My husband and I recently started a diet based on the book Sugar Busters. One of its main requirements is no white bread or white flour products. I am trying to change some recipes from white flour to wheat. If the recipe calls for self rising flour what do I need to add to the wheat flour to get similar baking results? Thanks, Dian in TN

-- Dian Hoffman (rhoffman@nctc.com), October 12, 2001

Answers

Response to What do I add to wheat flour?

I bake a lot of bread and don't like to use white flour, instead I use oat flour (my favorite), whole wheat flour and rye flour. I never add anything to these and my bread turns out fine. I always proof my yeast and let it rise in a warm place, those seem to be 2 key things in getting bread to turn out. I know that when I had a breadmaker some of the recipes asked for wheat gluten and I added it then. In most of the recipes it was a Tablespoon or 2. Hope this helps.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), October 12, 2001.

Response to What do I add to wheat flour?

Dian:

Im in Middle Tennessee and know just what you mean by "self-risin'" (I hear a Martha White Ditty as I type....). Here in the south our bisquits and many other fine baked goods are made with self rising flout. Here is how to make plain flour into self rising: Add one tsp baking POWDER to one cup of plain flour. You will feel better after you start on whole wheat products. I mix plain and whole wheat because my family finds all WW to be too heavy. My aunt was able to get off insulin mainly by switching to whole wheat products and whole grains (brown rice)! So I am a believer! We weren't meant to eat all this processed junk!

I have some whole wheat recipes that comes with a basic mix (like storebought bisquick but cheaper and healthier:

Baking Mix Source: PSU, College of Agricultural Sciences

4 cups all purpose flour 4 cups whole wheat flour* 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk 1/4 cup baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together until well blended. Cut in shortening until well mixed using a pastry blender or two knives criss-crossing each ther until the mixture is like small peas. Store in a closed, covered can or jar. Use in one month or refrigerate. Stir lightly mixture lightly before using in a recipe as flour tends to pack down.

Note: You may also substitute all-purpose flour or use enriched cornmeal or rolled oats for all or part of the whole wheat flour.

The following are recipes you may use with the baking mix:

Pancakes

2 cups Baking Mix 1 cup water 2 eggs, beaten

Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Use a large serving spoon, label or scoop to drop the pancake on a greased skillet. A skillet is hot when tiny drops of water dance on it.

Cook slowly until the surface is covered with bubbles. Turn and cook until the second side is lightly browned.

Biscuits

2 cups baking mix 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add water to the dry mix. Stir about 20 times. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board or table top. Knead it 10-15 strokes. Roll or pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter, inverted glass or cut into squares with a knife. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. To vary, add ONE of these to the dry mix.

1/3 cup grated sharp cheese 1/4 cup minced cooked bacon 1/3 cup raisins and 1 tablespoon sugar

Easy Pizza Mix

2 cups baking mix 1/2 cup sugar 1 can (8 ounce tomato sauce 2-3 tablespoons minced onion 1/4 pound browned ground beef or sliced frankfurters 8 ounces shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Measure mix into a bwl. Add water and stir to form a soft dough. Knead 5-6 times. Spread dough on a baking sheet. Crimp edges. Spread tomato sauce over dough. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Bke for 15-20 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese melts. Whole Wheat Biscuit Mix

6c all-purpose flour 4c whole wheat flour 1/3c baking powder 1/4c sugar 2tsp salt 2c shortening

In an extra-large bowl stir together flours, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in an air tight container.

To use, bring mix to room temp., if frozen. Spoon mix lightly into a measuring cup; level off with a spatula. Continue as directed in variations.

Makes about 12c.

Basic Biscuits: Stir together 1c mix and 1/4c milk just until dough clings together. On floured surface, knead gently 10-12 strokes. Roll to 1/2" thickness. Cut with 21/2" cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degree oven for 8-10 min., or til golden. Makes 4 biscuits

Drop Biscuits: Prepare Basic Biscuits except increase milk tp 1/3c. Do not knead, roll, or cut dough. Drop dough from a tablespoon onto a greased baking sheet. Makes 4

Buttermilk Biscuits: Prepare Drop or Basic except stir in 1/4 tsp baking soda into the flour mixture in a bowl and substitute buttermilk for milk. Makes 4

Mexican-style Biscuits: Prepare Drop Biscuits except stir 1/4c well-drained canned whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, 1/2c shredded Monterey Jack Cheese with jalapeno peppers(1oz), and 1/8 tsp ground cumin into the flour mixture in a mixing along with 1/3c milk. Makes 5

Cherry and Orange Biscuits: Prepare Drop Biscuits (using 1/3c milk), adding 1/3c dried cherries, 3tbl. sugar,2tbl. chopped pecans, and 1/2tsp finely shredded orange peel to flour mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. Makes 5

Pesto Biscuits: Prepare Drop Biscuits except stir in 1tbl refrigerated pesto with the 1/3c milk. If desired, also stir in 1/4c chopped ripe olives. Makes4

******************************* Categories: Pasta Yield: 8 servings

1 c Flour, whole-wheat pastry 1 t Salt 1 c Flour, unbleached 2 ea Eggs 2 t Olive oil 2 T Water; (more as needed)

Sift flours and salt together into a large mixing bowl or food processor. Add the eggs and oil, and work together until you have a moderately sticky lump (if working by hand) or a grainy mixture (if working with a food processor). Add 2 T. water, and work the dough until you have a fairly firm lump. Add a little more water or flour as needed to get a good-feeling texture. If working by hand, don't try to reincorporate the flakes that fall off the main lump. Knead the dough gently for 5 minutes, wrap in a damp dish towel, and let it rest 30 minutes to an hour. Divide the dough into 8 parts and roll out very thin with a rolling pin or pasta roller. It will thicken and shrink a bit after the rolling, so roll a little thinner than you want it to end up. Makes 24 lasagna noodles, or enough spaghetti/fettucine for 8.

whole wheat Tortillas 1 C. white flour 1/2 t salt 3 T instant non-fat milk 1 C. whole wheat flour 1 t baking powder 1/4 c vegetable oil 2/3 cup water Mix dry ingredients. MAke a well in the center, pour in oil and water. Mix with hands. Knead a few times, let dough rest 5 minutes. Knead a few more times. Pince off walnut sized balls, flatten with fingers. Flour board if nessesary and roll out with rolling pin to 6" round. Cook on a hot griddle till covered with bubbles turn and cook other side.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

Don't know the proportions - in fact, do know they vary, but here are some clues. Self-raising flour is flour plus baking POWDER. Baking powder is baking SODA plus cream of tartar (also known as tartaric acid).

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 12, 2001.