Husband convinced me to buy this flour the other day. It was available at Costco- $12 for a whopping 20 lbs. 20 lbs may seem like a lot of flour- and it is!- but I have been doing a lot more baking since I've been at home and at nearly a 1/4 of the price of my regular All Purpose (AP) flour per pound....it seemed worth the gamble.What is ultragrain flour? As near as I can tell from my google searches and the company website, it is some sort of patented processing for whole wheat flour that keeps the nutrients while having more of the appearance and usability of white AP flour. Similar to "white whole wheat" flours on the market. (I have only played around with King Arthur brand) You will probably need to click on the picture to read the ingredients list.
The ingredients are unbleached flour and unbleached "ultragrain" flour (whole-wheat flour). I like the idea of my baked goods having a bit more nutritious value on a regular basis so I was eager to see what kind of results I'd get.The flour is somewhat golden in color. It also seems to have a bit more moisture in it than regular AP flour. Here is my review as used in the following applications:
No-Knead Bread: This was the first thing I made with it and arguably where the difference was most dramatic. The crust of the bread was comparable to AP flour. The interior was definitely a golden color. The flavor had an aftertaste to it that I wasn't expecting. Not quite wheaty, not quite white. After making it twice i was still unsure how I felt about it. I think maybe next time I will try half Ultragrain and half bread flour.
Corn muffins: Perhaps because half of the flour in a corn muffin is cornmeal - I really couldn't tell any difference.
Biscuits: After making the bread I wasn't sure how these would turn out- but they were delicious! No strange aftertaste at all. Baked up as light and flaky as any AP would. A big hit with everyone.
Cookies: Specifically, Oatmeal, Pecan and Chocolate Chip cookies. The cookies came out perfect and delicious. And hello? With both oatmeal and whole wheat flour I can call them healthy cookies right?
I should say that I did not do any side-by-side comparisons or anything, so my impressions are purely based on memory of what these recipes should taste like. But truthfully, it doesn't matter if things taste exactly the same, it only matters that they taste good. So in that respect i think the ultragrain is a winner. And so are me and my family, what with our more nutritious baked goods and all.
6 comments:
Was this flour used in those cookies you brought over? If so, I approve of goods baked with Ultragrain and cookies in general.
That sounds interesting! My understanding is that white whole wheat flour is a different variety of wheat, so it's "white" instead of "red" which is the stuff we usually get here in the US that's labeled as "whole wheat." Is that right?
Is the ultragrain blend as healthy as "whole wheat"? Or is it more akin to a half white/ half whole wheat mix?
Very cool - tasty and nutritious
cheap flour makes me want to have a costco membership - and the basement to store all the amazing shit in.
I love the idea, but there is no way I'm buying a bag of flour that weighs more than my dogs. It would take us at least 4 years to use that much flour. Love Costco, though, for juice boxes, cheese, toilet paper, frozen burritos - anything that we go through very quickly/can be frozen. Lisa
I work for the PR agency that works with Ultragrain and saw your post. Glad you enjoyed it!
I know you checked out the website, but wanted to provide you with more information in case you were interested.
Ultragrain:
§ Offers higher levels of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
§ Has 30 grams of whole grain and four grams of dietary fiber per serving - - four times the amount of refined white flour products.
In addition to 100% Ultragrain White Whole Wheat, Eagle Mills has also introduced an all-purpose flour that has 30% Ultragrain and 70% all-natural refined flour. Since many consumers aren’t immediately willing to make the switch from refined white flour products, the blended Eagle Mills All-Purpose Flour made with Ultragrain is a good choice for those who want to make a gradual transition to whole grain
Let me know if would like any further information or have any questions.
Best,
Amy Robinson
Ketchum for Ultragrain
amy.robinson@ketchum.com
404-879-9126
Post a Comment