January 3, 2016 - 6:44am
Can you help me with substituting some white wheat flour into this recipe?
It's for english muffins. I'd like to use some of my white wheat flour. Also, I don't have bread flour on hand but AP flour. Most of y'all have more experience than I do, so how would you change this recipe to do this?
Recipe:
- 397g lukewarm milk
- 43g softened butter
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, to taste
- 25g sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 539g Bread flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- semolina or farina, for sprinkling the griddle or pan
- Note: Thanks to reader feedback, this recipe has been amended as of 1/08/13, as follows: the amount of flour has been increased to improve the dough's consistency; and the cooking time has been increased.
- Combine all of the ingredients (except the semolina or farina) in a mixing bowl, or the bucket of your bread machine.
- This is a very soft dough, so you'll need to treat it a bit differently than most yeast doughs. If you have a stand mixer, beat the dough using the flat beater paddle until it starts coming away from the sides of the bowl, and is satin-smooth and shiny; this will take about 5 minutes at medium-high speed. When you lift up the beater, the dough will be very stretchy. If you have a bread machine, simply use the dough cycle.
- Scrape the dough into a rough ball, and cover the bowl. Let the dough rise until it's nice and puffy; this will take 1 to 2 hours or so.
- Prepare your griddle(s). Using two griddles allows you to cook all the muffins at once; but since you probably don't have two griddles, you'll need to cook the muffins in shifts. Whatever you use — an electric griddle, stovetop griddle, frying pan, electric frying pan — sprinkle it heavily with semolina or farina. If you're using a griddle or frying pan that's not well-seasoned (or non-stick), spray it with non-stick vegetable oil spray first, before adding the semolina or farina.
- Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten the balls until they're about 3" to 3 1/2" in diameter.
- The easiest way to handle and cook these muffins is to lay them right onto the cold surface you'll be frying them on. That way, you don't have to move them once they're risen; and they won't mind cooking very slowly as you fire the griddle up to its desired heat. If you don't have enough griddle space to do this, sprinkle a baking sheet heavily with semolina or farina, and place the muffins on the sheet; they can be fairly close together. Either way, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with additional semolina or farina.
- Cover the muffins (a piece of parchment works well), and let them rest for 20 minutes. They won't rise like crazy, but will puff a bit.
- Cook the muffins over low heat for 7 to 15 minutes per side, until their crust is golden brown, and their interior is cooked through. When done, the center of a muffin should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. If you find the muffins have browned before they're cooked all the way through, no worries; simply pop them into a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or so, or until they're thoroughly cooked.
- Remove the muffins from the griddle (or oven), and let them cool thoroughly before enjoying. Remember: use a fork to split, not a knife to cut. Fork-split muffins will have wonderful nooks and crannies; knife-cut ones won't.
- Yield: 16 large (3" to 3 1/2") English muffins.
That recipe already uses white wheat flour - or is "539g Bread flour" something different where you are?
(This is the King Arthur muffin recipe)
Muffins like this are essentially a simple enriched bread dough recipe - however using a strong bread flour (wheat) works best IME.
-Gordon
Bread flour and white wheat flour are different where I am. Bread flour is like all purpose flour but has a higher protein content. White wheat flour is a whole wheat flour like red wheat. Red wheat flour is what most people think of when they're talking about a whole wheat flour. White wheat has a flavor that isn't as strong as the red wheat but you still get the nutrition.
When it comes to experience with using these flours, I don't have much lol.
Think I understand what you mean now - and I've even got some "white wheat wholemeal" flour here too - I guess that's what you're after - essentially substituting wholemeal flour for white flour...
Probably the same for any white -> wholemeal substitution - add a bit more water and expect less rise unless you change the process...
-Gordon
I wouldn't worry about it just use the AP and see how it works. You might get slightly larger holes.
White whole wheat can be used for a third of the bread flour to start and adjust from there to suit your taste. For me, half white whole wheat, half bread would probably be the most I'd use to keep some lightness to the muffins. It is a good flour to have on hand. As was mentioned, you might need to add a little more liquid since it is whole wheat and will absorb more water. Just experiment with your white whole wheat flour in breads, cookies, muffins, etc. and you will find lots of ways to use it.
Thanks.
I'd like to sneak it into more things. I have everything I need to make chocolate chip cookies lol
Sammie1
If you are referring to the White Whole Wheat such as from King Arthur or Trader Joe's, I too am a fan. Flavor more like a Whole Wheat but behavior more like a Bread or AP white.
I would start 'sneaking it in' at about 15% flour total and then go up or down as you see fit.
I don't know if White Whole Wheat is milled from Red or White, Spring or Winter, Hard or Soft wheat, or perhaps a combination of whatever. I have heard (by no good authority), that it was the re-milling of the bran to a finer degree that resulted in the lighter tone and behavior.
I don't know if what Gordon is referring to as 'White Wheat Wholemeal', would be the same. As I understand it, in the UK, Whole Meal (what we would generally call Whole Wheat), cannot have the bran seperated and then re-added back to the mix, by law.
I think here in the States, what Gordon refers to as Whole Meal would be referred to as Whole Grain flour (not seperated or messed with). Whereas Whole Wheat in the States can go thru many different processes not allowed in the UK and still be called as such (if I understand this all correctly, which should be doubted).
Anyway, any clarification would be appreciated and again, sneak it in a little at a time to start.
dobie
So it's relatively new to the UK - it's a variety of wheat that has "white" bran rather than "red" bran. It's not quite white though - the stuff I have is more golden and is actually called golden wheat.
I have some of this:
http://flour.co.uk/view/golden-wholegrain-plain-flour
which has a lower gluten content and is (hopefully!) more finely milled for cakes and pastrys and I also have this:
http://flour.co.uk/view/golden-wholegrain-bread-flour
And then comes the confusion :-) Wholemeal and wholewheat mean the same thing in the UK - it means the whole wheat (no matter what the colour!) Marriages (the mill selling that wheat) is using the term wholegrain - which means the same thing.
I've just tonight made up my overnight wholemeals using the golden stuff. 80% hydration, organic yeast and now it's snoozing gently in a cool place before I scale/shape/prove/bake it tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see if my customers have any issues with it (Other than it not being organic )-:
-Gordon