How to Substitute Whole Wheat Flour for All-Purpose Flour
You can replace some but not all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour when baking. Swapping equal amounts results in baked goods that are too dense with an off-putting flavor. Blending whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour will lighten the finished product while adding the nutritional benefits of whole wheat. Try it the next time you make breading for a chicken breast recipe, or thicken a sauce. Just remember the flavor could vary. Buy It: King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour ($5, Target) When baking, experiment with your ratio of whole wheat to all-purpose. Start by swapping one-third of the amount of flour in your recipe for whole wheat (if your recipe calls for one cup flour, use ⅓ cup whole wheat and ⅔ cup all-purpose). If that result is good, increase to use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. Because whole wheat flour is ground from the entire wheat kernel to retain more nutrients and fiber, it also has a coarser texture, which doesn’t work as well when you’re trying to bake something airy and light.
How to Use White Whole Wheat Flour
Increasingly common in grocery stores is white whole wheat flour. Nutritionally it’s the same as whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is still made from the entire kernel (aka a whole grain), the plant itself is simply lighter in color and flavor. In baking, you may be able to substitute higher ratios of white whole wheat flour to all-purpose flour than regular whole wheat flour before you notice flavor differences. As healthy flour substitutes go, this is a good one to have in your arsenal. Buy It: King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour ($5, Target)
Whole Wheat Flour vs All-Purpose Flour Nutrition
You know whole wheat flour is a whole grain, but how do the nutrients really stack up? Here’s how they sift out on a cup-by-cup comparison.
In one cup all-purpose flour: 12 grams protein, 92 grams carbohydrate, four grams fiber, zero grams fat.In one cup whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour): 16 grams protein, 84 grams carbohydrate, 12 grams fiber, two grams fat
Whether you need an emergency substitution or are just trying to make healthier food choices, you can handle using whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose.
