Baking with multigrain flour was not something I had considered until I received a package of multigrain flour through the combined community supported agriculture (CCSA) program I am a part of. When I joined the CCSA, I had no idea that I would also get locally milled flour! This flour was destined to go in a cupcake!
The multigrain flour (ten grain varieties, to be exact) was from Kimker Farms. They also sell at a local farmer's market and I was excited to see them there the day of my planned cupcake baking. I had been debating whether I should use half multigrain flour and half white flour in baking or whether I could use all multigrain flour instead of white. The helpful woman at Kimker said I could do direct substitution and use all multigrain instead of white, but did it work?
Can You Directly Substitute Multigrain Flour For White Flour?
I tried directly substituting multigrain flour for white flour, but it didn't work as I had hoped. My test cupcake was far too crumbly - it completely fell apart when I picked it up. It seemed the multigrain flour had absorbed more of the cake moisture than white flour would have.
To solve this problem, I added an extra egg and some extra oil to the recipe. My cupcakes stuck together perfectly.
Note: My friend Lori of Life in Webster Groves used the same 10 grain flour to make a strawberry bread. She also found that she needed to increase the liquid to make her recipe work.
How Does Multigrain Flour Affect the Taste of Your Baking?
Multigrain flour is going to taste different than white flour. The big difference is that it actually has a taste. White flour takes on other flavors of your baking, while multigrain brings its own flavor elements.
How Does Multigrain Flour Affect the Texture of Your Baking?
Not surprisingly, the multigrain flour caused my cupcakes to be more grainy. This isn't a bad thing, just something to be aware of. The change in texture led many to feel that they were more muffiny than cupcakey. However, as noted above, they were plenty moist after my modifications.
Multigrain Has Multi Meanings
Everything I wrote about multigrain flour above will vary depending on the exact mix of grains in your multigrain flour. I highly recommend experimenting with some different flours. Let me know how it goes.
Related Posts
- The multigrain cupcakes with strawberries uses this flour.
- Check out my post on semolina flour for another idea of a different flour to bake with.
Ah yes, the complexities of whole-grain flours. I think it's one of the reasons why we stick with plain ol' white -- it's easy, it's predictable and it always turns out just as we expect it to.
ReplyDeleteWe know you're the experimental type (just look at your cupcakes!) but a good whole grain cookbook might be a good investment.
I always substitute whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour for white flour. For some recipes it doesn't matter but other recipes it does. I've always read to take out 1-2 tbsp per cup (1 cup white flour = 1 cup minus 2 tbsp whole wheat flour) rather than adding more liquids. I've always found that this works best.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks - this is very helpful!
ReplyDeleteSmita
Great stuff, thanks for sharing!
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Thank you very much for the information! My mom loves to substitute regular flour with multi grain and whole-grain flours and she always ends up with brick instead of cakes. I'm printing this and giving it to her, I am pretty sure it will help her.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice. I sifted the flour twice, added an extra egg, added a little applesauce instead of additional oil, and made sure not to overmix. The cupcakes came out super moist. Thanks again!
ReplyDelete