Sub for flour.......

banslug

banslug

Cathlete
In the quest to make my home-baked goods healthier, I'm looking for a way to cut down on or replace the white flour and/or sugar I'm currently using. I keep baked goods on hand pretty much all the time...usually things like breads, muffins, pound cakes, etc so my kids can grab and go when needed. Banana muffins, carrot cupcakes, angel food cake, the occasional CHOCOLATE CAKE.....may not be the healthiest option but they ARE homemade and have the extra fruit in them, and I usually sub things like applesauce, apple butter, pumpkin butter or canned pumpkin for ALL the oil and/or butter.

ANYWAY....I'm looking for either a total, partial, or even gradual replacement for the flour and/or sugar. The only restriction I have is that I WILL NOT use Splenda or the other sugar replacements (can't think of the other names.) Anything like oat flour, sprouted grains, etc that YOU'VE used successfully without totally losing the flavor would be appreciated!

TIA
 
Spelt flour

I have a friend who is allergic to wheat and bakes a lot. She uses spelt flour instead. It's available in the healthy section of grocery stores.

Good luck!
 
I've had pretty good success with oat, spelt and buckwheat flours, although the buckwheat items tend to get browner than others, the flavor is still good. I've also messed around with coconut flour and had varying results...but that's just a whole other animal.

I've also subbed honey, maple syrup and sucanat for regular sugar in things and it's worked out well. You sometimes just have to cut back a little on other wet ingredients with the honey and maple syrup.

Disclaimer: I only bake unfussy stuff, muffins, quick breads, dense cakes where I can be a sloppy cook. Nothing fancy that has to be fluffy or perfect...I just don't have that attention to detail! :eek:
 
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I have been using whole wheat pastry flour in place of white flour for pretty much any recipe these days. One exception is if I'm making something special for a party like a birthday cake. Otherwise anything I bake for my own household lately gets the whole wheat. Muffins and quick breads are my most common and they all come out well. Haven't heard any complaints!
 
Hi Gayle

I too am on a quest to reduce the amount of sugar and wheat in my girl's (7 and 4) diet. I thought you might like to try this recipe my sister gave me that she found on the internet:

Oat & Naner Drops

1 c oats (the recipe calls for quick, but I use large flake)
1 c ground oats
1/4 t salt
1/4 cinnamon (I use more - you can also try other spices)
1/4 nutmeg (I don't use this because I never have it on hand)
1 t baking powder
1 c (about 2) overripe bananas, mashed
1 t vanilla
3 T oil of choice (I really like coconut oil in these :))

Mix dry, mix wet, combine. Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper or greased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 min at 350.

My girls love these! However, I DO make a few changes:

sub 1/4 c ground flax for ground oats
add 1/4 c hemp seeds (I don't use nuts because our school is nut free)
add 1/4 mini chocolate chips (there is no added sugar in the recipe, so I don't feel bad about this at all)
I use a large icecream scoop and pat down the drop to about 1/2" thick to make a big cookie that is sort of like a muffin top. I bake mine at 300 for about 30 minutes to preserve the healthy fats in the flax and hemp seeds.

I am in the process of experimenting with this to come up with an apple version and a peanut butter version to mimic my girls favourite granola bars.


I also bake our bread so that I know what is going into it - I have tried some sprouted grain recipes, but they bombed. I have subbed ground oats, amaranth and/or quinoa for SOME of the flour, but I have had to be careful how much or the taste/texture can be thrown off.

If anyone has a method for sprouted grain bread that will not take me a week for one loaf I would be eternally grateful!!! :)

Happy baking!
Corrie
 
Thanks for all the input, and for that recipe, Corrie. Looks yummy and I'll be trying it this weekend. I REALLY appreciate all your help, ladies!
 
I'm in love with spelt flour right now. It's SOOOOO yummy. I make spelt chocolate chip cookies for my kids lunches and spelt/ chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. (Yes, sadly, I'm in love with chocolate too, but I use the mini chips and a little go a LONG way. :p) I just can't say enough good things about spelt!!
 
I would just slowly replace the white all purpose flour with whole wheat for pastries. For breads, since I mainly do european hearth breads, I use a lot of whole grain rye flour, flakes, berries and whole wheat. I would also stay away from bleached, self rising flour.

No matter what flour you use, homemade treads are better than the average store bought item simply because of no additives and preservatives.

It's not homemade goodies that make one fat, it's eating too much of it.
 
Katerchen said:
No matter what flour you use, homemade treads are better than the average store bought item simply because of no additives and preservatives.

It's not homemade goodies that make one fat, it's eating too much of it.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU for saying this...I totally agree. I like to have something under my 'cake dome' ALL the time so that when my kids want/need a quick run-out-the-door snack or something small just an hour before dinner cuz they're STARVED, I can allow them a homemade, from-the-heart treat knowing that the preservatives, additives, and fake flavorings were left on the shelves at the store. Still not THE best thing to choose (yes, there is always fruit and veggies) because of the flour and sugar, it's a little taste of LOVE from Mom :D (me) and a relatively-healthy munchie for them.
 
what silbow said

Definitely the quinoa or almond. Its a bit of a trick to replace all the flour with an alternative because the alternatives (spelt not included which is not gluten free) are usually gluten free. Gluten is what gives baked goods their texture usually (that and whatever leavener is used.) I would say try the whole wheat pastry flour or you can usually substitute a 1/3 or 1/2 the flour with a different kind of flour like buckwheat which is excellent and high in protein. Try the buckwheat crepes, those are fun to make and eat with some ricotta and fruit.

Btw, you can use some oils in your baking without it causing a problem for your health. Olive oil and coconut oil work beautifully and so does Safflower. Coconut has a higher water content. The only deal with using apple sauce is it dramatically increases the sugar content and normally its fruit which raises your triglyceride levels. Olive oil typically lowers cholesterol levels.
 
I just wanted to bump this up with a reply, and add in what I've been doing since I originally asked this question.

First, THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU that shared your input. I took it ALL and have been experimenting! :) I have been using whole wheat flour and spelt and subbing part of what's called for in the original recipe with a combo of these 2. In other words, I just made a banana muffin recipe that called for 2.75 C flour, so I used 1C regular flour, 1C spelt and .75C w/w. I've also been slowly replacing white granulated sugar with Sucanat....OH HOW I LOVE the taste of this stuff! I haven't had a single issue with ANYthing that I've made using these subs and the texture, taste, and consistency haven't been effected. I'm still playing and trying different recipes with different combos, and plan on trying many of the other suggestions you all shared!

I feel just a bit better about the stuff under the cake dome! :)

THANKS AGAIN! You all ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D
 
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