Proper Storage of Whole Grain Flours

Expectation: That whole grain foods are dry, heavy and bitter.

As you know from reading my page about whole grains, one of the things that makes grains "whole" is the vitamin-rich germ. In refined grains, this germ (along with it's good fats, fiber and nutrients) is stripped away, leaving a finer flour.

The main reason why whole grain foods taste bitter is because they contain healthy oils that, once oxidized, can go rancid. This rancidity is actually the cause of the bitter taste that many of us associate with whole grains. Although it does not affect the safety or performance of the flour, the rancid germ has certainly affected the popularity. Don't let it stop you from baking healthier treats! In order to prevent this bitter taste, store whole grains in the refrigerator or freezer to minimize the oxidation.

Or, if you have a ton of time on your hands (and an electric grinder), you can grind your own flours just before you bake with them. Happy baking!

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the New Appliances!!

Some of you may remember my post New Town New Kitchen where I talked about the oven in our new apartment. It was a sturdy old thing - definitely use-able. But for somebody with such immediate baking needs (hello, I have a blog!), it just wasn't cutting it. The main issue was that it was 100 degrees hotter than what I set it to. Thank goodness I had a little thermometer that I could stick in there. It turned out that the stove portion wasn't quite right either - it worked on the higher temperatures, but if you set it to "medium" it was pretty much just "off". So, we complained.

We are not really complainers (at least not outwardly), but this particular issue seemed enough of a big deal to merit a complaint. A repairman came to look at it and determined that the thermostat was the problem (good thing we called a repairman to find that one out!), and he called his supplier to find out how much a new one would cost. Apparently these thermostats are expensive, because lo and behold - a new range is here!!

It arrived this morning and is shiny-and-clean-and-brand-spanking-new! This could possibly be the only time in my life when I have a brand new appliance (especially on somebody else's dollar) and boy am I going to take advantage of it!

Now we're working on a new dishwasher... does that come in stainless steel, please?

A Chocolate Chip Party!

Expectation: That there is no such thing as a delicious whole grain chocolate chip cookie.

Winner: Laura's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chippers

I knew I had to attempt the chocolate chip cookie, but I also knew I would need some help. So, I called the pro herself: Mom. But, instead of just one mom, I called in back up. I invited 4 friends and their moms for a whole grain chocolate chip cookie baking party! Despite being slightly chaotic, the party was a ton of fun and the cookies were all really tasty. Everybody was surprised at the outcome and we all had a hard time picking a winner. 

I chose four recipes (one for each pair) that were different, but each was a "basic" chocolate chip cookie with no additions like cranberries, oatmeal or nuts. I'm sure that all of these recipes would taste great with cranberries, oatmeal and nuts but, for purposes of testing, we needed to keep it simple. 

The recipes we made were: 

The winner: Laura's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chippers

Recipe by: our close family friend and neighbor Laura

Made by: Laura and her daughter Megan

Laura makes the BEST chocolate chip cookies, and her recipe is highly coveted. We got permission to use the recipe and substituted only 3/4 of the white flour with whole wheat flour, leaving 1/2 cup of white flour. But, we all agreed that you couldn't taste the whole wheat at all, so substituting all 2 cups would work just fine. Absolutely scrumptious!

A close second: Healthy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from: Kitchen Stewardship

Made by: my sister-in-law-to-be Erin and her mom Sharon

While doing my research, I came across this recipe. The reviews were great, and I was intrigued by the use of coconut oil. These are some delicious cookies!

In third place: Classic Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book

Made by: my mom and me

I chose this recipe because it uses Barley flour. These are slightly crunchier cookies, and overall pretty tasty!

And last: Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Made by: My good friends Shea and Jillian (no mom involved)

I'm not quite sure what happened here, but these cookies didn't turn out quite right. I can't say for sure that it was caused by the lack of mother involved, but it is a little suspicious. I chose the recipe because of some interesting ingredients: honey, espresso powder, cider vinegar, and white whole wheat flour. The cookies had really great flavor, but they lacked "presence" or "oomph". I love you Shea and Jillian!!

Before the guests arrived, I set up stations for each pair and put all the ingredients in the center of the room. We also provided snacks and wine, to keep everybody in good spirits! 

As guests arrived, each pair got to work on their recipe.  

Once the cookies were in the oven, my mom kept everyone outside while I set up the tasting stations. The hardest part was keeping everyone from tasting their cookies before the "official" tasting! I set out four bowls with one kind of cookie in each bowl. Guests went down the line tasting each cookie and dropped an M&M in the bowl of the cookies they liked the best. 

The clear winner was Laura's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chippers (although these really were a close second).

I asked Laura if she had any tricks, and she says to not let the butter get too soft and to take them out of the oven after 10 minutes, when they should be barely browned and they will cook the rest of the way on the pan.. And, as an experienced eater of Laura's delicious cookies, I know that she makes them really big, and really full of chocolate chips! She even makes them with walnuts sometimes, which I LOVE.

WARNING: I'm about to tell you the nutrition facts for one cookie. I suggest that you not scroll down and look, because I'm a true believer in the health benefits of chocolate chip cookies (being happy is good for you, right?). And now I'm going to list some of the health benefits of dark chocolate (semi sweet counts as dark), just because I think you should know:

• lowers blood pressure
• lowers bad cholesterol
• contains antioxidants
• contains epicatechin (this is something that is good for you, apparently)
• stimulates endorphins (makes you happy!!)
• contains seratonin (anti-depressant)
• contains healthy fats like oleic acid (also found in olive oil)

And I know I don't have to tell you the benefits of whole grains, since you're reading this blog. So, now that you know the tremendous health benefits of whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, here are the nutrition facts, if you must look. But first I'm showing you one more picture just in case you change your mind. 

My best estimate of the nutrition facts for one cookie (if you make 16 like we did - these are BIG):

355 calories

21g fat

44g carbohydrate

4g fiber

GI 73

GL 32

About the ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour contains the macro nutrients of the wheat's bran and germ (the whole kernel). It is hearty and more robust than white flour and a good source of calcium, iron and fiber. It can be substituted for some or all of the white flour in most recipes, and found in most grocery stores.

Espresso Powder starts with specifically selected coffee beans that are ground and brewed to make espresso. After brewing, the grounds are then dried and crushed into a fine powder. This powder can also be used to make instant espresso or as a garnish. If you cannot (or don't have time to) find espresso powder, you can use instant coffee or finely ground coffee beans in it's place. Espresso powder is much more concentrated than instant coffee, and has a darker, richer flavor, so adjust to taste.

Hazelnut Espresso Coffeecake

Expectation: To make another amazing whole-grain coffeecake for a special weekend.

Winner: Hazelnut Espresso Coffeecake

I was looking for an interesting and delicious breakfast treat to have around on a special weekend. As soon as I read the name of this coffeecake, I knew I had to make it. I love hazelnuts, and I really love chocolate, and this coffeecake has both! The final product has a drier texture than expected, but it tastes amazing with coffee. If you're a coffee, chocolate or hazelnut fan, I guarantee you will love this coffeecake!

One interesting thing this recipe calls for is espresso powder. My King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book (where I found the recipe) describes espresso powder as "chocolate's best friend." It says to "use 1/2 to 2 teaspoons in chocolate baked goods, frostings, and sauces; a touch of espresso powder enhances chocolate's flavor without adding any coffee flavor of its own."

I didn't expect this ingredient to be difficult to find, but was soon proven wrong. The first place I tried was Whole Foods. I thought it might be in the baking section, near cocoa powder and that kind of thing, but it was nowhere to be found. Eventually I made my way over to the coffee kiosk, and asked the girl behind the counter. She hadn't heard of it, but thought it sounded like something that would be used in Tiramisu, and took me to ask the baker in the baking section. The baker told us that it is not used in Tiramisu, and that the yummy dark powder on top of Tiramisu is cocoa powder. Meanwhile, the coffee girl made me a bit of finely ground espresso beans, just in case I had no luck. The baker told me to check an Italian grocery store, so I set out next to AG Ferrari. They also didn't have espresso powder, although, like Whole Foods, they carry instant coffee for baking. Still feeling hopeful, I checked Draegers to no avail. I did eventually find espresso powder online, sold by King Arthur Flour. Perhaps it's a marketing ploy afterall. Matt surprised me with a jar on my birthday, which I still have to put to the test, and I ended up using the finely ground espresso beans in the coffeecake.

Nutrition facts for one serving (1/16th cake):

414 calories

22g fat

46g carbohydrate

4g fiber

GI 58

GL 29

About the grains and ingredients:

Espresso Powder starts with specifically selected coffee beans that are ground and brewed to make espresso. After brewing, the grounds are then dried and crushed into a fine powder. This powder can also be used to make instant espresso or as a garnish. If you cannot (or don't have time to) find espresso powder, you can use instant coffee or finely ground coffee beans in it's place. Espresso powder is much more concentrated than instant coffee, and has a darker, richer flavor, so adjust to taste.

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour comes from the same grain as regular whole wheat flour, but is made from a softer variety and milled to a finer texture. It has a higher starch content, but is lower in gluten and protein. The end product is lighter and more tender than that of regular whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour can be found at most health food grocery stores (I found it at Whole Foods).

Bran Flax Muffins

Expectation: That the recipe on the bag wouldn't be anything to write home about.

Winning Recipe: Bran Flax Muffins

This recipe is an old favorite. Years ago, my mom and I bought some flaxseed meal because we had heard about it's health benefits, and wanted to see what we could do with it. So, we tried the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill bag, and were blown away! These muffins are fantastic. They are full of great things: two whole grains (including healthy flaxseed), carrots, apples, raisins and nuts! And they are a perfect on-the-go breakfast, as they are quite filling.

I can't take any credit for these, but I just had to post them. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and shredded (any consistency from chunks to applesauce will work)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped (I use walnuts)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with paper baking cups; set aside. Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Yields 15 medium muffins.

Nutrition facts for one muffin:
178 calories
2.4g fat
37g carbohydrate
4g fiber
GI 90
GL 33

About the grains:

Flaxseed is a great source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The grain has a tough outer coating that must be crushed or ground in order to unlock the nutritional benefits, including large amounts of fiber as well as natural antioxidants. Flaxseed Meal is ground up flaxseed. It can be used in most recipes as a substitute for white flour, eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons of water = 1 egg), and oil or butter (3 tablespoons = 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or oil). 

Oat Bran is the outer coating of oats, which contains the bulk of the soluble fiber and other nutrients. Oat bran is a good source of iron, potassium and thiamin. The carbohydrate content of oat bran is even lower than that of whole oats. It is a safe bet to substitute 1/3 of white or all-purpose flour with oat bran in many recipes. It can be found at most supermarkets, and it has a GI value of 55. 

New Town, New Kitchen

Many of you know that I have moved to Seattle, and I am finally settled enough to write a post! Along with the new town, which I love so far, I now have a new kitchen! Well, it's not new at all, it's actually quite old. But, it's new to me, and it feels HUGE compared to my last one.

The really exciting news, however, is the oven. I turned it on the other night to reheat some pizza, and set it to 300. About 10 minutes later, once it was preheated, I checked my handy thermometer that I had stuck in there, and sure enough it read: 400.

So now I have an oven that is 100 degrees higher than it says! This will be fun...

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Cinnamon Rolls

Expectation: That whole grains would overpower delicate cinnamon roll dough.

Winning Recipe: Spelt Cinnamon Rolls

When I told my friend Shea about this blog, she claimed cinnamon rolls as the challenge she wanted to help take on. We tried two different recipes, one for Dark and Dangerous Cinnamon Buns from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book, which the book described as "simply irresistible," and another from Spelt Healthy! which promised "succulent and moist" rolls. Both recipes were labor intensive, taking over 5 hours total preparation time, but both lived up to our expectation. Surprisingly, spelt came out on top! The "dark and dangerous" buns had a lot of flavor, but the end result was overall too sweet, and I got flashbacks of the great pretzel failure when the dough did not obviously rise. 

The recipe is intense, but if you follow it correctly, I promise you will be happy with the results!

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 4 cups white spelt flour
• 2 cups whole grain spelt flour

Filling

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins

Icing

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• milk (as needed)

Preparations:

Dough: First off, make sure the butter and eggs are out of the refrigerator. Over medium-low heat, warm the milk until it bubbles around the edges. Keep good watch to make sure it doesn't boil or burn on the sides. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, salt and butter. Set aside to cool, but stick in a thermometer and keep an eye on the temperature.

Warm a large mixing bowl by running under hot water, then dry. To the bowl, add 1/4 cup warm water and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir to dissolve and let sit for 10 minutes, until creamy. Ideally, after these 10 minutes, the milk mixture should be at 95°F. If it's not, it's ok to keep the yeast waiting. If needed, stir the milk to cool it off.

When ready, add the milk mixture to the yeast. Add the eggs, 2 cups of the white spelt flour and 1 cup of the whole grain spelt flour. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. In half cup increments, gradually stir in the rest of the flour. The dough should be slightly sticky. Turn out onto generously floured surface and lightly knead to form a soft, smooth dough. 

Place the dough in a lightly buttered or oiled boil and turn to coat all sides of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap, lid or damp towel; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume. Test after 25-30 minutes by lightly pressing into dough. If impression remains, dough is ripe. If dough is sticking to the edges of the bowl, detach with a plastic spatula. Depress dough by pressing down with lightly closed fist using gentle strength (do not punch!) to work across and around. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. With pastry scraper or sharp knife, divide into two equal pieces. Cover each piece with bowl or plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Roll or pat one piece into a rectangle about 12" long and 9" wide. Spread 2 tbsp softened butter across surface. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup raisins. Roll from the long side and cut into 12 1-inch slices. Place rolls close together on lightly-buttered jelly roll pan or baking sheet and repeat with the other half. 

Place plastic wrap sprayed with oil over rolls and set aside in a warm place to rise. Check after 15 minutes by doing the same fingertip test. As they rise, preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the rolls have risen, place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are lightly brown and sides are creamy white. 

As the rolls cool, prepare the icing. Combine the confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla and add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. The cooler the rolls, the thicker the icing, so this step takes a bit of self control. To store leftover rolls, place in airtight container with wax paper between layers and keep at room temperature or place in freezer. 

Nutrition facts for one roll:

276 calories

12g fat

45g carbohydrate

3.5g fiber

GI 75

GL 35

About the grains and ingredients:

Whole Grain Spelt Flour has a sweeter, milder flavor and contains four times the amount of fiber and about 40% more protein. Baked goods made with spelt have a more fragile structure than those made with wheat, so it shouldn't be used as a substitute in all cases. It does work well in muffins, quick breads and cakes, because of it's lighter, more tender qualities. It has a GI of 63. I purchased a bag of Bob's Red Mill whole grain spelt flour for $4.85 at Safeway.

White Spelt Flour, although stripped of it's bran and germ, still has a healthy amount of nutrients because the vitamins and minerals are more evenly distributed throughout the grain. It has a GI of 65. I purchased white spelt flour in bulk from Whole Foods. 

Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking Mix: Pancakes

I recently purchased a box of Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking & Pancake mix and have already posted about the biscuits.

The baking mix contains white flour, whole wheat flour, ground rolled oats, leavening (baking powder), soybean oil, sugar, yellow cornmeal, wheat bran, oat bran, brown rice flour, salt and buttermilk. That's six different whole grains! And it's super easy to work with. I was a fan before I even used it!

Today I made the pancakes. The recipe makes 12 pancakes (although, I think I ended up with 9 because I made them a little larger). Just 2 cups of baking mix, 1 cup milk (I used soy milk because that's all I had), 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of oil.

I was very pleased with the end result. The "healthy" taste that was apparent in the biscuits was not present in the pancakes. I would definitely recommend these - they were really easy to make and tasted great!

Here are the nutrition facts of 1/3 cup of the baking mix (one pancake was 1/3 cup):

150 calories

2g fat

28g carbohydrates

2g fiber

Vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes

Expectation: That it's impossible to bake anything that tastes good without butter...or eggs...or milk.

Winner: Vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes

I had never intended to attempt a vegan baked good, but my mom called with a challenge: she needed something to bring to a bridal shower for a vegan, so why not try something that would also work for the blog? My initial research turned up a bunch of recipes using margarine instead of butter, or weird egg substitutes, which, as you know from my food ideals, is not acceptable for this blog. And then I found The Post Punk Kitchen, a vegan cooking show and website, with some great information and recipes that use whole, natural ingredients.

The recipe that caught my eye was for Chai Latte Cupcakes. Although the original recipe has no whole grains, it had gotten great reviews and sounded perfect for the shower. I decided to substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, which works well in cakes.

These cupcakes are amazing! The whole wheat pastry flour fits right in, and any hint of whole wheat is completely masked by the strong spicy flavor. The texture is moist and chewier than most cupcakes (due to the yogurt replacing the eggs), which I actually like better, but they are still light, with a sugary crunch on top. I wish the recipe made more (it only makes 12), as I only got to taste half of one cupcake! I will definitely make a whole batch for myself sometime.

Nutrition facts for one cupcake:

165 calories

5g fat

27g carbohydrate

1.5g fiber

GI 66

GL 18

About the grain:

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour comes from the same grain as regular whole wheat flour, but is made from a softer variety and milled to a finer texture. It has a higher starch content, but is lower in gluten and protein. The end product is lighter and more tender than that of regular whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour can be found at most health food grocery stores (I found it at Whole Foods).

Shortbread

Expectation: To fulfill my craving for shortbread!

Winning Recipe: White Whole Wheat Shortbread Wedges

I had been craving shortbread for a few days and was pretty skeptical that a whole grain version would work, but I was determined! I ended up trying five different recipes before finding the winner. I started with the three recipes in my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book - Scottish Shortbread (which used ground rolled oats), Light and Crunch Oat Shortbread (which combined ground rolled oats and whole rolled oats), and Brown Rice Shortbread (using brown rice flour). All three of these made delicious cookies, but they just didn't have the melt-in-your-mouth quality of true shortbread. So, I began experimenting on my own. The fourth recipe I tried used half white whole wheat flour and half whole wheat pastry flour. These had a much better consistency and a great not-too-sweet flavor, but were a little too hearty. 

Finally I settled on mostly white whole wheat flour with a touch of all-purpose flour. These cookies are lightly sweet, with a tender bite, and extremely easy to make. They are excellent with coffee or dipped in chocolate!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup White Whole Wheat Flour (how to measure flour)
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 325°F. 

Combine flours and sugar; cut in butter until mixture forms crumbs and starts to cling. Form dough into a ball and knead until smooth. 

At this point, you can form the dough however you like. I chose wedges, because they are simple and cute. To make wedges, pat the dough into an 8-inch circle on an ungreased baking sheet. Cut the circle into 16 wedges of equal size (this keeps the shortbread from breaking when you cut it after it's baked).

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bottom just starts to brown and center is set. Cut the wedges again while the cookies are still warm. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 

Nutrition facts for one cookie:

95 calories

5g fat

10g carbohydrate

1g fiber

GI 68

GL 6.8

About the grains:

White Whole Wheat Flour is produced from a hard, white variety of the wheat plant. White whole wheat tastes and appears more like refined flour, even though it has almost the same nutrient content as red whole wheat. You can substitute 25 to 50% (depending on your taste) of the all-purpose flour in cookie, brownie and pancake recipes. I purchased a five pound bag of King Arthur Flour Organic White Whole Wheat Flour for $7.99 at Whole Foods). See how I used it in coffeecake, and peach apricot oatmeal bread.

More Books

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating

This book is the single most influential book on my diet. It is a straight-forward guide to healthy eating for a long, happy life and was the first book that got me really excited about healthy eating. Dr. Willett tears apart the USDA food pyramid and prescribes a brand new pyramid; one that places fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats at the bottom, along with daily exercise. The book contains solid, in-depth explanations of a variety of foods, including whole grains and vitamins. It also includes some great recipes. This is a must-read for anybody interested in the food they eat!

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

Michael Pollan's Food Rules is a small, $6 book that everybody should read. Pollan presents 64 simple rules about food in a very easy-to-understand format. Some of my favorites include:
#2 Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food
#22 Eat mostly plants, especially leaves

and best of all:
#43 Have a glass of wine with dinner.

His "rules" make complete sense, and if you're committed to a healthy lifestyle, are quite easy to follow.

The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index - the Dietary Solution for Lifelong Health

This is the book that I use to get many of the glycemic index values of ingredients used in my recipes. It is perfect for anybody interested in the glycemic load and glycemic index and how they affect us in every-day life.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

This is a really fun book by Barbara Kingsolver that chronicles her family's year eating locally, including many foods grown in her own backyard. Kingsolver writes about the importance of eating whole, organic, in-season fruits and vegetables. The book also makes you appreciate the hard work involved in the lost art of farming. This is a great gift for people who love to read Kingsolver's novels, but haven't quite made the switch to local, organic and sustainable eating. For more information and great recipes, check out www.animalvegetablemiracle.com.