How To Make Whole Wheat Pastry Flour?

Many people desire the lighter texture that whole wheat pastry flour creates in baked goods. It differs from all-purpose flour in its nutritional content. It’s also milled from a different variety of wheat. If you are looking to learn how to make whole wheat pastry flour from your homestead, this is for you!

What Is Whole Wheat Pastry Flour?

This type of flour is made just like any other flour from wheat. The difference is that this pastry flour is made from soft white wheat instead of hard red wheat. Hard red wheat is what makes typical all-purpose flour.

The different variety of wheat means you need to be growing soft white wheat on your homestead if you want to make it yourself from the farm.

Is There A Difference Between Whole Wheat Flour And Whole Wheat Pastry Flour?

Other than the different variety of wheat, it offers different nutritional qualities that affect the baked goods it makes. Both of them are whole grain, but pastry flour is better for certain types of recipes.

Pastry flour is graft for muffins, pancakes, pie crusts, cookies, and other baked goods that require a delicate texture.

How To Make Whole Wheat Pastry Flour On The Homestead

https://youtu.be/fhqWm4OQw18

Step 1 – Grow And Harvest Your Wheat Berries

This isn’t a guide about growing and harvesting wheat berries, so we are going to assume you have grown and cut your wheat, cured and threshed it and have wheat berries ready to be milled.

Step 2 – Choose Your Miller

A grain miller designed for home use is the obvious best choice for grain milling at home. If you produce a lot of grain on your homestead and plan to mill flours often, it’s a good investment.

If you are trying this out for the first time and aren’t sure if you are sticking with grain crops and flour milling in the long run, you can mill wheat into flour using a few common household items:

• Blender
• Coffee Grinder
• KitchenAid Milling Attachment
• Food Processor

All of these substitutes won’t produce as consistent and fine as a grain miller will be able to produce. But, they will still work.

Step 3 – Mill Your Wheat

You can mill your wheat to different textures which can add variation to your baked goods. Since freshly ground wheat will have a more pronounced nutty flavor, more texture may be welcomed in certain recipes.

If you are using a miller, the process is pretty easy: just pick your setting and proceed. If you are using something like a blender, you’ll be pulsing the wheat until you reach the desired texture.

Step 4 – Store Or Bake With Your Fresh Flour

Once the flour is milled, you can cook with it immediately or store it for later use. In the absence of preservatives typically found in store-bought products, you’ll be surprised about how fast your flour may go bad.

If you are storing it, here is a simple guide:

• Room Temperature: 3 Days
• Refrigerator: 1 Week
• Freezer: 6 Months

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Nutrition

Whole wheat pastry flour is lower in protein than all-purpose flour. This nutritional difference lends itself to lighter textured baked goods.

The lower protein content makes pastry flour much more useful for recipes like cookies, pancakes, and muffins than bread. Bread typically requires more protein content in the flour to create a bread that most are looking for.

It is a whole grain product, so the bran and germ are not removed during processing. Because of this, you get the health benefits of whole-grain foods when you make this flour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour To Make Bread?

The only type of bread that is recommended to make with pastry flour is Soda Bread. The bread that requires yeast instead of baking soda or baking powder doesn’t typically work well with pastry flour.

Can I Use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour For Sourdough?

Sourdough is known as dense and chewy. The protein content of the flour used is responsible for this texture and density.

That makes pastry flour a bad choice for sourdough, and most other types of bread as well. Choosing a regular whole grain flour is the better option.

Is There A Substitute For Whole Wheat Pastry Flour?

No, pastry flour has distinct qualities that make it the best option in certain recipes, like delectable pie crusts.

All-purpose flour or cake flour can be used but they won’t result in the same quality in the baked goods.

How Do I Substitute Whole Wheat Pastry Flour For All-Purpose Flour?

If you only have pastry flour, you can use it in recipes that call for all-purpose flour in the same amounts.

But, as mentioned before, pastry flour isn’t the best choice for bread and certain other recipes that require more protein in the flour.

What is soft spring wheat?

This is the common term for whole wheat pastry flour, which is whole grain flour made of a special type of milled, whole wheat berry.

This type of flour has less protein than standard whole wheat flour, so it produces lighter baked goods.

Since it is made of whole wheat, it provides more nutrients and fiber than standard, processed pastry flour or all-purpose white flour.

What are the benefits of using whole wheat pastry flour?

This finely ground, light flour produces softer, lighter baked goods than whole wheat flour or all purpose processed flour.

There is less gluten in whole wheat pastry flour, so it produces better results when creating kneaded yeast bread.

Why is whole wheat pastry flour healthier than white flour?

The overall nutrient profile of whole wheat pastry flour is simply superior to that of all-purpose white flour.

It has more vitamins, minerals and fiber and is suitable for all sorts of baking projects. Baked goods prepared with whole wheat pastry flour are a healthier alternative.

Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour?

You can substitute whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose white flour and get positively comparable results. Remember to increase the amount of flour used by about 25% for best results.

Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white whole wheat flour?

You can substitute whole wheat pastry flour for regular whole wheat flour measure-for-measure with positive results in any recipe.

This is especially recommended when baking soft breads such as cake, cupcakes, quick breads and the like.

How long can you store whole wheat pastry flour?

Refrigerated whole wheat pastry flour remains good for as long as a year. If you store it in the freezer, it will stay fresh for a couple of years. If kept at room temperature, you should be sure to use it up within a month.

Can people with diabetes safely eat baked goods prepared with whole wheat pastry flour?

People with diabetes should always opt for food choices that provide more fiber and have a lower glycemic index. This describes whole wheat pastry flour.

Even so, diabetics should take care when eating baked goods. Always consult with a doctor and practice moderation in portion sizes.

If you don t have whole wheat pastry flour for a recipe, what can you use instead?

~ All-purpose flour can be used as an alternative for whole wheat pastry flour, but remember to reduce the quantity by 25%.
~ Cake flour delivers a lighter texture for baked goods, so it is a very good substitute for whole wheat pastry flour.
~ Corn flour is a good choice for gluten-sensitive individuals. Remember to use half as much as whole wheat pastry flour.
~ Spelt flour is a light, nutty tasting flour that makes a good substitute. As with corn flour, use half the amount of whole wheat pastry flour.
~ Oat flour is an appropriate substitute for white or wheat flour. You can grind oatmeal to a fine powder to make homemade oat flour.
~ Almond flour is a completely gluten-free alternative. You would use 1/4 cup as a substitute for each cup of whole wheat pastry flour. You should also add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder for each cup of almond flour used.

Time To Get Cooking!

Making whole wheat pastry flour on the homestead isn’t much different than milling any other flour. Make sure your wheat is grown in optimal conditions and harvested properly. Mill the flour to the right consistency.

Then you are ready to enjoy it in whatever you’d like to use it for!