Prairie Gold whole wheat flour vs KAF white whole wheat flour
Hi!
Has anyone tried Prairie Gold whole wheat flour?
I was browsing about using white whole wheat flour from KAF as no one in my family really likes the taste of the traditional whole wheat, even blending it in partially. But, as a point of reference, all of us very much like Kamut and Spelt flours used as a portion of the total recipe. The flavor and texture of different breads has turned out wonderful from these two flours. But I am still looking for more variety and wider applicability.
I had never seen or heard of Prairie Gold but then then read effusive praise on Amazon and Walmart websites.
Maybe someone can comment on the flavor and texture of the Prairie Gold whole wheat, KAF white whole wheat? How these compare to traditional whole wheat and to each other?
Thanks so much!
Wheat Montana's Prairie Gold is an excellent white whole wheat flour. In the KC area, it can be found in 5# bags at Walmart for just under $4. If it isn't available at your local Walmart, order it through their website. It's interchangeable with KAF WWW in recipes in my experience. The flavor is sweet and with its lighter color you can substitute it for AP or bread flour in small quantities-10-15%, without looking like you're trying to force "healthy bread" on anyone.
Thank you so much for your response and endorsement. I had a couple of questions if I may.
If you smell the PG WW flour, or a bread with it, up close, is the flavor pretty much like the common wheat, just lighter/fainter or somewhat distinct? I ask because even though kamut and spelt are wheat but the scent is so different.
Does bread made with the PG WW flour become dense/heavy and you have to compensate for it just like the usual whole wheat flour or is it a 'lighter' whole wheat flour?
Thank you, this is really good information for me!
The differences between whole wheat flour and white whole wheat are not too great. The wheat berry's outer husk is where the difference lies. As I understand it, and I could be wrong on this, there are more tannins in the husks of the hard red wheat and that contributes to the difference in the appearance, smell, and flavor. Otherwise, hard red wheat and hard white wheat are very similar in nutritional value and requirements for the baker to learn the handling aspects of the flour being used.
I'd like to suggest one tip in the use of whole wheat flour. If you and your family find the flavor of loaves made with WW flour to be less than desirable, try soaking the WW flour as you might do with seeds or other added ingredients. You don't have to get to technical about this, just give it some time, between 30 minutes and an hour, to fully hydrate and soften the fiber in the flour. For an overnight soak, add a small pinch of salt to slow down the enzyme activity, and always write it all down so you can adjust your ingredients for the main dough accordingly.
You might also try using the WW flour in a preferment or in building a levain for a sourdough loaf once you've figured out the soaker thing but that's another experiment or variable to cope with. Have fun baking!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Its a lot of good information to start with. There is also more information about prairie gold white wheat flour scattered throughout this site, now that I looked. Using whole wheat (or whole grain flours in general) in a preferment is such a good idea. I have done a little of that so far and it works with pretty delicious results!
I am going to make a separate post about Wheat Montana's white flour...I am reading such good things about it too!
Thanks again, happy baking to you too!
Hi Postal Grunt,
I finally did get Wheat Montana White Whole Wheat flour. It really is a very good flour. It has a lovely flavor and very silky texture. I haven't used white whole wheat from other brands but this does not taste anything like 'whole wheat'. Just a distinct, color and scent of it's own. Just like spelt and kamut do not taste anything like our traditional 'whole wheat' but have a special, lovely taste of their own.I made whole wheat (50/50 whole wheat/white) challah from 'Simply Great Breads' by Danial Leader. The flavor of the white whole wheat worked so well with the virgin olive oil, honey and smattering of dried apricots. It is of course a little denser that all white flour but not that much. A version of this challah is made with green Cerignola olives that I look forward to trying. The second bread I made is Oat Wheat Bread with Golden Raisins and Pecans from the book 'Amy's Bread' made with a large amount of biga. This one was another great success too. I am loving this flour and recommend it heartily. Just two weeks ago when I ordered it from Walmart it was $3.47/5lbs. Now it is $5.18/5lbs. That's a lot more expensive. Wonder why the price went up so much and if it will ever come back down. Thanks for all your tips!I have found this flour recently at Marshall's in 10lb bags for only 5.99
Both the White Whole Wheat and the traditional.