Baking really is a form of art and it can be the easiest thing in the world if you know how to do it properly and what type of ingredients to use. Whole wheat flour or soft wheat flour is one of the best flours to use when making delicious pastries and other baked goods.
If you’re a regular baker like me, you know how annoying it can be to go up to your pantry and see that you ran out of it just at the last minute.
At these times you need to find alternatives and experiment a little with your baking but that’s okay too, what better way to learn than to take chances sometimes?
I took it upon myself to find out what the best alternatives for whole wheat pastry flour are and here’s what I found.
The best whole wheat pastry flour substitutes are
- All-Purpose Flour/White Flour
- Cake Flour
- Corn Flour
- Spelt Flour
- Almond Flour
- Rice Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Oat Flour
- All-Purpose Flour and Cornstarch
Keep up with the rest of the article to see how you can use these amazing alternatives.
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Substitutes
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour (white flour or bread flour) is the most common type of flour because it’s the ultimate go-to flour to use if you don’t have any other type at home. This is glutenous flour is made to be suitable for every purpose in the kitchen.
You can bake yeast bread, pizza dough, pies, cookies, pancakes, and any other types of delicious food. You can also use this flour for cooking and deep-frying. To substitute whole-wheat flour with all-purpose flour use a 1:1 ratio. You can also mix a cup of cake flour with a cup of all-purpose flour to get the perfect substitute for whole wheat flour.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is a low-protein flour that’s made to have less gluten and lighten up your cake batter or muffin batter. Cake flour is milled from soft wheat which allows the flour to have a much finer texture than regular flour. The low-protein content in cake flour allows your cakes to turn out as light and airy as ever.
When substituting whole-wheat pastry flour for cake flour you might notice that the texture of your making is a little bit more on the fine side so I suggest mixing half a cup of all-purpose flour with cake flour.
Corn Flour
Corn flour or cornstarch is produced from the starch derived from the kernels of the corn. This product has a yellowish/white color and it looks like a fine powder. It is often used in the culinary world as a substitute for all-purpose flour in baking, cooking, thickening gravies, sauces, and soups.
This is a good substitute for whole wheat pastry flour all-in-all but your pastries’ flavor can adopt a subtle corn flavor and a pale-yellow color.
Spelt Flour
Spelt is an ancient variety of grain that shares a close resemblance to wheat and in fact, they are very closely related. Spelt flour is also a glutenous flour but with a lot less gluten content than its cousin, wheat flour, and while the outer part(the shell) of the grain is removed, spelt flour still has it.
The shell of the spelt grain is actually very nutritious and healthy, containing high amounts of protein content but low amounts of fiber. If you want to use this flour as a pastry flour substitute, I recommend adding a teaspoon of baking powder to your mixture to make your pastry dough rise even more.
Almond Flour
Almond flour is a low-carb, gluten-free, and grain-free substitute for regular flour. Almond flour has become one of the most popular flour in the world and it’s regularly used amongst vegans and people who diet.
It is made by blanching almonds and grinding them until the texture resembles a fine powder. This gluten-free flour is very nutritious, containing high protein content, minerals, and vitamins. As I said, almond flour is popular in many diets because of its low-carb content but it’s high in healthy fats and fibers.
When using this product you might notice a subtle nutty flavor but it can be very suitable when you’re baking sweet pastries like croissants, quick bread recipes, or simple banana bread.
Rice Flour
Rice flour is considered to be the best gluten-free option for all people who have a gluten intolerance or allergies toward gluten. The flour is, of course, made from rice grain and it can be either white rice flour or brown rice flour.
White rice flour is the refined version of brown rice, which is less nutritious than brown rice flour(brown rice still has the outer part of the rice or the bran) and has a lighter texture as well as taste. If you’re looking for flour with a more light texture, I suggest using white rice flour.
Coconut Flour
Along with almond flour, coconut flour ranks as one of the most used flour in the culinary world. It is also used in various gluten-free baking and cooking recipes, and it is a staple in the paleo-diet world. It is made out of dried coconut meat that can be found inside the coconut shell.
When using this gluten-free flour for your cooking and baking recipes the one thing you should know is that coconut flour is pretty dominant flavor-wise and can interfere with the taste of your baked goods so it’s not suitable for every recipe like the all-purpose flour.
The taste of the coconut flour goes amazing when added to a cookie batter, muffin batter, pancakes, cake recipes, and other sweet dishes or savory Asian dishes.
Oat Flour
Oat flour is a very nutritious whole-grain product, containing very high amounts of dietary fiber and protein. Oat flour can be found in most health food stores but why waste your money when oats are probably the one product that every family household has in their pantries? If you don’t have oat flour at home, don’t worry, you can make it yourself by grinding up some oats.
All you’re going to need to make this healthy flour is a cup of rolled oats or oatmeal and a food processor. Grind the oats until you get a fine, flour-like texture and there you have it, a homemade oat flour.
Oat flour has a sweet and nutty flavor, the perfect flavor for making pancakes, banana bread, oatmeal cookies, and some healthy muffins. Now you can make all your sweet baked goods a little bit healthier and more nutritious using this amazing flour.
All-Purpose Flour And Cornstarch
Combining all-purpose flour with cornstarch allows you to make your baked goods airy and light. The reason why is that when combining these two ingredients together, the protein levels drop significantly, allowing the dough to form air bubbles. Combine one cup of all-purpose flour with 1/4 of a cup of cornflour.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Make Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Making your own type of whole wheat pastry flour is actually the best substitute you can find. Simply just mix half dose all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.
Where To Buy Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
You can find this type of flour in some of the more equipped grocery stores or supermarkets. If you can’t seem to find it there, try some of your local health food stores or order it online.
Can I Use Regular Flour Instead Of Pastry Flour
Yes. You can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour but the texture of your baked goods will be slightly firmer. Pastry flour makes your baked goods much softer than regular flour.
Substitute For Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Gluten-Free
The best gluten-free substitutes for whole wheat pastry flour are almond flour, coconut flour, rice flour, and oat flour. Even though gluten helps your dough rise, hold a shape, and make your pastries chewier, you can achieve similar results with these gluten-free flours.