# Healthy Baking?



## beamsofamber (Feb 3, 2015)

My family is striving to get away from processed and unhealthy foods, but I have always enjoyed baking. I'd like to keep in on the healthier side now, though ... so, if white sugar and white flour are bad for you, what do you use for baking? If stevia and splenda aren't good for you, what do you sweeten your baked goods with? Honey is great for tea and smoothies, but I can't see using it for a batch of cookies.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I still use white flour & white sugar to bake. Baked goods made from scratch will be far superior to any of the things in the store. Do you ever wonder what they have to add that will keep a cookie good for 6 months?? Mine are getting stale in 3 days, not that they ever last that long. All things in moderation as far as eating. I am a believer that flour & sugar aren't that bad for you if eaten in moderation. You just don't want to eat a dozen cookies at a time.


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## beamsofamber (Feb 3, 2015)

I totally wonder what they're adding to make baked goods last forever! That's exactly why I'd rather make my own. We're working to get rid of as much processed food as possible.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I think the preservatives are the worst things, not the flour & sugar.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

Wendy said:


> You just don't want to eat a dozen cookies at a time.


What? I can't eat a dozen cookies at a time? Since when? Next you'll be telling me I can't "main line" sugar into my veins. :bouncy:
I still use white sugar and white flour in my baking, the main complaint as I understand it is that when it is refined most of the vitamins and minerals are missing, but I always figured if I ate enough other healthy stuff it would make up for it.


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## tessadiane (Jul 13, 2014)

Unbleached white flour for things that are best with white flour. Half whole wheat half unbleached white for things like quick breads.


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## RebeccaNoble (Feb 9, 2015)

Hi! I'm new to the forum but saw this and had to throw my two cents in!

I am a sugar addict. It sucks. I blew up 70 pounds while pregnant and am only now, 2 1/2 years later, mostly back to where I was. Minus the "front butt" belly &#128514;&#128514;&#128514;

But my point is! I also love baking, but I didn't want sugar controlling my life anymore. So the Super Healthy Hidden Veggie Muffin was born!

Basic recipe:

Dry:
1/2 cup whole wheat/brown rice/ healthier flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup chocolate hemp protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Wet:
2 bananas (less sugar if you use them when they're not super brown)
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce (I usually peel and chop and boil two apples then just stir them in, they're soft but add a little chunk)
1 cup shredded carrot (2 or 3 carrots)
1 zucchini shredded

Mix dry, add wet, stir it all up, add in extras! Have fun! I usually do raisins, walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds. So many options!

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Makes about a dozen &#128522;

I've been playing with this recipe for about a year now, my little dude became SO PICKY last spring, this is the best way to fill his belly with veggies &#128522; Enjoy!


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## DisasterCupcake (Jan 3, 2015)

The white flour and sugar itself is pretty bad. White flour is used to prolong the shelf life of baked goods. In other words, it is woefully depleted of nutrients. 

Healthful, quality baked goods are made from whole ingredients and will take more time and thought to their preparation. Grains are best bought whole, soaked for several hours in water, whey or milk before grinding. Grinding can be done with a home grain grinder, or a heavy roller. The reason for this is that most nutrients are very sensitive to oxidation, and will be gone within hours of grinding. Even fresh-milled grain is too old if you bought it from the store. 

Many traditional cultures would bake and eat their bread products within hours of grinding the grains. Health issues creep in when the time is increased between these steps, or parts of the grain are not used in the final product; ie white bread. 

Most cultures also used very traditional grains, not those artificially high in starch and gluten like we find at market today. Rye and oat breads are among the best.


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## Staceyy (Jun 16, 2007)

Please visit my blog for tips. http://www.diabeticpastrychef.com. I substitute Whey Low for sugar, mix my flours, use canola butter and use half whole milk mixed with half water, or I use almond milk.


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## Moboiku (Mar 7, 2014)

I use nothing but 100% whole wheat flour and I buy raw sugar in 5-lb bags on Amazon. I use the eggs from our chickens. My kids swear my cookies are better than any they've had elsewhere and I can justify baking and having baked goods on hand when the ingredients going into them are whole ingredients. Not that we live on them - they are still an occasional treat - but so much better for us than those using processed flours and sugars.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Moboiku said:


> I use nothing but 100% whole wheat flour and I buy raw sugar in 5-lb bags on Amazon. I use the eggs from our chickens. My kids swear my cookies are better than any they've had elsewhere and I can justify baking and having baked goods on hand when the ingredients going into them are whole ingredients. Not that we live on them - they are still an occasional treat - but so much better for us than those using processed flours and sugars.


Well said!

We mostly grind our own wheat and have several different kinds. Natural sugar, honey, maple syrup and molasses are all ingredients in our pantry that get used for baking. If you're looking for and alternative for oil in baking, apple sauce can replace at least some of the oil in some recipes.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

When I switched from processed foods, my determination was mostly to get rid of sodium and sugars. I still bake with a variety of flours (whole wheat, rye, tapioca, etc. I find at Bob's Red Mill; and I use a baking powder without aluminum in it. Most of my ingredients are home-grown and what isn't is selected carefully by reading the labels...too much in it I cannot pronounce and I won't use it. I use either sea salt or crushed kelp for salt. I add a lot of healthy spices to everything I possibly can.

When I get hungry for something sweet, I often make a kefir smoothy with vanilla flavoring, frozen bananas and some form of frozen fruit I have on hand. I also keep "raw" honey too for when something calls for a sweetener.

Guess what I'm trying to say is there is no need to cut out all the white flour and all the sugars. Just use less and experiment with other stuff.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Raw honey
Molasses 
Home made (home canned) applesauce
bananas

Those all can be used as sweeteners.


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## hoddedloki (Nov 14, 2014)

A few things that we do.

1. Grind your own grain into whole wheat flour. It is fresher, tastier, healthier, and you can grind it as fine as you want. The finer you grind it, the more you can add to bread without killing the texture. (Get a good grinder for this)
2. Use raw sugar- no bleaching required.
3. Make what you can fresh. fresh bread and pasta just taste better, and are better for you. Many dinners can be premade and frozen without preservatives. (dim sum anyone?) Make your freshness as convenient as possible
4. For things like cookies, make a batch of dough and seal it up to store in the fridge (it'll keep up to about 3 weeks before drying out.) Take out what you want to bake today, and you have fresh cookies, without making a new batch every time.

Think outside the box and use ingredients a fresh as possible.

Loki


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

One important thing to understand about white flour versus whole wheat flour etc. is that they both have the same macro-nutrients (fat/carb/proteins). Whole grain simply processes the grain w/ the shell, which provides additional micro-nutrients and minerals.

One drawback to whole grain flour is that it has a shorter shelf like because of the oils retained from the shell, so as mentioned above, it is best to use it fresh. It also generally results in more dense baked goods, with less rise - sometimes this isn't necessarily bad.

As for sweeteners, I have found honey and applesauce to work quite well.

Also, maple syrup or molasses

depends on the intensity and flavor profile you're after


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