste I dislike is definitely the flavor of the flour. I just prefer the flavor of red wheat in relatively unflavored quick breads like pancakes. For strongly flavored things (like banana bread or muffins) where the flavor comes more from spices and sugar, I don't think you would notice it. There the difference would be mostly texture.

[zoe b]

I subbed the wh wh wh flour for 1/2 of the white bread flour called for in a favorite recipe of mine--Roman Bread--it's from Beth Hensperger's Bread Machine Cookbook--it's sort of like a foccaccia--a great bread to make and take if you are invited to someone's house for dinner.

It made a delicious bread--I like the slight golden color, couldn't notice a difference in taste, but this bread has onions, salt, and rosemary, plus lots of olive oil poured over it, so the taste difference wouldn't be noticed--seemed about as light, maybe a little damper than usual, so I will try baking it a little longer the next time--so far am pleased.