Bulgur wheat is a quick-cooking whole grain you’ll want to keep on hand for an easy side dish. Chop up the herbs while the bulgur stands. You can vary this recipe in any number of ways – use vegetable or chicken broth in place of the water, stir in your favorite fresh herbs or garnish it with toasted nuts and a sprinkling of feta or goat cheese.
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I can’t tell you how many times someone has produced a package of beige bread from their fridge for me while proudly announcing, “See, I switched to wheat . . . I’m really trying to eat healthier,” only to have me scan the ingredients and see that, nutrient-wise, the loaf ain’t much better than Wonder. Which is just a bummer for everyone. Here’s how to understand the labels on the loaves so that, when you want a whole grain wheat bread, you really get one.
Overview
At its most basic, bread is really no more than three or four ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt (if you’re in my kitchen). Along with the alchemy of time, artisanal bread makers transform those ingredients into a food that is one of the timeless staples of life. Sliced bread, although “great” on the convenience front, made things a bit more complicated. Nowadays, ingredient lists on a loaf of bread can be up to 40 items long, many of them with unpronounceable names.
Complicating the matter further are the labels on the front of the package. I’ve seen many breads dusted with seeds and nuts touting “whole grains” and “naturally sweetened” that are primarily refined flour and high-fructose corn syrup. The reality is, the only real way to know what you’re getting is to look at the ingredients yourself. Here’s a guide.
What’s Actually in the Bread?
Western Hearth 7-Grain Bread
Pick up a loaf of bread like the one above and the ingredient list can be daunting. Here’s a breakdown of the four major categories.
Whole grains (listed in brown)
These are grains—either in whole form; cracked or crushed; or ground into a flour—that have all three parts of the kernel intact. (For more on what these parts do for us, read Gotta Get Your Grains).
Refined flours and enrichment additives (listed in red)
These are flours that have been stripped of all but the starchy endosperm. Refined flour has, by law, five vitamins and minerals—niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid and iron—added back to it. Don’t let this fool you into thinking it’s virtuous, however. There are still ample nutrients, healthy fats, fiber and other goodies that are gone for good in refined flours. Some breads say “wheat flour,” but unless it says “whole wheat flour” it is still a refined grain.
Sweeteners (listed in pink)
These are added to make the bread sweeter and mask the taste of chemical additives and preservatives.
Softeners and stabilizers (listed in purple)
These ingredients, mostly chemicals, give the bread a soft, spongy texture and help it last longer on the shelves.
What Should You Look For?
The truth is, you don’t need to memorize what each ingredient is. To know if you’re buying a real, whole grain bread—and to gauge how healthy it is—you just have to look for the answers to these questions:
How Whole? The first thing you want to do is look at the very first word, which, if you’re looking for a whole grain bread, should be “whole.” Because ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, you’re not going to get much whole grain benefit from a loaf with enriched flour as its first ingredient (for more on why, read Gotta Get Your Grains) and a whole grain flour as its last. And don’t be fooled: breads labeled “7-grain” or “whole-grain” or “multigrain” often have enriched or wheat flour listed as a first ingredient with small amounts of other whole grains mixed in. Take a look at the bread above, for instance, and you’ll see that it’s mostly refined flour. Only after the high-fructose corn syrup do we find the whole grains it touts (the label, by the way, reads “7 Grain Bread, Naturally Sweetened”), meaning that there are less of each of the grains than there is high-fructose corn syrup (ingredients are listed in descending order by weight). For a bread to truly count as a whole grain, it must have “whole wheat flour” or some other type of whole grain flour (“whole” being the operative word) high up on the list.
How Long? The second thing you should look for is how long the list is. Keep in mind that all it takes to make bread is four ingredients. Anything else, unless they’re grains, seeds, nuts or other ingredients added for texture and flavor, is there to make it sweeter, softer or more shelf-stable.
How Real? Even the more natural bread below uses sweeteners, only they’re dates and raisins, with not a high-fructose corn syrup in sight. Ingredients that sound unnatural, for the most part, are.
Alvarado Bakery Organic Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread
By no means is this to say you should never indulge in a nice loaf of non-whole grain bread. But if you’re making the effort to buy a whole grain bread then, dang it, I believe you should get it. The next time you buy a loaf of whole grain bread, flip it over, look at the ingredients and make sure it’s the real deal.
I’m always looking for quick-cooking whole grains I can whip on even the busiest evenings. In that regard, bulgur has become my new best friend. You’d be hard-pressed to find a whole grain that cooks up faster (though quinoa comes close).
Bulgur is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine and a standby in Greek fare, too. You could think of it as the grandchild of wheat berries and the child of cracked wheat. Wheat berries are whole wheat kernels. Cracked wheat is nothing more than wheat berries broken into smaller fragments that cook a bit more quickly.
But just as each generation should improve on the previous one, bulgur speeds things up even more. It’s made from wheat berries that have been steamed, dried and crushed. The result: a whole grain that looks similar to steel-cut oats but cooks in as little as 10 minutes. That’s why some refer to it as “Middle Eastern pasta.”
What It Tastes Like: Bulgur can be made from durum, hard red, hard white or soft white wheat. The stuff made from durum and white wheat varieties has a golden hue with mild nutty flavor and tender yet chewy texture. Bulgur made with hard red wheat is a tawnier shade and has a heartier consistency and more assertive taste with slightly bitter undertones.
How to Cook It: Bulgur is available in grinds from fine to extra-coarse. The finer the grind, the faster the it cooks. Fine- and medium-grain are what you’ll find most commonly. Prepare fine- or medium-grain bulgur the way you would couscous: bring liquid (water or stock) to a boil, add the bulgur, cover, remove from the heat and let it stand 10-20 minutes. This allows the grains to steam and get tender but not mushy. Many cooks use 2 parts liquid to 1 part bulgur. At , we prefer a 1:1 ratio for cooking fine and medium grains, which creates delightfully fluffy results. For coarser grains, bring liquid to a boil, add the bulgur, cover, reduce the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until it’s tender; drain any excess liquid. One cup of uncooked grains yields about 3 cups cooked bulgur.
How to Use It: Bulgur is a great speedy side dish that you can dress up with chopped herbs, vegetables, nuts, dried fruit or whatever else takes your fancy. It’s the basis for the traditional Middle Eastern herb-flecked grain salad, tabbouleh (Greek cuisine has its own version). Middle Eastern cooks also combine it with ground meat for kibbeh (try our version in Spiced Lamb and Bulgur Sliders). You can cook it risotto style, too, and enjoy it for breakfast, which I discovered after accidentally grabbing an unmarked container of bulgur that I thought was steel-cut oats. (It was a happy mistake, since the bulgur cooked much faster.) It’s also a surprisingly good fit with desserts like our Plum Parfaits with Bulgur and Vanilla Yogurt.
Additional Notes: You’ll find bulgur in packages (either near the flour or with other whole grains) at supermarkets and in bulk bins at health-food stores.
Along with convenience, bulgur has some serious nutritional cred. A 3/4-cup portion (the serving size in our lamb tagine recipe here) has 113 calories, a whopping 6 grams of fiber and 4.5 grams of protein. It also offers more than 40% of your daily need for manganese, a humble trace element that helps regulate your metabolism and build bone. That makes bulgur one mighty little grain!
I’m a bit of Jane-come-lately to the whole wheat flour party. While I’ve always enjoyed the heartiness of a great loaf of whole wheat bread, other baked goods made with whole wheat flour always brought to mind hockey pucks rather than delicate treats. But, thanks to better availability of all kinds of specialty flours, including different types of whole wheat flours, those old assumptions are falling by the wayside.
Of course, there’s a nutritional advantage to using whole wheat flour. It’s a whole grain, because the flour is milled for the entire wheat kernel and includes:
These days, you’ll find a range of whole wheat flours at health food stores (especially in the bulk bins) and even at your local supermarket. To learn more about the differences between these flours, I talked to Suzanne Cote, a spokeswoman for King Arthur Flour. Here are the different types you’ll find:
Whole wheat flour. This is milled from hard red spring wheat, which gives it a characteristic dark color and assertive flavor (some call it nutty, others find it bitter). It’s a “strong” flour, meaning it’s high in protein. That gives baked goods structure, which is great for a hearty whole wheat bread but can make more delicate items like muffins or cookies tough.
White whole wheat flour. Milled from hard white spring wheat, this flour has a creamier color, softer texture and milder flavor than regular whole wheat flour. Yet, “the fiber and nutrition are very similar,” says Cote. It’s also a high-protein flour, so it’s a good candidate for breads and doughs. It has become my go-to whole wheat flour, and I love using it in pizza dough.
Whole wheat pastry flour. Sometimes also called graham flour (which refers to the grind), this is made from soft white winter wheat, so it has less protein than regular or white whole wheat flour. Use this for tender baked goods, including cookies, muffins, brownies and snack cakes.
But you don’t have to banish all-purpose flour from your kitchen. “Depending on what your application is, you can play with different wheat flours” says Cote. “There’s nothing wrong with blending.”
If you’re adapting an existing recipe, start by substituting a whole wheat flour for one-quarter to three-quarters of all-purpose, Cote suggests.
“The thing to remember about whole wheat flour is that it’s a really thirsty flour compared to all-purpose,” she adds. If your batter or dough looks a bit dry, add a little more liquid.
Armed with this knowledge, I’m happy to use whole wheat flour in a lot more baked goods. Is it ideal for everything? No. You’d still want to use highly refined cake flour, for example, to make a lighter-than-air angel food cake. But for everyday baking–cookies, quick breads and these muffins–I’ll turn to whole wheat.
Mention “flour,” and I think of the stuff made from wheat. But if cooks don’t live in a wheat-cultivating region–or can’t eat wheat products–they rely on flour milled from rice, nuts, beans and other raw ingredients.
Many of those so-called “specialty” products are going mainstream, thanks to the growing ranks of consumers diagnosed with celiac disease (also known as gluten intolerance). The gluten-free market is projected to balloon to $6.6 billion in sales by 2017.
I’m not gluten intolerant, but I appreciate the increased availability of intriguing new ingredients turning up on supermarket shelves, in health-food store bulk bins and, as always, tucked away in ethnic markets.
But there’s a caveat to using these flours: The gluten in wheat flour gives baked goods structure, so you can’t simply swap out wheat flour for gluten-free flours in recipes and expect the same results. If you’re gluten intolerant you’d use a blend of gluten-free ingredients (or pick up a box of gluten-free baking mix) to mimic the qualities of wheat flour. Others without intolerance can sub some of the wheat flour in a recipe with one of these specialty flours (The Cook’s Thesaurus has a great guide to subbing specialty for wheat flours).
Here are three types of specialty flours. Please note: these are ideas for cooks like me, who aren’t gluten intolerant but are curious about what these ingredients can bring to our cooking. If you have celiac disease, check out Shauna James Ahern’s blog Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef.
Nut flour
These have a finer texture than nut meals, but they can be used in many recipes that call for nut meal. Almond flour is the most common type, but you’ll also see flour made with hazelnuts and chestnuts. They have a high fat content and can go rancid quickly, so store them in the freezer.
Try it: These flours add deep, nutty flavor and moisture to baked goods. Substitute for up to a quarter of the all-purpose flour. Nut flours also are a tasty way to thicken sauces.
Rice flour
Rice flour can be milled from white, brown, red or any variety of rice, and it has a long tradition throughout Asia, from India to Japan. Brown rice flour has a nutty quality whereas white rice flour is more neutral.
Try it: Rice flour lends baked goods a crumbly texture, which you can use to your advantage–in shortbread, for instance, which should be crumbly, or to create a tender crumb in cakes. Substitute rice flour for a quarter of the all-purpose flour in baked goods. Use starchy Japanese mochiko (made from glutinous short-grain rice) as a thickener.
Bean flour
Visit any Indian market and you’ll be blown away by the variety of flours milled from beans and other legumes, which are used in baked goods. These days, you’ll find chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour in many supermarkets, too. Bean flours add and earthy, well, beany flavor to food.
Try it: I used chickpea flour to make this socca, a Provencal street-food snack. It’s also a key ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking for falafel and is ideal for making a super-smooth hummus. As with nut flour, bean flour is a terrific to thicken a sauce. Robin Asbell’s terrific new book, Big Vegan, uses chickpea flour in a number of creative ways, including a sauce for terrific vegan mac ‘n’ “cheese.”
There’s a whole world of wheat flours, too, and we’ve tackled in The Whole Story on Whole Wheat Flours. In the meantime, try this simple socca. Viva la France!
Farro has become a bit of culinary darling, turning up on restaurant menus and even in health-food store bulk bins. But what is farro? It’s an ancient strain of emmer wheat (think of it as a wheat varietal, like a chardonnay or pinot noir is to wine) that was originally domesticated in the Near East millennia ago, but has recently become popular on American menus. Here’s how to use it:
What It Looks Like: Farro–specifically “semi-pearled” or “semi-perlato” farro, which has been lightly polished–looks a bit like barley with a dusty coating.
What It Tastes Like: Farro has a lovely, toasted nut flavor and a luscious, meaty chew that makes it one of my favorite whole grains in the kitchen.
How to Cook It: Cook farro in a 1:2 ratio of farro to water. Bring the water (or stock or tomato juice or whatever liquid you choose) to a boil, add the farro and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, until kernels are plump and tender and liquid is absorbed.
How to Use It: I like to use farro as a replacement for pasta in cold salads, as a hearty side dish, or—my favorite—as a stand-in for Arborio rice in a farro risotto. It keeps extremely well with minimal clumping when cool, which makes it a great candidate for leftovers. Try it as a base for a salad or an addition to soup.
Additional Notes: While farro used to be peasant food—it was an official ration for Roman legions—nowadays it’s quite pricy. But its texture is so substantial that I find it needs little or no meat to round out a meal. Try thinking of the farro itself as the main focus of the dish, adding meat only for a hit of flavor–like a big mound of shallot-studded farro topped with thin slices of steak or chicken. Of course, you can always beef up the whole plate with tasty seasonal veggies, as with the eggplant stacks below. Combinations like these end up being both healthy and quite economical.
Farro is an ancient strain of emmer wheat. You can find it in many specialty shops and also online at ChefShop.com. The hearty, nutty flavor of the farro pairs beautifully with butternut squash and mushrooms.
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 cups sliced shallots
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
3 thyme sprigs
3 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 quart mushroom stock
1-1/2 cups farro
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Toss squash and shallots with 1 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and thyme. Spread out in a heavy roasting pan and roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally after the first 10 minutes, until squash and shallots are tender and caramelized. Remove from the oven and discard thyme stems.
While the squash roasts, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until a good portion of the fat is rendered. Add mushrooms to pot and toss well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until mushrooms begin to release their liquid. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Add bay leaves, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper, and continue cooking for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tinged golden-brown.
Stir in broth, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in farro and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is gone and the farro is tender. Stir in squash and shallots and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Serves 8
