December 12, 2020 - 5:09pm
Whole Wheat Bread Flour
I discovered whole wheat bread flour in a health food store but I've never seen a recipe calling for it. Can it be substituted for ordinary bread flour or are other changes to recipes needed.
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I discovered whole wheat bread flour in a health food store but I've never seen a recipe calling for it. Can it be substituted for ordinary bread flour or are other changes to recipes needed.
Whole wheat will need more water than bread flour. Bread flour can have a range of 60-70% and sometimes higher depending on various factors. Whole wheat bread flour will can have a range of 75% plus. It's not exact as different brands from different countries and strengths will affect on how much water it needs. As a good rule to follow start off at the lower end and add more water if it feels too dry.
So if you follow a recipe for bread flour and use whole wheat bread flour instead there's no harm in following the recipe as it is and when forming the dough have some extra water to one side which you can add in. Aim for a tacky dough. Sticky but doesn't come off in your hand.
And watch the fermentation more carefully as it will ferment faster. When final proofing it doesn't need to rise as much as bread flour. Bread flour is normally just under doubled. For whole wheat it's more like 70-75%. So if you're aiming to bake in a bread pan you can fill it a bit more.