Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours, by Kim Boyce, has inspired me to include more whole grains in baking. After all, my kids pretty much love any baked goodies we make, why not make them a little healthier? I’ve been making a point to substitute freshly ground whole-wheat flour in many of my muffin and cookie recipes lately. Though whole wheat is probably the most commonly used whole grain, there are many other options that Kim covers in her book. Namely, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, kamut, oat, quinoa, rye, spelt and teff flours. Cooking with different flours is fun and a great way to enhance your diet. Most, if not all, of these flours can be found in the bulk section or baking aisle of a natural foods store. If you can’t find them in your area, Bob’s Red Mill is a great resource for specialty flours. Here are 10 Recipes for Baking with Whole Grains. Some of these I’ve made and some of these I’ve bookmarked to make. You’ll be surprised at all the delicious things you can make with Whole Grains! 5 Grain Pancakes with Flax These 5 Grain Pancakes with Flax are a simple way to add new grains to your diet. Almost everyone likes pancakes. Why not try a recipe that features whole wheat, barley, oats, brown rice, and rye? This is a great make ahead pancake mix that you can keep on hand for multiple uses. Apple Cake with Cranberries What a great fall recipe! I can’t wait to give this Apple Cake with Cranberries a try. It contains Sorghum Flour, a millet-like grain, and buckwheat. Bonus points for being gluten-free. Apricot-Thyme Galette with Almond Oat Crust Galettes are a beautiful, rustic desserts, but so simple to make. The crust on this Apricot-Thyme Galette is dressed up with whole wheat flour, oat flour, and almond flour. In addition to the whole grains, you get a healthy serving of fruit with this dessert. Mix it up with any seasonal fruit – try pears, apples, peaches, berries, or a combo. Berry Pistachio Granola Bars I have yet to make my own granola bars. I know. What’s wrong with me? I think I’ll start with these Four Grain Very Berry Pistachio Granola Bars. Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts. This recipe features rye, barley, oats and spelt. Buckwheat Pancakes Here’s another pancake recipe that includes whole grains. These Buckwheat Pancakes have buckwheat and whole wheat flour. Buckwheat has a nutty flavor and is rich in protein. Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies Take your almond (or peanut butter) cookies up a few notches with this recipe for Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies. It includes whole wheat flour and whole oats. Besides the whole grains, there’s a good dose of protein with the nut butter and ground nuts.

image credit: Shaina

Peaches and Coconut Cream Muffins I haven’t used Spelt yet, but these Peaches and Coconut Cream Muffins look amazing. Packed with whole wheat flour, spelt flour, peaches they’re definitely a healthy muffin. And instead of sugar, these muffins feature honey as a sweetener. Fresh peaches not in season where you live? Try frozen peaches as a substitute. Or get creative and try a completely different fruit all together. Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls What a great recipe for this time of year. At your next holiday get together why not include Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls with your spread? It’ll help balance out the inevitable over eating (come on – we all do it!) with some whole wheat, which is rich in B-vitamins, vitamin E, and protein (source: Wheat Foods Council). Whole Wheat and Flax Cornbread Muffins I can’t wait to try these Whole Wheat and Flax Cornbread Muffins. They feature cornmeal and whole wheat flour. This muffin recipe would go great with my Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili. Whole Wheat Rustic Rosemary Bread I substituted part whole wheat flour in this Rustic Rosemary Bread to give it more depth and nutrition. Fresh rosemary and minced garlic add to it’s great flavor. This goes wonderful with soup. We also like to make sandwiches with it. Other great resources for incorporating new grains into your diet:

• Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients
• Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor
• Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Foods into Your Cooking

Do you use whole grains in your baking? What are your favorite recipes for whole grains?

By Katie Goodman. Katie Goodman is Skimbaco’s Family Food & Good Life Expert. This mother of two, believes that part of the goodness in life is sharing good food with friends and family. She’s a SAHM determined to make family meal time a priority while providing a variety of healthy and delicious food choices. Katie blogs at goodLife {eats}, where she shares what she finds good in the kitchen and in life. Katie also contributes to Craftzine, Tablespoon, and Paula Deen Online. She resides in New Mexico with her husband and children. healthy lifestyle