Wholemeal flour is used in so many Irish baked goods. It sounds heavy, but it’s actually much lighter than whole-wheat flour, with all the fiber and nutrients.
It can be hard to find in the US (and when you do, it’s expensive!), so I’ve adapted a few recipes to suit my own taste. It’s so easy and less expensive!
You can swap out all whole-wheat flour for whole-meal flour, and most sources treat them as the same. But I’m convinced there is a lot more wheat bran in the Irish and UK varieties; that’s why I like to make my own.
By weight, it’s about a 3: 1+ ratio. Volume is the opposite. Be sure you get yourself a digital kitchen scale. Not expensive, and it’s so much easier to bake when you weigh!
I use wholemeal flour in my Seedy Brown Bread recipe; it’s delicious.
Wholemeal flour is a combination of whole wheat and wheat bran (not wheat germ, they are two different parts of the grain). Wholemeal flour lightens up any baked good.
*Note: Use wheat bran not germ.
A small-group culinary journey through Ireland’s most delicious regions — from artisan bread and cheesemakers to cozy village pubs.