Alternative Flour Brownies #3

It is time for the third alternative flour test! This one from is similar to the regular flour I use in that it is whole grain but still wheat flour. However, the nutritional information claims it has more fiber than my regular flour so for me, this is an alternative flour. I actually was sent two bags (5 pounds and 2 pounds) of Flourish High Fiber All-Purpose Flour to test out and then review on the Amazon website via their Vine program and the Bay State Milling Company which makes this brand. This article on The Chocolate Cult is an unexpected bonus for them. No other form of compensation was received in exchange for me sharing my experiences with this product.

You use this just as you would traditional wheat flour, so 1:1 ratio of substitution. The bag warns that you may need to use extra water because higher fiber flours "love water." I know that because of the types of flours I normally use in my household but if you are not used to using whole grain or high fiber flours, this comment on the bags is really not very helpful at all. Since I was testing, I used 1 tablespoon of water for the 1 cup of Flourish and it turned out great. The brand however should have done this testing and given more information. As you can see in the photo next to this paragraph, the Flourish looks just like white all-purpose flour. It had no scent to it either and it did not change the taste of the brownies at all. It does have 10 calories less than the whole grain flour I use per 1/4 cup.

The biggest claim the Flourish product claims is that it is "5X Fiber of Traditional Flour." That claim is a bit odd considering the label. 5 X 1 would be 5 but the amount of fiber is 6 according to the bag's own label. Instead, it has 5 grams more fiber per 1/4 cup than traditional flour. I don't use traditional wheat flour. I switched my household to whole grains and higher fiber over a decade back. My regular whole wheat flour has 3 grams of fiber per serving. So, when I compare the price I normally pay to the price of Flourish, this isn't a great buy for me. Oh, I'll keep using what I was sent, but this isn't something I'd spend extra money on for my family since we get a lot of fiber and whole grains as it is. However, if you are looking for a way to increase your household's fiber intake and you do a lot of baking from scratch, this might be a good option for you.

How did the brownies turn out? They were thoroughly baked at the lower time range for the recipe which is 30 minutes. In several of these substitute flours and sweeteners tests, I've had to bake longer or at lower temperatures. The brownies had a crispy top and sides, the brownies were pulled slightly away from the sides of the pan, and as you can see these raised quite nicely resulting in a cake-like texture. The cocoa powder flavor came out as expected and desired, the brownies were not dry nor did they dry out the mouth, and the level of sweetness to cocoa was as expected with this recipe. These were great brownies and I look forward to using all of this product in other recipes. I'll come back and edit this review if I find any problems with it in other baked goods.