Thank you for the link, that’s one of the better articles I’ve read about it.
Baking bread with whole wheat flour.
I have quite a few superpails of wheat berries, so I figured it best to learn how to use them now – before it becomes a panicked necessity. Making 100% whole wheat bread can be a challenge, but I was determined to learn because eating bowl after bowl of boiled wheat berries does not sound appealing. LOL. And I figure if I’m breaking into the wheat berries in an emergency basis, that means white flour will either not be available or will be quite expensive.
The most important part of making 100% whole wheat bread, after grinding the berries, is vital wheat gluten. It’s what helps form that nice gluten web and lets our bread dough rise. I add it to AP flour to create a bread flour.
For 1 cup flour, .75 tsp VWG raises protein by 1%. I usually buy the cheapest AP flour, which is at Aldi’s around here. The bag states there is 3 g protein / 30 g flour = 10%. Bread Flour is 12-15% protein. So 1.5 tsp VWG per cup of Aldi’s AP flour gets me in the bread flour range.
Whole wheat flours have a higher protein content, but that is deceptive. Whole wheat flowers contain all parts of the wheat berry, including the brand and germ. When ground, brand has sharp edges that can cut the strands of gluten. Which is why whole grain loaves tend to be shorter and denser.
Adding more liquid softens the bran and helps the flour behave more like a white flour in baking bread. Whole wheat flour also absorbs liquid slower than white flour, so you need to give it time before kneading to absorb the water and determine if more is needed.
Adding vital wheat gluten can also mitigate the cut gluten strands caused by bran. I use the same amount I use in my white flours, about one to one and a half teaspoons per cup.
100% whole wheat bread can also be a bit bitter, especially if made with all red wheat flour. You can usually add something sweet to offset that, and or let the dough rise slow and long.