So you decided you want to eat more whole wheat flour and maybe you went to the grocery store and bought the first thing you found only to be completely let down by how dense, bitter and saw-dust tasting your baked goods were. Maybe you’re dismayed by all the different options out there and you have no idea where to start. Good news is, we’re here to help you find the best whole wheat flour for your needs.
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Why Generic Whole Wheat Flour is Yucky
The majority of whole wheat flour on the shelves of your local grocery store is made from hard red wheat. While this type is good for some breads, it’s not the best for those light and fluffy cakes, quickbreads and pastries that we’re used to. Hard white or soft white is what you want for those types of baking.
A lot of flour may have had a long journey from the time it was milled, bagged, shipped to the store, put on the shelf and finally taken home to your kitchen. Old flour will give you bitter tasting and dense baked goods that make you never want to bake with whole wheat again. Generic brands of whole wheat flour are sometimes just all purpose flour with bran added back in, which isn't actually whole wheat.
As soon as the wheat berry is cracked open or milled it begins to oxidize. Whole wheat flour has so many whole nutrients available that you want to take advantage of. The majority of flour, even some whole wheat, has been stripped of its nutrients, sifted to separate the 3 parts, bleached and then enriched with synthetic vitamins and minerals. The reason is, fresh whole wheat flour is loaded with nutrients and oils that oxidize and go rancid over time making it hard to store.
We are always in search of places to buy high quality whole wheat flour for when we don’t have access to a grain mill to grind our own flour.
How To Choose High Quality Flour
First off, you need to know what type of whole wheat flour you’re looking for. There are different types that are good for different things.
For cakes, cookies, or anything leavened with baking powder or soda etc, you want soft white wheat, spelt or hard white wheat. For yeast breads you want hard white wheat, hard red wheat, or a mix of both. Durum or Khorasan/Kamut is great for pasta and some rustic breads.
When we are shopping for whole wheat flour we look for things like:
- 100% whole wheat
- Unsifted
- Stone -ground
- No added ingredients: If it only says whole wheat flour and doesn’t have “enriched” anywhere in the ingredient list or on the packaging then that’s a good option.
- Mill date: The less time between milling and you the better.
- Small batch: Flour that is milled in small batches usually spends less time in a warehouse or on a shelf before it gets to you.
You might have to check the specialty section of your grocery store or health food stores to find good pre-milled flour. Sometimes it’s in the refrigerator section which is a good sign.
Look for flour that is finely milled. Flour with large flakes of bran will make gritty baked goods.
The flour should be light in color and have specs of darker color. Red whole wheat flour will be a bit darker but shouldn’t be super dark. It should be slightly sweet and mellow but earthy tasting. It shouldn’t be bitter or yucky.
Looking for mills in your area, and finding the flour they sell is a great option for finding fresh milled whole wheat flour.
In-Store Whole Wheat Flour Brands
If you can’t shop online (you can find better/fresher options online) and want something in-stores that is more widely available here are a few options:
- Wheat Montana: (Prairie Gold, in the yellow bag). It is hard white wheat and is a good option for making bread.
- King Arthur: King Arthur sells a hard white wheat flour called white whole wheat flour that is popular among people who use whole wheat flour in baking.
- Natural Grocers: You can usually find some whole wheat flours in the refrigerator section.
- Bob’s Red Mill: The whole wheat pastry flour from Bob’s Red Mill is a good option for soft white wheat flour.
One thing to note is different brands call their flour different names eg, some brands call their soft white wheat flour whole wheat pastry flour, and others call it all purpose flour etc. So it is important to look at the ingredients or somewhere on the packaging to see what type of wheat the flour is made with.
Where To Buy Whole Wheat Flour Online
There are several good options online from farmers who are committed to getting you the highest quality product available.
Quick shipping is a good sign that the company is committed to getting you a product that is still fresh and full of nutrients.
Some good options are:
- Janey’s Mill This is our favorite brand we have tried so far. Their flours are super finely ground. They have a large variety of whole grain flour and whole grains. The flour is always fresh and well packaged. They do have a couple different milling extraction rates. 100% extraction means it is 100% whole wheat with nothing sifted out. 80% extraction means it has 20% of the bran sifted out which makes a finer flour and would be a good option if you are struggling to make the switch to 100% whole wheat flour. Ships the lower 48 states
- Azure Standard They have a large variety of whole grain flours and whole grains. They also have different milling extraction rates. The 100% extraction is called unifine. Their 80% extraction is called ultra-unifine. They do shipping or drop delivery to the lower 48 states.
We haven’t personally tried these brands but they look like good options:
Many of these companies also sell wheat berries if you want to grind your own flour.
More Whole Wheat Flour Resources
If you have other questions, or have a brand of whole wheat flour that you love feel free leave a comment here, or send us an email.
Marcia
Just made the “Ultimate whole wheat chocolate chip cookies”.
I have been experimenting for 6 - 8 months to find my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I wanted whole wheat and lower sugar content.
This recipe Passed the test with flying colors!!!!
Perfect texture and taste. I followed the recipe exactly using Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.
Try it, I do not think you will be disappointed!
WholeWheatKitchen
Thank you so much for this comment! We’re so glad you liked the cookies!