Baking with Whole Wheat

There are three categories of wheat flour: soft, hard, and durum flour. Knowing which of your baked goods to add them to is important. Today, we will focus on soft and hard wheat flours.

Soft Wheat: This flour, sometimes called 'pastry wheat' is used mainly for bakery-type products such as pastries, cookies, muffins, cakes, and pie crusts, because of its slightly sweet taste. Soft wheat flour can also be used to make gravies and crackers.

Hard Wheat: This flour contains more gluten than soft wheat flour, therefore it is better suited for bread and rolls.

A combination of these flours can be used for waffles, pizza dough, and biscuits, if desired.

When baking with whole wheat flour, a few adjustments are necessary. Products made with white wheat usually end up "fluffier" than those made with hard, red wheat. Red wheat is heavier, and will make your baked goods taste more like wheat than the sweeter white wheat. It is best to turn your oven down 25 degrees when baking with hard wheat.

Try substituting whole wheat flour for white flour in your baked goods. It will "bulk up" your foods, add fiber, and cut down on those empty carb calories.