Customer Reviews

King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains (King Arthur Flour Cookbooks)

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

After becoming vegetarian in 2003, I became much more conscious about adding whole grains to my diet, to the point of replacing white flour with whole grains whenever possible. In the past, baked goods with whole wheat and other grains were easily detectable as "health food." However, the talented kitchen staff at King Arthur has found ways to tone down whole wheat that pass as full-flavored, healthier counterparts of traditional favorites such as scones, pie crust, croissants, and other delectable goodies.

The book begins, appropriately enough, with breakfast (porridges, oatmeal, granolas, waffles, pancakes, French toast, muffins and scones). After a hearty foundation, quick breads, muffins, coffeecakes, biscuits and scones are explored, followed by crisps, cobblers and puddings, flatbreads and crackers, yeast breads, sourdough, cookies and bars, cakes, pie and quiche, pastry, and a guide to whole grains.

This is my first King Arthur cookbook, and I appreciate the fact that when they discuss kinds of flour to buy, they do not endlessly promote their own brand as the only choice (in fact, there are precious few mentions of King Arthur flours).

If I had to choose one baking book to have in my collection, it would be this one. The clear instructions and healthier updates of many classics are crowd-pleasers, and the cookbook itself is beautiful to look at. This is the perfect gift for your favorite (health-conscious) baker.

Many of us are familiar with King Arthur flours and baking advice and some even their previous two award winning cookbooks. What we didn't have from them until now was a baking cookbook using whole grains.

Many of us have laid off the baking goodies for health reasons, avoiding processed white flour and sugars, etc. Now with this tome we have what we need to get back baking!

Brownies, biscotti, cakes, pies, crackers, scones,breads, etc. There is what easily appears to be over 500 recipes on using whole grains in this things and many have advice on low fat alternatives. Helpful on each recipe is a complete nutritional breakdown. The sidebars are extremely helpful, e.g. "What's a Pinch?" specifically here of instant yeast. The line drawings are truly appreciated by those of us who dip in and out of the baking arena, so all this advice and user friendly aids in this cookbook are valued. There are around seven pages of color photos.

There is even advice on how to substitute whole grains for processed white flour, but with the caveat that likely after you've tried these recipes, you'll just seek this collection out for your baking needs. And it is extensive. So far I've sampled the Fresh Berry Tiramisu; Apple Brown Betty and several others with outstanding results. There is something here for everyone from crackers to sourdough, from cream puffs to cookies to croissants. It's a large volume which will require shelf space, but worth the investment for those who wish to still bake the goodies but desire the healthful benefits that whole grains provide.

Sources are listed, with King Arthur of course being the logical start with their extensive catalogue, however they do even provide internet suggests to find all kinds of other sources as well.

This is truly that genre of cookbook which isn't to be exhausted with recipe trying any too soon. That would require lots of baking regularly, but when one gets the hankering for those scrumptuous baked goods, this is the one that can deliver delicisous, conistent and healthly results.

Like their New England neighbors at Cook's Illustrated, the King Arthur bakers are dedicated to testing and re-testing, and above all, technique. There's a good dose of baking science, too - this is a volume Alton Brown and Rose Levy Beranbaum must assuredly have acquired for their own libraries. The knowledge that both Cinnamon and Garlic can impair the rising process in breads is in itself worth the price of the book.

This tome has many marvelous illustrations which go a long way to instruct the reader. Sidebars abound with helpful (though sometimes quirky) information and tips. While whole wheat flour is the star, other whole grains are explored. You'll find encyclopedic history and data on Rye, Buckwheat, Kamut, Farro, Tritcale, Spelt, Barley, Amaranth, Teff, and others. King Arthur is big on the science and treatment of yeast, as well. Clear explanations are provided regarding the differences and applications among "Active-Dry", "Instant", and "Rapid-Rise" yeasts (no, "Instant" and Rapid-Rise" or "Quick-Rise" yeasts are NOT the same). The King Arthur bakers are also proponents of pre-ferments and they distinguish among the panoply of starters: Sponge, Poolish, Biga, and Levain (sourdough). Oddly, I couldn't find a discussion of the importance of an "autolyse" - an initial resting period just after the initial mixing of water and flour that gives the flour the time to hydrate. I couldn't even find the term in the "Index" - although it appears in KA's "Baker's Companion". Believe me - use of an autolyse can make a world of difference in the end result.

The design of the book is similar to KA's "Baker's Companion" and "Cookie Companion" (both worth owning). It's a big volume (more than 600 pages and 300 recipes) but not too heavy as the result of the intelligent use of paper stock. It's well-ordered, easy to read, and logical enough for a Vulcan.

A couple of caveats: By their own admission, the King Arthur bakers tell you that their recipes are most successful if you use their brand of flour - most of which have a higher protein level than other brands. Fear not - instructions are given for using other brands. Fortunately, most KA flours are now widely available in many major supermarkets. From personal experience, I can assure you that KA bread flours produce extraordinary results. The only other bread flours I use are Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye Flour, and Whole Wheat Flour - both of which are excellent, also widely available, and come in handy smaller sizes.

Second warning: some of the recipes suggest an overnight rest to soften the bran in the whole wheat flour. The Brownie recipe included in the book will taste slightly gritty without the benefit of the overnight rest - and when I want a Brownie, I want it today and I want it luscious, not coarse-textured.

One especially helpful tip is the addition of a small amount of orange juice suggested in the production of whole wheat bread made with traditional whole wheat flour. The orange juice counteracts the inherent bitter edge caused by the phenolic acid (similar to the astringent tannins in tea). A new alternative is to employ KA's "White Whole Wheat" flour which does not contain phenolic acid - but still contains all of the bran and germ - a true whole wheat product.

Having tried only one of the recipes in this book, I cannot attest to the others - but based on the success of KA's other cookbooks and their bi-monthly newsletter, "The Baking Sheet", one would have to assume reliable, if not stellar results - and healthier (though not necessarily lower in fat and calories) eating in the process.

I couldn't wait to try a few recipes. I have the rest of the King Arthur Flour books and this one is the same style. Every recipe & procedure seems to be well tested. It explains the process of baking with whole grains and why to do certain things; i.e. how to deal with the problem of the "bitterness" of whole grains, also, how to deal with the "hardness" of the bran; etc. They list all items in the recipes in weights which helps me because I like to grind my own grains into flour.
Many of the recipes call for a mixture of whole grain flour to all-purpose or bread flour. What was a surprise for us was to try a 100% whole wheat pie crust. Their techniques worked and we all (kids included) loved the taste and texture of the pie crust. It is not the same as the flaky "white-flour" pie crust but not hard and chewy like other recipes I had tried. I like the idea of mixing the whole-grain flours and white flours because we have tried to be consistent in baking with 100% whole grain flours and we just don't keep doing it. We eventually switch back to the white flour because we tire of the "toughness" of whole grain foods. But because I have not wanted to abandon the effort to eat more whole grains I bought this book. I do not regret it. I would buy it again. There is much more than just breads, pies, & cakes; there are puddings, breakfasts, quiche, whole wheat genoise (that is really good) and even pastries! I appreciate the nutrition information for each recipe and also the many side-bar helps, hints and extra recipes (like syrups). There are not too many real life pictures but that is the same for the rest of the King Arthur books. The illustrations seem very adequate to me. My 10 year old seems to be able to follow them with no problem. We are not whole grain "purists" but we do like the balance presented in this book. My husband, who does not bake much, is overwhelmed by the presentation of the recipes. He says there are too many words to follow. These are not the simple 3 ingredient recipes with few instructions. These are recipes with lots of information. I could see how it could be overwhelming to someone who is not used to following recipes presented this way. I think it would be worth the effort to overcome that so one could add whole grains to their diet in a very tasty way. There is much to learn that would improve one's baking and cooking abilities. The King Arthur Flour books are what I use to teach my girls to bake. We have tried other whole-grain baking cookbooks, like Sue Gregg's, Beatrice Trum Hunter's, Marleeta Basey's & others' whole grain books; all pretty good. Even though, I keep going back to King Arthur's because of their easy to understand explanations of the "whys" and "hows" of baking and also the consistancy of their recipes. This means that for us we will keep using this book.

I have owned this book two months, and I've made a slew of recipes from this book, all of them delicious!! In fact, I have a hot "Oat and Currant Scone," (I used the alternate raisins in place of currants) fresh from the oven, sitting by my elbow as I type. Absolutely delicious, every bit as good as something that would cost $2-$3 a wedge at a local bakery. And this recipe has given me 12 scone wedges.
This book is a treasure trove of recipes and baking advice. For instance -- I did not not know that the proper way to measure whole grain flour is to stir the flour first with a spoon, then fill your measuring cup by spoonfuls, shaken gently, so that the flour is light and your results aren't heavy. This is easy enough to do, and also fun!
The sections are:
p.1 Breakfasts (pancakes, waffles, crepes, granola)
p.31 Quick Breads, Muffins, Coffeecakes, Biscuits & Scones
p.99 Crisps, Cobblers & Puddings
p.127 Flatbreads & Crackers
p.171 Yeast Breads (all use instant yeast, not regular active)
p.271 Sourdough
p.303 Cookies & Bars
p.367 Cakes
p.439 Pie & Quiche
p.499 Pastry
p.537 The Whole Grains (history of grains with extra recipes)
p.583 Appendices (Cooking whole grains, ingredient weights, where to buy)
p.589 Glossary
p.599 Index
I've made from this book: Double Fudge Brownies, Spelt Pancakes (delicious!), Blueberry-Corn pancakes, Oat & Currant (raisin) Scones, Morning Glory Muffins, Corn and Oat Muffins, Apple-Walnut Coffecake (for Christmas morning for my coworkers at the hospital where I work, they all loved it! not a crumb left), Honey-Whole Wheat Biscuits, Chewy-Oatmeal cookies (I loved these best with dates as the dried fruit choice), Thin & Crisp Wheat Cookies, Cranberry-Cornmeal Cake (which my family adores with vanilla ice cream and has been dubbed "Pilgrim Cake"), as well as several others.

Yes, the book does use several different types of whole grains and whole grain flour, but isn't that the point? The main types of flours and grains are repeated frequently in the recipes. Whole Wheat flour can be found anywhere. Whole Wheat Pastry flour can be found in health food stores. The White Whole Wheat is available more and more in regular grocery stores, if you watch for it, as is oat flour. Cornmeal and Oatmeal can be found anywhere, as can Bread Flour, which is used in smaller portions in several recipes. Spelt flour, used in pancakes and other recipes, in an "ancient grain" that is an ancestor of our modern wheat, but it is lighter and sweeter than wheat and just delicious. I had never heard of it before. It has been fun to try new things. The folks at King Arthur Flour have sure outdone themselves with this book! I would have wasted tons of ingredients experimenting with other recipes, and not come up with recipes half as good. The recipes also use pure ingredients, such as real butter, real buttermilk, real fruit, etc, and the finished baked product reflects the quality ingredients that go into the baking.
I haven't yet tackled the sourdough section, since sourdough with whole grains is a little trickier apparently, but the step-by-step instructions look about as simple as any you'll find anywhere.
Anyway, if you're interested in healthful whole grain cooking that is absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious, and you're willing to search out a few whole grain products, I guarantee you'll love this book.
Another great selling point -- every recipe has nutritional breakdown listed, with calories, fiber, calcium, vitamins, etc.
There are almost no pictures, however, and I almost passed over this book since I don't tend to buy cookbooks without pictures. I'm glad I didn't let this stop me. The few 16 color pages of pictures are located in the center of the book. And yes, they all look delicious.
This is the best baking book I've ever purchased.

I like to eat healthy and I love to bake! Until now, the two did not often go well together. I would substitute some flour for whole wheat, try fat alternatives, etc... with mixed results. No more! The first two nights I had this book I read it like a novel. There is so much good information and I wanted to see everything in it. I have since made 3 recipes: the easy whole-wheat bread, oatmeal cookies and peanut butter cookies and all came out great. I even substituted organic cane sugar for standard white sugar in the cookies (though I wouldn't risk that with breads) and they were fabulous.

This is not necessarily a low-fat or diet baking book - they even tell you that. However, most of their recipes end up being lower calorie and higher fiber (meaning healthier) than their traditional counterparts. If you want a great treat healthy enough to eat every day, you'll find it here. If you want a breakfast or desert showstopper, you'll find it here too. No matter what you make, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that it is better than eating the same thing made with standard white flour.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to bake and wants to incorporate more whole grains into their diet.

I've made a handful of recipes out of this book and so far, my results have been mixed. The sandwich breads have been wonderful, as were the blueberry corn pancakes; but the zucchini bread was bland and icky and the chewy oatmeal cookies were a disaster. It's still a worthwhile purchase (if just for blueberry corn pancakes), but I'm aggravated by recipe books that force the cook to waste time and ingredients. Also, as some reviewers have noted, the instructions in the yeast breads section are pretty sparse; it's things like "knead til smooth," with no time estimate and no further description. First-time bread makers could have big problems.

This cookbook is simply wonderful. It's a big fat beautiful book that's a pelasure to read and use. The recipes are all whole grain, some also contain unbleached white flour, but most are entirely whole grain. This is written by the King Arthur Flour folks so they do recommend their flours which are readily avaiable. I've made two recipes-honey whole wheat bread which was sweet and delicious, and oatmeal cookies, also delicious. The recipes are not necessarily low calorie, the cookies call for real butter, but if you love to bake this is a healthy way to go. I'm an experienced baker and this book has so much information about using whole grains that it's like a whole new world of baking is opening up to me. I use the King Arthur white whole wheat flour with excellent results. Some recipes do have to rest overnight, but they are clearly marked. I can't wait to make all the bread recipes including those that use a whole wheat levain. This is a must for anyone who loves to bake and wants to get more whole grains into their diet.

Looking for a book that could have been self-published by a vegan commune in 1972? Then skip right past this book.

This book is for people with a desire to eat "normal" tasting baked goods are concerned, not so much for those who are die-hard carob fans, not for those who eschew dairy, butter, eggs, sugar, sweeteners, or flavor, and definitely not for anyone looking for a macrobiotic cheesecake substitute. This book contains recipes for pancakes, croissants, coffee cakes, pie crusts, and so on, with an eye to making whole grain products tasty and palatable to the ordinary American palate. Many of the recipes capitalize on the yummy pairings of whole grains with things like spicy treats (e.g. carrot cake) and chocolate, which make the final product taste better than an all-white flour version. And yes, white flour is included in some recipes.

I have had good luck with the recipes, although some (such as the cornmeal waffles) are on the overly salted side, and I am glad that the authors include information and recipes on a variety of grains besides wheat. There is information on home milling but this is not required to use the book.

Let me start with the positives - every recipe I've tried (about a dozen so far) has worked well and the baked goods from raisin bars to waffles and muffins have been delicious. My problems with the books are not huge but I do find a couple of aspects annoying. As with many King Arthur recipes, I frequently feel like I'm reading a sales pitch for an ingredient that only King Arthur sells. I'd like to see more substitutes. I'd also like to see more complete information. For example - I just made the peanut butter chocolate chip spelt waffles which were yummy. The recipes says to let the batter stand for ten minutes. I want to know is - ten minutes a minimum? Can I make the batter the night before? Make it and go for a walk? Or is ten minutes it? I've baked a long time but I'm new to whole grain baking and don't know spelt flour well yet - that kind of info would be really helpful. I'd also like to know more about substitutions. In the Q&A, the authors basically tell you not to make substitutions - just bake ten or so recipes from every section, but if I buy 3 pounds of spelt or dark rye flour for a recipe and end up using only a half cup, I'd really appreciate knowing where I can use up the rest of the flour.
As I said the recipes are great, so far, but I'd like for the authors to be a little more considerate of the new whole grain baker who doesn't want to end up with 20 different kinds of flours in the cupboard!