Dining Services transitions to healthier options with whole-grain flour

3 Mar 2010

Virginia Tech's Dining Services has introduced a new flour high in whole grains that makes some foods in the dining centers even more nutritious.

Starting this spring semester, T2 flour was introduced to dining hall favorites, including breads, rolls, pastries, and assorted cookies. The transition to this new baking ingredient provides students with healthier options when dining on campus.

The T2 flour implementation is one of Dining Services’ latest responses to student requests for a wider variety of nutritious options. During the fall 2009 semester, the T2 flour was piloted in various bakery items and taste-tested by student employees and managers. The brand-new baking ingredient consists of white flour with whole-wheat properties, so the texture and flavor of the final products remain unchanged, yet the high whole grain content helps provide students with more fiber in their diet.

“Students over the years have asked for food selections that are healthier and more nutritious,” said Ted Faulkner, associate director of Dining Services. “A diet rich in fiber has many benefits.”

The transition to the new flour was smooth, and the dining staff says they hope to incorporate T2 flour in other recipes in the future, such as their largest volume product, the fresh pizza dough. “By making minor adjustments to some of our existing bakeshop recipes we were able to convert to T2 flour. The switch was easy,” said Kendall Holliday, pastry chef at Southgate Food Processing Center.

Items including T2 flour can be found in the bread bowls at Owens Food Court; the baguettes from Blue Ridge BBQ at Hokie Grill & Co.; the bread bowls and the oatmeal bar at Deet’s Place; the cookies at Vet Med Café; and in the donuts, cake, pastries, and the Yes To Go products at DXpress, Hokie Grill & Co., and Shultz Express.

Find more information about the Dining Services’ nutrition program or read the nutrition blog.