Many types of flour are made from wheat, but not all types of wheat flour are the same. For instance, there are unique variants of wheat flour that offer different uses, such as graham flour.
If you have never heard of graham flour before, you may be wondering what graham flour is and how graham flour differs from plain flour. I checked out the facts, and this is what I learned!
What Is Graham Flour?
Graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour that uses the entire wheat berry. Generally, parts of the wheat berry are coarsely ground while others are finely ground to create a slightly coarse texture. Graham flour is often used to make graham crackers along with pie crusts, granola, bread, and cereal.
Do you want to learn if graham flour is the same as gram flour, why graham flour was invented, and what you can use instead of graham flour? Keep reading!
What Is Graham Flour Made Of?
Graham flour is whole wheat flour but graham flour is not the same as regular whole wheat flour.
Generally, graham flour contains the wheat berry’s three parts, which are the bran, endosperm, and germ.
However, what makes graham flour unique is that the endosperm gets finely ground whereas the bran and germ are ground coarsely.
By coarsely grinding and finely grinding different parts of the wheat berry, graham flour will have an ivory-colored flour with coarse flakes, giving graham flour a slightly coarse texture.
What Does Graham Flour Taste Like?
Normally, graham flour tastes slightly nutty and sweet with a rustic texture.
What Is Graham Flour Used For?
As you may guess from the name, graham flour is normally used to make graham crackers, but you may use graham flour to make other types of crackers.
Since graham flour is similar to whole wheat flour, you may use graham flour to create rustic brown bread, cereals, pie crusts, and granola.
Can I Eat Graham Flour Raw?
Generally, it is not advisable to eat graham flour raw because raw graham flour can be hard to digest.
Moreover, raw graham flour could contain harmful bacteria from wheat, which is why it is always best to cook or bake graham flour before eating it.
Why Was Graham Flour Invented?
Graham flour was invented by Sylvester Graham back in the 1830s, and Sylvester Graham was a minister who believed in encouraging healthy diets.
Sylvester Graham wanted to deter people from eating refined white flour after the Industrial Revolution.
Thus, Sylvester Graham believed that using the entire wheat berry during the milling process to create graham flour would be a healthier alternative to white flour.
Is Graham Flour Still Available?
Graham flour is still available in some stores, but graham flour may not be as readily available as whole wheat flour.
However, you can often find graham flour in specialty food stores, bakery supply stores, health food stores, and online.
Is Graham Flour The Same As Gram Flour?
Despite their similar names, graham flour and gram four are not the same because graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour whereas gram flour is legume flour made from split brown chickpeas.
Since they are made from different ingredients, gram flour and graham flour are not interchangeable with each other for most recipes.
Moreover, graham flour contains gluten whereas gram flour does not, which is why gram flour is often used for flatter recipes that do not need much structure or rise.
What Is The Difference Between Graham Flour And Regular Flour?
While graham flour and regular flour are both made from wheat, they are made from different parts of wheat.
For instance, graham flour is created from all three parts of the wheat berry whereas regular flour is usually only made of the endosperm.
Therefore, graham flour has a distinctly coarser texture and flakier appearance than regular flour.
What Is The Difference Between Graham Flour And Whole Wheat Flour?
Graham flour and whole wheat flour are very similar because graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour, but there are slight differences.
For instance, whole wheat flour and graham flour are both made from the entire wheat berry.
However, graham flour only coarsely grinds the germ and bran while the endosperm gets ground finely.
On the other hand, whole wheat flour finely grinds the whole wheat berry, creating a much smoother and finer texture.
How Long Does Graham Flour Last?
Generally, an opened package of graham flour can be good for up to one month because graham flour has more oils than plain flour, which can make graham flour go bad faster.
However, graham flour can last for six months if you keep the graham flour in the freezer.
Be sure to store your graham flour in a thick and air-tight container to keep moisture and bad odors away from your graham flour.
What Is A Substitute For Graham Flour?
Generally, unrefined and unbleached whole wheat flour is one of the best substitutes for graham flour because they are very similar.
If you were to use unbleached and unrefined whole wheat flour, the only difference you may notice is a slightly smoother texture than graham flour.
You may use bleached and refined whole wheat flour instead of graham flour if desired, but you will have a blander flavor and lighter color in your recipe.
If you want to learn what glutinous rice flour is, what green banana flour is, and what Gold Medal flour is, read our other articles.
Conclusion
Graham flour is a kind of whole wheat flour made from the whole wheat berry, and graham flour features a slightly sweet, nutty flavor with a partially coarse texture.
Normally, people use graham flour to create to make graham crackers, but you can use graham flour to make other crackers, pie crusts, bread, and more.