June 9, 2015 - 11:02am
I want to get rid of the wheat flour without sacrificing the good texture
Hello everyone, I would like your help and expertise if you will
Lately i've been baking this bread/cake to make for a healthy breakfast / snack, The ingredients are:- 6 tbsp oat flour
- 6 tbsp all purpose white wheat flour
- 4 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 6 eggs
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp mable syrup (natural)
- 1 cup strawberry jam (natural)
- 1 cup peanut butter (natural)
- 1 cup nuts
Thank you
Share
It depends on why you want to get rid of the wheat flour.
You could add gluten powder, which would help to maintain structure in your bread but it would mean still using 'modern' wheat, or a derivative.
If it's modern wheat you're trying to stop using entirely, you could use spelt, emmer or einkorn. Substituting spelt won't make a massive difference to the way you produce your loaf if you're using a tin, except that it would prove in a shorter time than before. If making a 'rustic' loaf, then substituting spelt, emmer or einkorn for modern wheat would mean a considerable change in your method.
Apart from that, I don't know how you'd get rid of modern wheat but retain a good texture, as it's the gluten from wheat that forms the structure which produces that texture. As you've already discovered.
I plugged the ingredients into an on-line recipe analyzer. Note that the results do not include the flaxseed meal, since that wasn't in the analyzer's database. Since strawberry jam wasn't in the database either, I chose the generic fruit preserves ingredient. And I assumed that "nuts" meant raw almonds. Other than that, everything went in as per the recipe. I also assumed that the recipe yields 20 servings, so consider that when looking at the per serving values. Here are the results:
Calories (kcal)) 194
Fat (g) 11.1
Saturated fat (g) 3.3
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 127.1
Potassium (mg) 149.9
Carbohydrates (g) 19.8
Fiber (g) 1.7
Sugar (g) 10.9
Protein (g) 5.8
If you want to maintain the recipe in approximately it's present configuration, I'd suggest switching from all purpose flour to whole wheat flour. That will give you the binding capability you desire with a slight nod towards a more healthful product.
If you want to use oat flour in place of the all purpose flour, I'd suggest eliminating the syrup and reducing the jam. Doing so will not only reduce the stickiness, it will also cut back on the amount of sugar in the bars, making it a win-win. The potential downside, as Jon has noted, is that eliminating the gluten in the wheat flour will change the texture of the product, probably making it more dense/less cakey. You might want to consider the addition of a few grams of psyllium husk to offset the loss of the gluten.
Have fun experimenting.
Paul
Spelt would be a good substitute. It's a wheat family grain but healthier and easier to digest. But as Jon has already said... watch out for the quicker proving time. I also agree with PMcCool that you shouldn't be scared of wheat unless you have a gluten allergy or coeliac disease. It can be included as part of a healthier diet and simply swapping the All Purpose wheat flour for a wholegrain will be a good improvement albeit making it a more dense loaf. There are many wheat family grains which can give your recipe a healthy twist. Just because they are known as "wheat" grains they are different. I think Khorasan (kamut) would be nice one to try. Its really lovely and has a naturally sweeter taste which would compliment your bread/cake.
Best of luck.
Have you tried coconut flour? or possible flax meal ?
http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/62722/Home-Baked-Grain-Free-Organic-Coconut-Flour-Bread
http://www.paleoeffect.com/recipes/fluffy-paleo-wheat-bread-a-sandwich-bread/
Good luck with it :-)