Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Just because you bake with whole-wheat flour it doesn’t mean the end result will be dense and heavy. When you have whole wheat pastry flour you have a product that is finely ground and light. It contains less protein than all-purpose flour and is the perfect choice for pastry baking when you want to create a tender crumb.
Whole Wheat Flour
The difference between whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour is two-fold. The whole-wheat flour is obtained from hard wheat. It has a high 14% protein content. You can’t substitute whole wheat flour in equal measures with unbleached flour, the reason is it contains more protein and is heavier. It works best for making bread where you are aiming for a chewy texture. In these circumstances it needs to make up 50% or less of your flour. When you use whole-wheat pastry flour rather than whole-wheat flour for baked goods, it solves your heaviness problem and still delivers that whole grain goodness.
Think About The Protein
Whatever type of wheat you use, hard or soft, along with the way it’s processed, determines what levels of proteins you’ll have in your flour. It’s the protein that enables the flour to develop gluten. This is good when you’re creating a structured yeast bread and not as good when you’re making cakes.
Dessert that are made with sugar and with the goal of leaving that ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ kind of texture, your best bet is to use a flour that is low in protein. All cake flours that have been specially developed for creating tender, moist cakes contain a low protein content (usually between 8% and 10% to a cup, like pastry flour).
Additional Flour Facts
Whole wheat flour comes from red wheat, which gives it a tannish color. It is good for fiber-full, nuttier, and more dense baked goods. It’s great for pizza dough or homemade bread, anything that requires a ‘chewy’ personality. While this same red wheat produces the whole wheat pastry flour, its higher gluten content makes it good for baking.
“White” Whole Wheat flour comes from ‘white’ wheat. This is simply another type of wheat but it’s not bleached whole wheat flour. The different grain of wheat creates a lighter flour. This flour is good for muffins and cakes.
While there is a difference between the White Whole Wheat and the regular Whole Wheat flour, they’re basically interchangeable. There could be a slight difference in the texture, and many people claim that the White Whole Wheat is a little bit sweeter than the regular. These options still beat out purchasing regular bleached white flour.
TIP: Because of the lower protein level in pastry flour it develops less gluten. As any baker knows, gluten can make stuff a bit rubbery, so you don’t want it in things like cookies, muffins, or cakes.