Here's a question from Kitchen reader Cara about working with whole wheat white flour in her baking:
At what ratio should white whole wheat flour be substituted for regular whole wheat? What about white whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour? Is the best way to substitute by weight 1 for 1?
Great question, Cara!
First, let's refresh our memories on how we get white whole wheat flour to begin with. Regular whole wheat flour and white all-purpose flour are both made from red wheat berries, which gives regular whole wheat its characteristic tan color. On the other hand, white whole wheat flour is made from white wheat berries. These berries don't contain that red pigment, so the resulting whole wheat flour is light in color.
The biggest advantage in using white whole wheat is in its flavor. Regular whole wheat can taste nutty and somewhat tannic, which some people love and others find off-putting. Flour milled from white wheat berries is much more mild-tasting and doesn't have any of that astringent "whole wheat flavor." This makes it a great choice for people who want the nutritional benefits of whole wheat but without the taste.
When substituting white whole wheat flour in recipes, it's important to remember that it is still a whole wheat - meaning it contains the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. This can pose some special challenges in certain baking recipes since whole wheat flours don't develop gluten as readily and can tend toward heaviness in the final product.
In recipes already containing whole wheat, white whole wheat can be substituted one for one. If you'd like to substitute white whole wheat for regular all-purpose flour, start off by substituting white whole wheat for half of the flour and see how you like the result before adjusting the ratio further.
Does anyone have experience baking with whole wheat white flour? What's your advice?
Related: What's the Difference: Cake Flour, Pastry Flour, All-Purpose Flour, and Bread Flour
(Images: King Arthur Flour and Flickr member .j.e.n.n.y. licensed under Creative Commons)
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I've replaced up to half of the AP flour in a recipe with white whole wheat and gotten great results in cookies and in carrot cake, not so much in bread. Just replace 1 for 1. It made the oatmeal cookies kind of cakey, which I liked and didn't seem to change the carrot cake at all. No-knead bread tastes good with the substitution but the texture is denser and it needs more salt than with only AP. I think it adds a nice flavor to all of the above but it's not terribly assertive or even noticable if you're not looking for it.
My advice is to give it a try and see what happens. It's not likely to produce something completely inedible in my experience so you'll probably be fine.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
WW flour will present a denser product.
Use 1:1 ratio but SIFT the WW flour, may be even 2 or 3 times to incorporate air into it for a light, airy result.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2299938_substitute-wholewheat-flour-white.
view VeryDelishVeg's profile
I've replace at least half of the white flour in bread with white whole wheat with no problems. In recipes where half the flour is already whole wheat, I've subbed the whole amount of white flour. It is a bit denser, and should rise a little longer, but otherwise, it's pretty okay.
And yes, you would substitute WWW for regular WW in a 1 to 1 ratio. If subbing WWW for white flour, keep in mind that 1 cup of WWW = 4.5 ounces, 1 cup all-purpose = 4.5 ounces, and 1 cup of bread flour = 4.75 ounces.
Incidentally, I've had great luck substituting King Arthur white whole wheat for Indian atta flour (for making chapathis). The protein content seems to be very close, and the finely-milled texture is much better for such uses than regular whole wheat flour.
I second Tiamat - give it a shot, whatever it is. Flour's pretty inexpensive, so it can't hurt to try.
http://www.abreadaday.com
view eprewitt's profile
I use the King Arthur white whole wheat flour a lot -- usually substituting about half of AP flour. It works fabulously in muffins, cookies, coffee cakes, pancakes; I tend to stick with all AP when it comes to biscuits and cakes, though. Haven't tried it yet in the no-knead bread but am sure it will be fine, with some adjustments. All in all, a great way to get a little more fibre. Give it a shot -- the worst that can happen is some failed dough, right?
view kyoko71's profile
I've had success substituting it as a 1:1 ratio. Its more or less all I use anymore!
view lsk's profile
VeryDelish, that ehow link returns a Sorry! result. *sads*
Great question; I was actually wondering just recently about using whole wheat instead of whole wheat white in a recipe. Mind reading is fun! (But then my mom brought back some whole wheat white from the Butte Creek Mill in Oregon, so the question became academic. I can make Orangette's Everyday Cake now. Yay!)
view Elizabeth B's profile
Oops - My bad...
fixie :)
http://www.ehow.com/how_2299938_substitute-wholewheat-flour-white.html
view VeryDelishVeg's profile
I've had good luck when I add vital wheat gluten to the "other" flours (i.e., whole wheat flour, rye flours, etc). Just a little bit can make a difference.
view lildebbie77's profile