Flour substitutes?

Tomorrow I am going to make pumpkin bread to bring to my in-laws' house.  They love it when I bring interesting American baked goods that they've never eaten before (they are Italian).  However, my mother-in-law is on a diet of trying to eat whole grains, which is something I try to adhere to as well.  However, I wanted to try something new with my whole wheat pumpkin bread recipe.  The recipe I use calls for 3 1/2 cups of flour.  I was thinking of doing 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. 

I was thinking of substituting the other cup of flour for 1/2 cup of ground oats (I'd do the grinding myself) plus another 1/2 cup of ground flax seeds (again, I'd be grinding this myself). 

Does anyone have any suggestions?  Should I add extra liquid somewhere?  I am replacing the oil with applesauce, so I can add extra applesauce.  Or I can add extra pumpkin to give it more moisture. 

I know that oats and flax absorb moisture pretty well, and I don't want my bread to turn out dry!!!!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Bump

You can try spelt flour, it is an ancient grain.

I never ground up my oats when I put them in bread, but then I like that texture.  I also add some honey into the dough when I use oats.  My bread is never dry.

I grind my oats and mix it 50/50 with white flour (ugh.... still working on that!) Or I add some Amarath, Teff, or spelt flour. Turns out fabulous! Oh, and I just started using Agave Nectar instead of sugar... I cut the sugar in 1/2 and add 1/2 c. of dried cranberries.

So whole wheat bread made with all whole wheat flour is pretty dense, and has a pretty strong flavor. It's not bad, but it'll definitely be different, and not everyone likes it. The texture will also be pretty different. Likewise with various other flours - they'll change the density, texture and flavor, and it all depends on whether you'll like it.

Since you're making pumpkin bread, though, there are so many other flavors going on that you might be able to go whole grain without affecting taste as much. Also, I didn't think flax "absorbed" moisture so much as acted like a binder - I know you can use ground flax as an egg substitute.

If you're really worried about the loaf being dry, you might consider adding a little oil in addition to the applesauce. A couple of Tbs wouldn't add that many calories/fat to a whole loaf, and I find that a little fat goes a long way in adding richness to bread. OTOH, I don't think I've ever had a dry pumpkin bread.

Bottom line - experiment away, but I always find it's safer to do my experimenting on myself, so that if it bombs spectacularly, I'm the only one who has to eat the results!

I would keep the moisture on the high side, and even if the flours/oats etc. component is heavy, it will be rich and moist.

You can probably tell when you mix the ingredients - if the batter is stiff and heavy, more moisture is probably needed.

I don't know if your recipe calls for eggs, but those make a good binder and can do a lot to help the texture.

Now I'm hungry for pumpkin bread, and it's not something I usually go for.  But I can almost smell it in the air, and what a great way to usher in the change to autumn...

Maybe add a mashed up banana?  I have found that when I'm replacing with WW flour as well as replacing oil with applesauce in something like muffins or cake, a mashed up banana really helps add more moisture/richness.  I think it would go well with the pumpkin, as well.  Just add a bit - not too much to make it taste like banana, just as an accent to the pumpkin flavor and give it some richness. 

Oats sounds like a great idea, I don't see anything wrong with it. I would be careful with the flaxseed because I found out 2 1/2 tbsp mixed with 3 tbsp of water, it can act as an egg replacement so I have always eliminated an egg if I plan to use flaxseed.

I don't know about adding extra applesauce, I've always replaced it with the same amount of whatever oil the recipes call for (1/3 cup oil then I use 1/3 cup applesauce, etc.) and you wouldn't want it too wet, you know? I've only made banana bread with bisquick and regular flour and just last week, pumpkin bread. It was pretty good but I added too much honey trying to replace the sugar so be careful with that if you plan to use honey because it can burn or give it that burnt taste even though it looks fine.

As above poster said, 1/4-1/2 a banana. Also another egg replacement if you'd like cut down on eggs for the recipe. Would definitely give moisture to the bread instead of being too dense.

Good luck!

I've made pumpkin bread with whole wheat flour.  The batter was more dry then usual and it was a darker color. 

Instead of using applesauce to replace the oil, use pumpkin.  That's what I did.

Whole wheat pastry flour, or white whole wheat is a lighter softer whole wheat. It has all the same benifits, but a texture closer to white, but healthier.

Teff flour is great. I also used mashed bananas in a lot of recipes to add moisture and replace some of the fat.

fruit concentrates (like frozen juice with out the water) can add healthier sweetness, as can honey or agave.  I've made pumpkin bread similiar using the whole wheat pastry flour and also my recipe I used soy yogurt ( or regular if you do dairy) and added dried mixed berries and nuts.

Good luck

I love pumpkin/millet combo. Millet flour has a similar texture to white flour and is very nutritious. You can also add some toasted millet (seeds) for a little extra texture. You could also try quinoa flour but I find it can be a little bitter in sweeter recipes.

I also add soaked rolled oats to muffin/yeast bread recipes for extra moistness and to replace the oil (just cover with boiling water and allow to soak for at least 15 min--but the longer the better). I've also experimented with blended silken (soft) tofu for moisture in my pumpkin/millet muffin recipe (in addition to soaked rolled oats) and you can't taste the soy but it keeps the muffins moist.

I found this one using the Recipe Browser

http://caloriecount.about.com/whole-grain-pum pkin-bread-recipe-r186906