I love Wegman's and I can hardly wait until 2022, when the chain will open a grocery store in Northwest D.C. within walking distance of our house. Until then, we only go to Wegman's every once in a blue moon. Sometimes we venture out to the store in Fairfax, or I occasionally stop by the Dulles location after dropping someone off at the airport. Recently we went to a barbecue close to Leesburg, VA, so we made a point of going to the Wegman's there on the way home. I noticed some King Arthur Sprouted Wheat Flour on the shelf at what seemed like a very reasonable price (I don't remember exactly how much it cost, but I think it was about $2.50 for a two-pound bag; I can buy this flour at other stores, but it usually costs around $5). Sprouted flour is supposed to have a milder taste than regular whole wheat flour and I was curious about it, so I bought a bag.
According to King Arthur Flour, you can use its sprouted wheat flour in any recipe calling for whole wheat flour -- but the company's website does have a few recipes that are specifically written for sprouted wheat. I decided to try the "Sprouted Wheat Vanilla Chai Bars."
This is an easy recipe, although since I've started grinding my own cardamom, the most time-consuming part of it was separating the cardamom seeds from the dried pods and applying some elbow grease to my mortar and pestle. You start the batter on the stove, cooking butter and light brown sugar until the mixture forms a paste. After transferring the mixture to a bowl and letting it cool slightly, you add eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients (sprouted wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, cloves, white pepper, and orange zest). I spread the batter in a parchment-lined 9-inch by 13-inch pan, baked the bars (following the timing directions to get chewy bars), and let them cool for a few minutes. Then I brushed the top of the bars with melted butter; sprinkled on a mixture of sugar, ground ginger, and cinnamon; and let the bars cool completely before cutting.
The baked bars were fairly flat, and just slightly raised at the edges. They didn't look like much. But holy cow were these bars delicious. Their chewy texture was fabulous, and the mixture of spices was warm, well-balanced, and complex. Someone referred to the bars as being like gingerbread, but better. I can't claim that I was able to taste the sprouted wheat, or even the fact that these were made with whole grains -- but I'm going to accept that the sprouted wheat flour contributes to the overall unique flavor. Buying that bag of flour was totally worth it for this recipe alone!
Recipe: "Sprouted Wheat Vanilla Chai Bars" from King Arthur Flour.
According to King Arthur Flour, you can use its sprouted wheat flour in any recipe calling for whole wheat flour -- but the company's website does have a few recipes that are specifically written for sprouted wheat. I decided to try the "Sprouted Wheat Vanilla Chai Bars."
This is an easy recipe, although since I've started grinding my own cardamom, the most time-consuming part of it was separating the cardamom seeds from the dried pods and applying some elbow grease to my mortar and pestle. You start the batter on the stove, cooking butter and light brown sugar until the mixture forms a paste. After transferring the mixture to a bowl and letting it cool slightly, you add eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients (sprouted wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, cloves, white pepper, and orange zest). I spread the batter in a parchment-lined 9-inch by 13-inch pan, baked the bars (following the timing directions to get chewy bars), and let them cool for a few minutes. Then I brushed the top of the bars with melted butter; sprinkled on a mixture of sugar, ground ginger, and cinnamon; and let the bars cool completely before cutting.
Recipe: "Sprouted Wheat Vanilla Chai Bars" from King Arthur Flour.
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