Will never make whole wheat flour cookies again

[Dina]

Has anyone ever made chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour? I did since I ran out of regular flour and eek! not too tasty. I can eat them but the kids will not touch them. Perhaps adding half regular and half whole wheat might be better.

 

[Toots]

I have made pizza dough replacing one third of the white flour with whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is too dense to do a straight substitution.

 

[marmar]

I've never made cookies with wheat flour, but I usually replace half the flour in pumpkin cakes and banana bread with it.

 

[Dina]

There goes my quality chocolate chips.

 

[purrfectlydevine]

I've never seen a cookie recipe calling for all whole wheat flour. Usually up to 1/2 the flour can be whole wheat.

 

[Dina]

The recipe didn't call for it, just ran out of all-purpose flour.

 

[bethzaring]

For nutritional reasons, (white flour has almost no nutritive value), I use whole wheat flour in most everything. I buy whole wheat hard flour and whole wheat soft flour. Whole wheat hard flour is also called bread flour, and is used for yeasted products. Whole wheat soft flour is also called cake or pastry flour. Use this flour in cookies, biscuits, pancakes, anything with baking soda and powder for the leavening.

 

[bethzaring]

I have another thought on why your whole wheat cookies were not liked by your children.

How old was the whole wheat flour? I usually buy mine in 5 pound bags and store it in the freezer, and keep only one bag out in the kitchen at a time. Maybe the flour was rancid.

 

[Gretchen]

You just can't use all whole wheat flour as a sub for white--it is too strong.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Whoel wheat flour grow on you. The first time I ate whole wheat bread, I liked neither the texture nor the flavor. Now I prefer it by a wide, wide margin because it has more flavor and a rougher, more interesting texture. The same is tru of many cookies, such as peanut butter, oatmeal, no-bake, etc.

I've also switched from pasta made exclusively from semolina flour (wheat enosperm), to whole wheat pasta. Again, initially, the added flavor and texture put me off. But now that I'm used to it, I prefer it.

As others have mentioned, start with part white, part whole wheat. And as everyone gets used to the flavor and texture of whole wheat, increase its amount in your recipes. Also, don't forget about other whole grains such as rolled barley, roled oats, buckwheat, and rye. I was surprised to find that rye flour is milder in flavor than in whole wheat, making it a great choice for breads, biscuits, etc. It is the mollases and caraway that give rye breads their strong flavors. When ommited, rye bread is light and vey mild in flavor, good stuff.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[bethzaring]

Whoaaaa Gretchen, that is a pretty strong statement. I have been using whole wheat flour for about 35 years now and do very will with it. Thanks Goodweed for your gentle approach!!

 

[purrfectlydevine]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know when white all purpose flour first was sold? I would think that before that all baking and dishes made with flour were made with whole wheat flour.

 

[bethzaring]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know when white all purpose flour first was sold? I would think that before that all baking and dishes made with flour were made with whole wheat flour.

I was thinking the same question. I did a little googling and found that white refined flour has been around for 2 centuries. And what I found on the evils of white flour was alarming. I have forgotten how bad that stuff is.

Two important points I learned in my nutrition studies in college, and this was a few years ago.......was

#1. A lot is not known about food, nutrition and how if effects the human body.

#2. Check the sources for any information you read. Very important who is giving the data, is it reliable, has it been documented, have there been scientific trials and what were the results, read the test results yourself.......

 

[Robo410]

I have had real success with subbing 1/4 to 1/3 the quantity in all kinds of things from cakes to cookies to popovers. The flavor is richer and texture a little denser...more toothy. Obviously, a simple yellow cake may not benefit from this.

 

[bethzaring]

I am wondering if the brand of whole wheat flour has contributed to some of your problems. I have used Arrowhead Mills, Bob's, Bob Evans, Hodgson Mills and King Arthur flours with excellent results. King Arthur is now carrying a White Whole Wheat flour, reportedly with a milder flavor.
I use whole wheat flour exclusively in bread, rolls, cookies, brownies, pie crusts, pancakes, and muffins.
I use 50/50 white/whole wheat flour in one dinner roll recipe, pizza dough and french bread. And the white flour I buy has not been bleached, it is labeled as unbleached.

I use over 400 pounds of flour a year and most of it is whole wheat. I believe what you eat has an effect on your health. I also believe that food is perishable. Anything that has a shelf life of a year, (white flour, shortening, cake mix) is not real food and I won't buy or eat it.

 

[Andy M.]

...Whole wheat hard flour is also called bread flour, and is used for yeasted products. Whole wheat soft flour is also called cake or pastry flour. Use this flour in cookies, biscuits, pancakes, anything with baking soda and powder for the leavening.

These descriptions also apply to white flours. Hard flour is bread flour and soft flour is cake flour.

 

[BrianMorin]

I have made pizza dough replacing one third of the white flour with whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is too dense to do a straight substitution.

I only use whole grain flours as I grind them myself. It is just that you have to take more care with whole grain flours. You also have to use more liquid as the bran takes up a lot of water. It is a different style of cookery, but I have always used just whole grain flours at home. While I was in a bakery I had to use white flour. Even the commercial whole grain flours seem "white" to me. (the white reference was only in relationship to the different flours. )

 

[BrianMorin]

I've never seen a cookie recipe calling for all whole wheat flour. Usually up to 1/2 the flour can be whole wheat.

You would probably find 100% whole wheat recipes in one or both of these books:

1. "Laurels's Kitchen Recipes" by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders and Brian Ruppenthal
2. "The Book of Whole Grains" by Marlene Anne Bumgarner

Take care

 

[BrianMorin]

For nutritional reasons, (white flour has almost no nutritive value), I use whole wheat flour in most everything. I buy whole wheat hard flour and whole wheat soft flour. Whole wheat hard flour is also called bread flour, and is used for yeasted products. Whole wheat soft flour is also called cake or pastry flour. Use this flour in cookies, biscuits, pancakes, anything with baking soda and powder for the leavening.

Good point bethzaring.

 

[BrianMorin]

I have another thought on why your whole wheat cookies were not liked by your children.

How old was the whole wheat flour? I usually buy mine in 5 pound bags and store it in the freezer, and keep only one bag out in the kitchen at a time. Maybe the flour was rancid.

I hate to give you the impression that I am following you, but another very good point.