Question: I need about 11/2 cups of flour for making cookies but would like to include some whole-wheat flour in the mix. In what proportions should I mix
regular all-purpose with whole-wheat for the best results? - Gloria, Palm Beach Gardens
Answer: Part of the answer depends on what kind of cookies you are planning to bake.The change will be more noticeable, both in appearance and taste, if the
cookies are either thinner or whiter, such as sugar or gingerbread cookies, and less obtrusive in more robust ones like oatmeal or chocolate chip.
Much also will depend on your taste, although there is no question that the higher the percentage of whole wheat in the cookies the better they will be for
your health.
Whole wheat flour is coarser and more gritty. It also has a somewhat tannic taste, which some palates may construe as bitterness. The cookies are thus likely
to be denser and darker.
To find out your tolerance level, it is best to do some experiments. I'd start by replacing about 25 percent of the all-purpose for delicate cookies.
For more sturdy ones, you can start off with an even 50-50 mix. Of course, if you can find the new white whole wheat flour, you can start with a much higher
ratio with almost no taste or textural differences.
Here are hints to ease the transition, gleaned mostly from Whole Grain Baking, an admirable and timely book published by King Arthur Flour Co. of Vermont
(2006, The Countryman press)
* Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice per cup of flour, replacing other liquids; if none is called for, the cookies may turn out flatter and crisper, but the
taste will be better.
* To minimize the spreading, bake them on parchment paper instead of greasing the pan, which allows less "hold."
* To let the brans soften and feel less gritty, cool and store the cookies in a closed jar for 24 hours before eating.
Source: Gholam RahmanSpecial to The Palm Beach PostThursday, July 05, 2007
regular all-purpose with whole-wheat for the best results? - Gloria, Palm Beach Gardens
Answer: Part of the answer depends on what kind of cookies you are planning to bake.The change will be more noticeable, both in appearance and taste, if the
cookies are either thinner or whiter, such as sugar or gingerbread cookies, and less obtrusive in more robust ones like oatmeal or chocolate chip.
Much also will depend on your taste, although there is no question that the higher the percentage of whole wheat in the cookies the better they will be for
your health.
Whole wheat flour is coarser and more gritty. It also has a somewhat tannic taste, which some palates may construe as bitterness. The cookies are thus likely
to be denser and darker.
To find out your tolerance level, it is best to do some experiments. I'd start by replacing about 25 percent of the all-purpose for delicate cookies.
For more sturdy ones, you can start off with an even 50-50 mix. Of course, if you can find the new white whole wheat flour, you can start with a much higher
ratio with almost no taste or textural differences.
Here are hints to ease the transition, gleaned mostly from Whole Grain Baking, an admirable and timely book published by King Arthur Flour Co. of Vermont
(2006, The Countryman press)
* Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice per cup of flour, replacing other liquids; if none is called for, the cookies may turn out flatter and crisper, but the
taste will be better.
* To minimize the spreading, bake them on parchment paper instead of greasing the pan, which allows less "hold."
* To let the brans soften and feel less gritty, cool and store the cookies in a closed jar for 24 hours before eating.
Source: Gholam RahmanSpecial to The Palm Beach PostThursday, July 05, 2007
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