Baking Yummy Treats With All Wheat Flour

For as long as I can remember, I have baked with a 50/50 combination of wheat and unbleached, all purpose white flour. This is usually an easy compromise because most recipes I've tried turn out fine with this ratio, with very few exceptions. But for about a year or so, I have been particularly interested in converting to whole wheat only, or a combination of different wheat and whole-grain flours.

I use the term “whole wheat only” because I've found in several recipes that “whole wheat” means that there is some whole wheat flour in the food being described, often less than 50% of the total flour included. Personally, I think this is kind of like false-advertising, but what can you do.

I must confess that it's taken me longer than I would have liked to dive into using whole wheat only in some of my favorite foods. My experiences with whole wheat only were a bit rocky getting started, having not always been impressed by wheat recipes that are “guaranteed” to succeed. Thankfully, I've now had many whole wheat only successes with some of my favorite old recipes. I even have whole wheat only recipes I am willing to let non-healthy-food-eaters try. That's a big test for me. I don't like to turn off people who are already sure they hate healthy foods by feeding them a wheaty brick. I usually “cop out” for my old 50/50 combination on guests that fit this profile. I'm still doing some 50/50 recipes, but I'm expanding. I am also trying more whole-grain and multi-grain recipes for the nutrition and variety that they offer.

Below, you will find two of my recent whole wheat only successes. They are a success in two ways: first being the wheat content, and the second being my successful use of applesauce as a substitute for some of the oil in my original recipes. My first attempts at subbing some applesauce for oil or butter were flops. My cookies were bland and dry and my zucchini bread was just dry and crumbly in a really bad way. However, the Carrot Cake Muffins and improved Zucchini Cake (recipes below), were moist and amazing. Just what a healthy treat should be. I hope you enjoy them too. Happy cooking!

If you have a whole wheat only, whole-grain, or multi-grain recipe that you love, please do share it with me, or post it as a comment on here so that others can enjoy it too.

Carrot Cake Muffins

2 c. whole wheat flour, minus 2 Tbls

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 c. honey

4 eggs

1 c. extra light olive oil (plus 1 Tbls to oil muffin tins)

2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

4 c. peeled, grated carrots

1 c. chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin pan with paper cups or lightly grease pan with extra oil and sprinkle with flour. Shake out any excess flour into a bowl to use in recipe or into a trash receptacle. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Combine honey, eggs, oil and applesauce in a different bowl. Gradually add liquids to your dry ingredients, stir continuously. Add grated carrots. Spoon mix into muffin cups or a prepared muffin pan until each space is about ¾ full. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top if desired. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin to check for doneness. The toothpick should come out without any wet batter on it, but it may have some moist crumbs stuck to it. Allow muffins to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy! (This recipe makes about 2 dozen muffins.)

All-Wheat Zucchini Cake

3 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ c. honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 c. extra light olive oil

1 c. applesauce

3 c. grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and flour 2, 9x12 inch cake pans. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt. In another bowl, beat eggs and add oil, applesauce, honey and vanilla. Pour liquid mixture into the dry ingredients bowl and stir well. Add grated zucchini. Pour batter into 2 prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting toothpicks into the middle of the cakes. The toothpicks should come out without any wet batter on them, but they may have some moist crumbs stuck to them. Cool on wire racks and enjoy.

You can also use this batter for muffins. Cook muffins at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Please note: All original written material, photographs, and recipes on this blog are the sole property of the authors thereof and may not be copied, in whole or in part, or reprinted elsewhere, without the express written permission of the authors. Recipes can be copied for your personal in-home use.