Power to The Bakers.How To Substitute All-Purpose Flour With Whole Wheat Flour
All-purpose flour is used in a lot of recipes these days. From noodles to cakes, it’s used everywhere. All-purpose flour is mostly used in baking. Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, churros, pancakes, and many other items use all-purpose flour in their batter. All-purpose flour is also used in making lasagnas, pizza bread, and many other mouth-watering cuisines.
Though used so often, all-purpose flour is not good for health. It is made after processing wheat flour. Bran and wheat germs are removed from it. The fibers that are important for our digestion are removed from this flour. That is why it has zero nutritive value, but it has a lot of calories. By eating this flour, essential nutrients and vitamins are depleted from our body. Food items made out of all-purpose flour like cakes and samosas are high on the glycaemic index. This can cause a rise in our sugar levels. It is difficult to digest as it puts more pressure on the pancreas to release insulin.
Due to all these reasons, there is a need to replace all-purpose flour. We can replace all-purpose flour with many other flours. You can replace all-purpose flour with whole-grain flour, white whole wheat flour, spelled flour, cake or pastry flour, almond flour, arrowroot flour, chickpea flour, oat flour, coconut flour, cassava flour, rye flour, depending upon your recipes. But the most used flour to replace all-purpose flour is whole wheat flour.
While baking, we can experiment with the ratio of the flour. We start by substituting one-third amount of the flour in the recipe with the whole wheat flour. For example, if you are using 1 whole cup of all-purpose flour, then use two-third of all-purpose flour and one-third of whole wheat flour. And then you can increase the ratio of the whole wheat flour by using a half-half quantity of each of it. You’ll notice some flavor differences, but they are good for your health.
Whole wheat flour has a higher protein content and is referred to as stronger flour. Other flours are softer flours. We have to know that while substituting the softer flours with stronger flours, the moisture of the dough or the batter will be affected. Add more water while using whole wheat flour in place of other softer flours. Whole wheat flour contains more fibers than all-purpose flour. It contains 12 grams of fibers per cup, whereas all-purpose flour contains 3 grams of fibers per cup. Using whole wheat flour that contains higher fibers may help reduce the risks of heart diseases and also control your sugar level. Products made of whole wheat flour are more filling. You don’t feel hungry all day. That is good for people who are weight conscious. It has an amazing flavor. It can be substituted in making a lot of recipes such as yeast bread, Zucchini bread, muffins, pizza dough, lasagne sheets.
Hard White wheat berries are used in the making of whole wheat flour. They are lighter in terms of color and milder in flavor. So we can sometimes substitute three-fourths of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The end product can be denser and would have a different texture too. Therefore, while baking using whole wheat flour, there are some points that you should keep in mind.
1. It is easier to substitute whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in some treats, and it is sometimes difficult. The item you are going to bake or cook might get ruined.
2. White Whole wheat flour is milder and lighter, and hence it is the best flour to substitute in place of all-purpose flour.
3. You’ll not notice much difference while using white whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in terms of texture, color, or flavor.
4. For best results, one should substitute the flour by volume and not by weight.
5. Substituting the all-purpose flour totally with whole wheat flour might somewhat result in a darker color and grainy mouthfeel. That is why; it is recommended that it should be substituted up to fifty percent maximum.
In conclusion, we can say that all-purpose flour is used in a lot of recipes and delicacies like cakes, muffins, samosas, pastries, cupcakes, etc. But it is not so healthy as compared to all the other flours. It can raise our sugar levels to some point and also damage our digestive systems. Therefore, there is a need to substitute it with a healthier flour. The best flour that can be used in place of all-purpose flour is whole wheat flour. It is sometimes easier to replace, but other times very difficult. Hence, we should start replacing it with small ratios. At first, replacing only one-fourth, then one-third, and then by half. If you don’t want to ruin the texture, taste, and mildness of the item you are baking or cooking, you should not raise the amount more than half. Happy baking!