How to make white flour Challah slightly healthier?

amother

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 1:46 am

I always bake Whole Spelt Challah but Im missing the unhealthy white flour Challah taste.

For a change I want to bake White Flour Challah.

What can I add to give it some fiber and nutrients, that wont change the fluffy light color and texture?

mom2mysouls

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 1:56 am

I add wheat bran. It gives a great texture-
chewy, soft. (add into cookies or pizza too]it has lots of fiber. Noone knows...
Groceries don't usually carry it, I get it in the health stores.

amother

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 2:07 am

mom2mysouls wrote:

I add wheat bran. It gives a great texture-
chewy, soft. (add into cookies or pizza too]it has lots of fiber. Noone knows...
Groceries don't usually carry it, I get it in the health stores.

I think Id probably use Oat Bran, because its more easily digestible.

How much do you add to 5 pounds of flour?

Doesnt it change the color?

Surrendered

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 1:58 pm

I came here to say I use honey instead of flour. No difference in taste. I see someone already mentioned it.
I use white spelt flour, also comes out tasting like regular challos.

mom2mysouls

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 2:16 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I think Id probably use Oat Bran, because its more easily digestible.

How much do you add to 5 pounds of flour?

Doesnt it change the color?

I would not use oat bran.( I probably experimented it years ago) Oat absorbs liquids and will cause the dough to be drier , heavy, and more grainy. I would only use it in muffins or cookies, etc.
In fact, oat may cause bloating for some, but some don't tolerate wheat either. But if you're ok with either one, wheat bran is better for challah. The fiber is also much higher than oat. I use about 1/3 -1/2 cup for 5 lbs.dough, but you can adjust.
Spelt is a very good alternative too. It digests much better, is lighter, good taste.. more $$ though

mom2mysouls

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 2:21 pm

The wheat bran doesn't change the color, but gives slight brown specks -almost like a white whole wheat. You can find it in fine blend or coarse. I personally like the coarse.

amother

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 2:28 pm

Surrendered wrote:

I use white spelt flour, also comes out tasting like regular challos.

Which recipe do you use for your Spelt Challah?

Which company Spelt flour do you use? Ive had different results with different company's Spelt Flour. But I never got anything that looked or tasted like a regular (Wheat) Challah.

Rachel Shira

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 3:16 pm

If you’re wanting a delicious thing like white challah that you have infrequently, I would just make it as is and enjoy. Your other food can be healthy, and this week the challah can be a treat. The small amount of wheat bran won’t add so much of a health benefit to outweigh the white flour anyway.

mammale

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 3:18 pm

Surrendered wrote:

I came here to say I use honey instead of flour.

That sounds like it would make for a very sweet & sticky challah! Wink

(...sorry.. I couldn't resist!...)

amother

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 3:26 pm

Rachel Shira wrote:

Youre right!

Thats what I ended up doing.

amother

Taupe

Fri, Jun 14 2019, 4:12 pm

Add ground flax seeds. Adds a ton of nutrition with very little taste.
Other options are wheat germ or bran.

I’ve done all these and it comes out amazing.

Surrendered

Sun, Jun 16 2019, 12:14 am

OP, I use the white spelt flour from Grain Brain.
I use the same recipe I did with regular flour. Just replace 1 cup sugar for 1 cup honey.

Mammela, Honey does not make the challos sweeter or more sticky than sugar. Try it and see for yourself.

Here's my recipe for delicious fluffy Spelt Challos:
4 Tsp. Dry yeast- dissolve in 2 cups lukewarm water and 1 tsp. sugar (to make it rise)
1 cup oil
4 eggs
4 tsp. Salt
4 cups lukewarm water (in addition to the 2 cups)
1 cup honey
6 lb. White Spelt flour

Let yeast rise, add all Ingredients and mix well.
Let rise afew minutes, and braid.
Let rise or put into oven for 10 minutes on 200°.
Bake on 350° for 1/2 hour.

Freezes well. Rebake it before the zman for 10 minutes, on 350°. It will be crispy in the outside and soft inside.

Last edited by Surrendered on Sun, Jun 16 2019, 12:20 am; edited 2 times in total

Razzle100

Thu, Jun 20 2019, 10:53 pm

I substitute a cup of flour with quick cooking oats (not the instant kind), and one or two cups with white whole wheat (less bitter than regular whole wheat). After some trial and error, it does not seem that the oats need soaking first, just pop 'em in, though a bit more liquid may be needed to get the dough to feel right. The oats and www flour almost disappear in the challah. Not quite, but almost.
My ratio is about 2/3 white flour, and 1/3 www + oats. Your mileage may vary Smile

amother

Thu, Jun 20 2019, 11:34 pm

Razzle100 wrote:

I substitute a cup of flour with quick cooking oats (not the instant kind),

Have you ever considered processing the oats (in the food processor w an "S" blade) to get a flour consistency?

Razzle100

Fri, Jun 21 2019, 1:45 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Have you ever considered processing the oats (in the food processor w an "S" blade) to get a flour consistency?

I've considered it, but that would require washing the processor bowl Very Happy

It's actually a great idea.

amother

Fri, Jun 21 2019, 2:13 pm

Razzle100 wrote:

I've considered it, but that would require washing the processor bowl Very Happy

It's actually a great idea.

Ive made a bag of "Oat Flour" at a time, to use whenever I need some.