Remember my banana bread recipe?  This week, some old bananas were lying around, but I didn’t want to make the bread with white flour.  We are trying to be healthy.

Then I remembered how I had used some Arrowhead Mills Whole Grain Pastry Flour in a different recipe, and how I had been pleased with the taste.  I have tried a few brands of whole wheat pastry flour, and this brand is my favorite. The texture in the banana bread was spot on, and the flavor was every bit as mild as if I had used white flour.  That’s a picture of my little guy polishing off a piece of my healthier version.

You don’t need to tweak the recipe at all, just use 2 cups of the whole grain pastry flour in place of the all-purpose flour.  Since the flour is lower in gluten than regular whole wheat flour, you can use it for pie crust, cakes (especially spice cakes—you’ll never know the difference), or cookies—any recipe that does not use yeast or rely on gluten for structure (such as risen bread).  If you won’t be using your whole grain flour within a month, it is best to freeze it to prevent it from going rancid.
Arrowhead Mills also makes a fantastic regular whole wheat flour, which I used last spring to make whole grain cinnamon rolls.  They turned out soft and fluffy, which is a tall feat for whole wheat flour.

Today I called the company to find out if they would do a little giveaway for one of our readers.  Since they haven’t called back yet, I think we should all go check out their website by clicking on the picture of flour, or by clicking on their name.  That way, they’ll know how very excited you all are to try their products.

9 Responses to “whole grain pastry flour and a healthier banana bread”

1. Jen T says:

   12 January 2009 at 7:55 pm

   We LOVE your banana bread recipe. It will be great to try this version! Thanks!
2. Shannon says:

   12 January 2009 at 8:57 pm

   I grind my own whole wheat pastry flour and love the flavor in everything from muffins, pancakes, spice cakes etc. Cookies and cakes should always be made with white thought.
3. Mary Anne Stewart says:

   12 January 2009 at 10:52 pm

   It’s been years since I actually ground my own flour, but we buy whole wheat pastry flour all the time in bulk (Whole Foods or Smith’s) and it is great in Waffles and tortillas. I’ll have to try the Arrowhead Mills stuff too. It almost seems to good to be true, doesn’t it?
4. Connie (the write one) says:

   13 January 2009 at 9:27 am

   Forget about the flour, that kid is so cute! Love the oh-so-squeezable cheeks!
5. Erica says:

   13 January 2009 at 11:12 am

   I use whole wheat pastry flour for 90% of my baking. I like making cookies that taste delicious, and are healthy for my kids.
6. patsyk says:

   13 January 2009 at 6:51 pm

   Adorable little guy! I haven’t seen this brand before, but I love that it can be swapped for the same amount of white flour… usually, you can’t do that.
7. My First Kitchen says:

   17 January 2009 at 1:58 pm

   I use whole wheat flour a lot but haven’t really thought much of using the pastry variety. That makes so much sense with the lower gluten! Great idea! I’m putting it on my grocery list. And if the whole contacting-the-company-for-a-giveaway works, I might just try it with my own item, i.e. James McAvoy. I bet I can get a few takers with that kind of giveaway.
8. Bethany says:

   17 January 2009 at 11:07 pm

   So glad we found each other on FB – I am loving your blog!! Thanks for all the tips!!
9. RecipeGirl says:

   20 January 2009 at 11:31 am

   How funny… I just tried the same with a banana bread recipe that I have. Mine was a success too. Not sure what brand of pastry flour I use, but I’ll be checking out this one for sure!