Our 20 Best Whole-Grain And Whole-Wheat Baking Recipes

Golden whole-grain yeast rolls get a fresh, fragrant hit from a host of seasonal herbs. Make ahead and freeze for up to a month, saving the butter-herb finish for after reheating.

Gently pat the dough flat instead of rolling with a rolling pin. Patting preserves all the pockets of fat needed for flaky biscuits, whereas rolling pancakes them into small, dense pucks. Cut the biscuits into squares to avoid any leftover scraps. Spelt flour adds a deep nutty flavor, but you can use white whole-wheat flour if you can't find spelt.

From the Kitchen of…Ann Taylor Pittman, Executive Food Editor

We always cook two pans of corn bread at Thanksgiving: One is done a day ahead as the base for corn bread dressing, and the other goes into the oven at the last minute so it's hot and crusty at the table. Toasted leftovers get drizzled with honey at breakfast.

Medium to fine-ground cornmeal works well for this corn bread, but you can substitute a coarser grind if you prefer a heftier texture.

There's a trifecta of textural awesomeness here, as the buttery-crisp topping meets silky-smooth yogurt cream on moist, tender cake. By using whole-wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose, we triple the fiber per slice to a hearty 4 grams. For a chunkier cake texture, use chopped apples instead of shredded. This cake is great served warm or at room temperature.

This classic recipe is a wholesome base for mix-ins. Try adding sunflower seeds with blueberries, or grated carrot with walnuts.

Blondies are simply brownies without the chocolate. A light-colored metal pan is your best bet for even baking and cakey, moist blondies.

Take a break from dessert with these fruit and nut breakfast bars. A large bowl can hold a double batch of the dough, and the hearty mix will perform just fine. Bake bars on the same (middle) rack in the oven. 

Bakery muffins often hide plenty of refined sugar and flour (what gives them that cakelike crumb). While oversized, they rarely keep you satisfied for long. Our basic muffin bumps up the fiber and protein with whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, and yogurt so you’ll stay fueled throughout the morning. A ripe mashed banana adds sweetness and moisture without much noticeable flavor (these are not banana bread muffins). We also brown the butter for extra nutty depth. Add any combo of nuts, fruit, grated vegetables, or warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Enjoy as is, or split and gently toast before adding your favorite spread.

Whole-wheat flour adds a layer of complexity to these cookies that all-purpose flour can't achieve; the wheat in the whole grain actually enhances the flavors of butter and vanilla. Unlike classic royal icing, which starts with a pound of powdered sugar, we use just 1/2 cup and thicken it with Greek yogurt. Looking for festive colors without the chemicals? Try naturally colored sparkling sugars (such as those from India Tree), which use colorants derived from plants.

Just a couple of turns of the wrist transforms ordinary breadsticks into lovely holiday twists.

Bake these light and tender whole-grain rolls ahead and freeze up to 1 month, or make the dough ahead and bake on the day: Punch down the risen dough to form a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill 8 hours or overnight. Return to a bowl and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours before shaping.

Bake these light and tender whole-grain rolls ahead and freeze up to 1 month, or make the dough ahead and bake on the day: Punch down the risen dough to form a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill 8 hours or overnight. Return to a bowl and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours before shaping.

Quinoa and vegetables bulk up meat loaf to a hefty portion; freeze leftover meat loaf up to 2 months.

Gutierrez created a whole-grain dough that's light and flaky and can be baked rather than fried. Wine in the recipe adds yeast flavor and aids in flakiness; its acidity also breaks down the gluten, allowing you to stretch the dough easily when forming the empanadas.

Coarsely chop frozen blackberries, and place them back in the freezer until ready to stir into the batter. To freeze muffins, let cool completely, and place in zip-top plastic bags. Reheat in microwave 20 seconds.

To ensure that the apricots are soft enough for baby, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes; drain them well before chopping them.

Gluten-free crackers are not hard to find on the market, but they're often highly processed, rice- or cornstarch-based, not very nutritious, and expensive. These homemade crackers are teeming with nutrients. Made with high-protein quinoa flour, they are also full of zinc, omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals from pumpkin, flax, sunflower, and caraway seeds.