While a small percentage of whole wheat flour to white flour won't change baking time and temperature, as the percentage of whole wheat flour increases, a lower baking temperature and slightly longer bake time will likely be necessary, he says.

Bakers who have perfected a whole wheat formula may want to reformulate the product using another whole grain, such as barley or rye. Again, a simple substitution of one grain for another will not work. Bake time and temperature, as well as mix time, need to be adjusted, Harriman says.

“Grains have to be seen as first cousins, rather than identical twins of each other,” she adds.

Good for you

When reformulating, understand that whole grains encompass much more than just whole wheat. By tying whole grains into existing health and environmental trends, bakers will find a ready audience for their whole grain products. Today's foodies also want to become familiar with new and unusual baked products, Harriman says.

Mills now commonly offer ancient grain mixes that can be used to create interesting products, she adds. Gluten-free flours are increasingly used to create baked products for those with wheat allergies.

Consumers looking for whole grains often also are interested in where and how the grains are grown. Francie Caccavo, owner of Olivia's Croutons, New Haven, Vt., married her company's croutons with the newfound interest in eating locally grown products as well as food raised by nonindustrial famers.

Olivia's Croutons currently contain 12 percent whole wheat flour, though that number is expected to increase to 25 percent with this year's crop. Caccavo and her family grow the wheat, soy, oats and millet used to make the croutons, and the wheat is locally milled.

The company also makes a multigrain product composed of locally grown millet, soy, oats and wheat. The products are sold in grocery and specialty stores across the nation. Consumers respond to them because they contain wheat grown and harvested on a family-run farm and milled within the same area, Caccavo says.

“There's a great initiative to buy farm-to-plate,” she says.

The move to whole grains may not be smooth, and it won't be seamless, she says. But with experimentation backed up by some knowledge, it can be relatively painless.