How to add fiber to homemade bread?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2003
How to add fiber to homemade bread?
9
Fri, 03-11-2005 - 11:33am

I have a cookbook of whole grain bread machine breads, all made with 100% whole grains, but most of them only have about 2.5 grams fiber per slice. Any ideas on what I can add to the recipes to add more fiber per slice??

thanks!!

Michele

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
Fri, 03-11-2005 - 11:46am

Hi Michele, I have an idea!


Add wheat germ or wheat bran to it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2003
Fri, 03-11-2005 - 12:20pm
Thanks Maggie, you rock!! Any idea how much to add to a 1.5 pound loaf of bread??
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
Fri, 03-11-2005 - 12:21pm

Hey Michele, here is more good stuff about using the best part of the wheat kernel:

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
Fri, 03-11-2005 - 5:15pm

Hey Michele, glad that idea helped!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2003
Sat, 03-12-2005 - 9:39am
Maggie, I found another way to add fiber. I was flipping through my Baker's Catalogue, and they have a Harvest Grains Blend. It's a blend of whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes, wheat flakes, whole flax, poppy, sesame and sunflower seeds. You just add 1/2 to 1/3 cup to your bread dough. Sounds yummy and full of fiber!! For anyone that's interested, the web site is www.bakerscatalogue.com. They have all the hard to find flours we need, plus some really great blends, such as an Ezekiel mix, 8 and 10 grain flour blends, etc.
Thanks again for your help and suggestions!
Michele
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
Wed, 03-16-2005 - 3:55pm
Michele, that sounds great!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2003
Wed, 03-16-2005 - 4:29pm

Hi Maggie. I ordered the ingredients today from the Baker's Catalogue, hopefully I'll be baking by the weekend! I'll let ya know and post the recipe if it turns out good.

Michele

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2003
Thu, 03-17-2005 - 9:33pm

I have a baby cook book called Super Baby Food and they make "Super Flour". Several of the versions have different ingredients. Here are a couple of the recipes:

Super Flour
In a 1 C measuring cup:
1 T soy flour
1 T wheat germ
1 tsp brewers yeast
Top off the cup with whole wheat flour

My version of Super Flour (just cause I am to lazy to buy brewers yeast)
In a 1 C measuring cup:
1 T Wheat Germ
1 T ground flax seed
1 T oat bran (optional)
Top off the cup with whole wheat flour

The only warning about adding extra fiber to bread is it makes it a little more dense or heavy. Sometimes it is tougher to chew or doesn't work the same in a bread machine. I personally like it but some people don't. I also make sourdough bread with whole wheat flour and it is really good. Look for wheat germ in the cooking section of your store. There is usually an organic or "health food" part of the baking eisle. Or if your store has a health food section you can buy it there or in the bulk eisle. Same with the oat bran. Be careful eating too much wheat bran by itself your colon can become dependant if you eat A LOT of it.




Edited 3/17/2005 10:37 pm ET ET by marahjadesmom
Aimee Mom to Marah Jade (5) and Quinlan (22 months)
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2003
Fri, 03-18-2005 - 7:16am

Hi Marahjadesmom. Thanks for the input. Not sure if you are aware, but I did lots of research on the web, and in my cookbooks, and there are a few things they recommend for Whole Wheat breads to make them better, lighter, etc.

Add 1.5 tsp of vital wheat gluten for each cup of WW flour used in the recipe. This is a great way to convert a white flour recipe to WW.

Also, 1/2 tsp. of diastic malt powder for a 1.5lb. loaf will greatly improve texture and better rising.

1/4 tsp. ascorbic acid for a 1.5lb. loaf will improve rising. Do not use ascorbic acid in a bread that already contains acidic ingredients, such as yogurt or fruit juice.

Most importantly, replace the fat or oil in your bread with the same amount of granular lecithin. It conditions the dough better, and produces a softer textured, higher rising loaf. Try to use the granular form, it also comes in liquid, but it is more dense and harder to work with, if you do use liquid, use half the amount. Lecithin is a fat, but is rich in nutrients such as Vitamin E, iron, phosphorous, and choline. Another bonus to the granules is that they contain 60 calories per tablespoon, as opposed to 120 for any other fat.

Hope this info helps others as it has helped me. Will be baking as soon as my ingredients arrive, and will post recipes when they turn out good!

Michele