You can usually replace the white flour with whole grain flour for up to 1/2 of the specified amount with little change from the original texture/raising. Add gluten, usually 1½ to 2 tablespoons per cup of whole grain flour. Yes, one must experiment a bit, but that's mostly to get the texture and lightness you prefer. BTW, gluten is best if kept frozen, because its shelf-life is extremely short. Just measure the frozen gluten powder right into the measured whole grain flour, stir and it will be thawed before the yeast needs it. If one uses molasses or honey instead of sugar, then the amount of liquid added should be adjusted downwards, to about ¾ of the equal amount. That means that if one changes ¼ cup white granulated sugar to ¼c [which is 4 tblsp] honey and the recipe calls for 1 cup water, remove 1 tablespoon of water from the cup. (That sounds worse to read than it is to do!). Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added, so it is somewhat wetter than white but not as wet as honey... I find it easier to toss in an extra teaspoon of flour for each tablespoon of brown sugar. OR one can use ¼ less honey than the specified amount of sugar. That can get a bit tricky because the yeast needs "X" amount of sugar in order to rise properly and lessening the specified amount of sweetening can cause the bread to be dense/heavy. I don't really recommend it, but you may find it fun to play around. Are you doing everything by hand, or are you using a bread machine?

Good morning Eduarda ~ Did you find one yet? If so what kind did you get? We did some shopping at SAM's club here Monday, (a place you pay a yearly fee and buy quantity and get a better price). I got a 25 lb. bag of bread flour for around $5 or $7, I think, and 2-1 lb. pkgs. of instant yeast for around $3. I keep the yeast in the freezer, except for a small container in the fridge for dipping into to make bread or pizza crust. Made pizza dough yesterday afternoon for pizza last night and it is such a treat to make in the machine. This week I want to try a feta/dill bread. Got the feta cheese at SAM's also. I will post that recipe also when I make it. Happy bread making. You are in for a treat! FlowerLady

Most quick bread recipes will call for the traditional 9"x5" loaf pans, OR standard size bread pans - 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" - according to the recipe instructions. These pans are not interchangeable because they do not hold the same amount of batter. I personally don't like 9x5 pans for quick breads because the large slices tend to split when being cut into thin slices, and the serving sizes of the breads baked in a 9x5 pan are generally much larger than I'd like to serve. I use a pan called a Danish Loaf Pan (also called a Tea Loaf Pan) that holds the same amount of batter as the 9x5 pan but is 12"x4". The longer, narrower loaf is much easier to cut into easy-to-manage playing card size slices. You can also cut very thin slices and they will hold together nicely with the narrower breads. Using the Danish Loaf Pan, the quick bread also bakes in 25% less time than when using a 9x5 pan. You can also use this pan for 2-pounds of yeast bread dough if you would like small bread slices for serving sandwiches. Once again, it's easy to slice the bread into very thin slices. It's also a nice size to use half the loaf and freeze the other half of the loaf. I also like to divide a quick bread recipe into smaller pans (7-1/2"x3-1/2" or 5-3/4"x3-3/4" or 4-1/2"x2-1/2") and use these loaf pans for holiday gift-giving sizes, or when I want to use one and freeze the rest. Quick breads can be baked in a wide variety of pans, including Bundt pans, muffin pans, mini-loaf pans, springform pans, disposable aluminum foil pans, 1- and 2-quart fluted tin molds with clip lids for making steamed breads, coffee and soup cans..... The rule of thumb is to fill pans no more than half to two-thirds full, leaving room for expansion. If you are substituting another shape, make certain the pan holds the same volume of batter. You can do that by measuring how much water each pan/container holds. If it's a springform pan, then measure how much rice it holds since a springform pan won't hold water. Adjust baking time accordingly if altering the pan size from the original recipe. I wrap quick breads tightly in plastic wrap (no plate). If freezing, I wrap them in plastic wrap and then wrap them in foil. I think acidic ingredients, as well as nuts and fruits in quick breads tend to react to foil and get a metalic taste, so I never use foil directly in contact with the quick bread. I think you'll get the same texture using a Tupperware storage container that you get when using your wrapped plate method. You have too much air circulating around the quick bread, which quickly dries the bread out. A close wrap, such as plastic wrap around the bread loaf itself, will solve the problem of all the moisture in the loaf migrating to the crust of the loaf and then expelling into the Tupperware container. -Grainlady

Pumpkin Bread 2/3 cup shortening 2-2/3 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin 2/3 cup water (or use cider) 3-1/2 cup flour 2 tsp. soda 1-1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cloves 2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts 2/3 cup raisins Heat oven to 350. Grease 2 loaf pans. Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly. Add eggs, pumpkin and water. Blend in dry ingredients, except nuts and raisins. Stir in nuts and raisins after batter has been mixed well. Bake 60-70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. I think I set my timer for 50 minutes and then checked it, but don't remember if I had to cook longer than that or not. This is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, and is wonderful with a cream cheese and lemon and sugar glaze on it. Rosie's Banana Bread 1/2 cup oil 2 eggs 3/4 cup mashed bananas 1 cup sugar 1-1/4 cup flour 1 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 350. Mix oil, eggs, and bananas with sugar. Sift dry ingredients and add. Bake 50 minutes in heavily greased and floured pan. This is a very, very moist bread, so good greasing and flouring of the pan is necessary. I also add 1 cup chopped walnuts to this. This, again, is the best banana bread recipe I have found. Cherry Zucchini Bread 2 eggs 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/4 tsp. salt 1/3 cup lemon juice 2/3 cup shredded, unpeeled zucchini 1/4 cup water 2/3 cup dried tart cherries 2 cups all purpose flour 1 Tbs. grated lemon peel 2 tsp. baking powder Put eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on med. speed 3-4 minutes, or until eggs are thick and lemon colored. Add sugar, oil, lemon juice, and water and mix well. Combine flouyr baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchin, cherries, and lemon peel. Grease and flour the bottom only of a loaf pan. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 55-65 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf. I could not find my zucchini, apple, or cranberry quick bread recipes, but if you really want them, just let me know and I will dig deeper. Have a happy Thanksgiving! Sherry