white flour free? HELP!

[Magelet]

So I'm coming to the conclusion that I have to completely cut out white flour out of my diet. I already almost never eat white sugar (pretty much just the rare birthday cake for family birthdays. I've mastered making the cake with palm sugar, but the frosting I haven't tried yet... My mom and sister make the same cake with white sugar still.)

I love white flour. I mean, I try not to eat it too too much, but... When DP makes bread, he makes it about 70% whole wheat and rye, and 30% white flour. We usually make pitas, and fry breads, they are usually partly whole wheat. We do the same with pizza dough. We occasionally get a slice of pizza out that's white sourdough, when I am starving and out. I eat white bread (good white sourdough usually) sometimes at my parents house. I sometimes eat white bread when someone brings it to work (he brings bread products once a week, but every other week or so is it white flour.)

What I'm finding is that I feel like s*** after eating white flour. I really want to stop eating white flour. Help!!! I know it sounds weird, but I'm utterly baffled as to HOW. DP hasn't totally figured out whole wheat baking. How do I say no to the other things as well. And do I have to say no to birthday cake? I feel so awful after eating it, but that's just sad...

And quiche and pies. I know you can buy them but does anyone make GOOD homemade whole wheat pie crust that's light and flakey like a good butter quiche crust and can share a recipe? I just found a pie crust recipe I actually like to eat, when I hate pie crust generally.

[cristeen]

Have you tried white whole wheat?

[organicmidwestmama]

[Magelet]

I'm really not interested at all in being wheat free. I love whole wheat, whole rye, whole spelt, etc, and don't notice any problems with it. I know it's maybe not "as traditional" in a primal sense, but eating whole grains, including wheat is traditional for a very long time for my heritage.

(and actually, I'm not willing to give up white challah, because it's a comfort food, and really really important, but I want to eliminate all the other white flour. And maybe I'll make a partially white wheat partially white flour version...)

I guess maybe I can convince DP to give white whole wheat a try instead... We'll see.

Any other suggustions?

ETA: DP is all for giving white whole wheat a try, if we can find some we can afford, but we're slashing the budget all over the place this month and next, which may even extend to the food budget, and we've only seen it for much more than regular whole wheat. We'll look around

[organicmidwestmama]

i grew up eating challah, and understand the cultural/religious importance of bread to many people around the world. another flour option that IS wheat but is healthier is sprouted whole wheat flour, which you will have to buy online is is really pricey, like over 4$/lb. but my experience is that it bakes better then soaked whole wheat regular flour and tastes better then regular whole wheat.

[JMJ]

If you add more butter to your pie crust, it makes it flakier. Also, if you're grinding your own flour, if you grind it more finely (which increases the glycemic index) or use whole wheat pastry flour, it's still whole wheat flour, but it makes it flakier. Mine is just flour, butter, and salt plus kefir for soaking. I make it so buttery that it doesn't roll out well (though I've never been good at rolling out pie crusts and making them look good), so I just press it into the pie pan.

For breads, I like my 100% whole wheat better than my mom's 50% whole wheat growing up. The whole grain flour absorbs more water than white flour but does it more slowly. Knead for 10 minutes and then let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the water to soak in. Then continue kneading for 10 more minutes. Then cover the container during rising to seal in moisture. I don't take the cover off until the last rise with my bread in the pan when it's almost to the top of the loaf pan and getting ready to touch the cover.

As far as birthday cake, it's your call if you want to eat someone else's cake and feel yucky afterwards or if you want to pass. You can definately make your own without. I've had good luck making cakes with no frosting, with a honey or fruit-sweetened glaze, melted chocolate, or frosted in strained yogurt (Make sure you frost it last thing before the party, because sometimes, the cake juices discolor it if it sits too long... or maybe it's just that I did this with an applesauce cake.) You can add some color by coloring coconut flakes with berry juice.

[rhianna813]

One thing that might help is buying whole wheat pastry flour, instead of regular ww flour. It’s much lighter and better for baking. Here is a WW pie crust recipe using pastry flour.

http://www.squidoo.com/wholewheatpiecrust

I once made a pie using only oatflour for a contest. It had to use ingredients only available to British Isles during a certain period. Wheat wasn’t allowed. I kinda cheated and had a baker friend help me LOL It turned out great and tasted pretty good.

Here is a link to Blender Batter (which you might already know about) that uses only whole grains on any kind, instead of flour to make pancakes and waffles. You can use a combination of grains to get light and tender waffles. Using rice with whole wheat would be good I bet!

http://www.suegregg.com/recipes/brea...erwafflesA.htm

Sue Gregg has cookbooks that use whole grains instead flours for baking. She covers breakfast foods, breads and desserts in her books.

Rhianna

[Faliciagayle]

We don't use much white flour in the house at all (I have a small package in the freezer). I use whole wheat for everything calling for flour. Cakes obviously work best with pastry flour, but pizza crusts, waffles, muffins, bread (and I make 100% ww challah) come out great.

The only thing I've noticed that tastes better with white flour is the "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" method.

and I am the most pathetic pastry baker so I can offer no advice regarding crusts or biscuits. which is exactly why I usually make crustless quiche HF stores usually sell a decent brand of frozen WW pie shells. I can't remember the brand, but I use that when I make savory pies, like Salmon Pie. Not so good for fruit pies. I know you don't want to be grain or wheat free, but I think nut crusts would work pretty well with most dessert pies.

Ezekiel makes a sprouted pasta line ($$$).

[Magelet]

Thanks. I'll definitely give a pastry crust with whole wheat pastry flour a try.

I do sometimes use sprouted flour, but it's so expensive. I have a meat pasties recipe that I used sprouted spelt with instead that was wonderful and so much heartier and better than it would have been with white. Basically at this point, I'm trying to eliminate white flour, but I'm not focusing on soaking/sprouted etc. I know it's better, and I do a lot of sourdough and soak oats and stuff, but since I'm reacting to the white flour, that's what I'm focusing on at the moment. (But you reminded us that we have some sprouted spelt flour in the fridge so we'll definitely use that up.)

I've seen blender batter waffles/pancakes before, and haven't tried them. I think we will soon.

Thank you!

[tempestjewel]

I prefer hard white wheat to hard red wheat for 100% whole wheat goods. I grind my own flour, and buy my wheat from Azure Standard, where it is very inexpensive.

Seeing as how you are in CA, have you looked into Azure Standard? They have good prices on flour, and I've heard it isn't as rancid as what is typically at the grocery store because of their processing methods. I've only bought whole grains (hard white wheat berries for bread, soft white wheat for pastries, spelt, rye, and kamut which have all been great), but they have a pretty big selection of pre-ground flours for good prices, especially if you buy in bulk.

You have to call them to set up an account and find a drop site, and minimum order is $50 for free delivery to a drop site. They have good produce usually, and also free-range/pastured eggs. Can you tell I them?

As far as tricks, soft white wheat or spelt makes the best pastry/biscuits. I really love spelt pie crust. I make 100% whole wheat bread all the time (not sourdough, as I have a new babe and haven't gotten back into that yet) and it turns out great with hard white wheat. Sometimes adding extra wheat gluten to a recipe helps it to work as well.