Post by wyomama on Aug 30, 2004 18:22:24 GMT -5
Saved off the old board....
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Here a few of the things you will find it helpful to know about using whole wheat. There is hard wheat and soft wheat. Hard wheat has more gluten and consequently is better for bread. Gluten is the protein in wheat which is capable of creating the springy cell structure of bread that traps bubbles of carbon dioxide and makes bread into the soft yet tough sponge we like. Gluten is like chewing gum in that when you first start kneading it, it is crumbley. Then it becomes chewy and stretchy. Soft wheat has less gluten. It is better for biscuits, cookies and cakes because we prefer them not to be tough. With high gluten white flour the bits of gluten easily find each other and "hold hands" to create the strong cell or crumb that is especially characteristic of French bread. The bran and germ present in whole wheat flour interfere with the connection of gluten particles. It therefore takes special effort to get light puffy whole wheat bread, but it certainly can be done using high gluten flour.
Soft wheat with its lower gluten content lends itself to other types of baked items where we prefer crumbliness not toughness. Most healthfood or wholefood stores nowadays offer both kinds of whole wheat. Ask for whole wheat pastry flour.If you can't find ww pastry flour and want to use ww bread flour for biscuits or cakes, sift it and be particular not to stir more than absolutely neccesary. For these items you do not want to develop the gluten.
Almost any recipe calling for white flour can be converted to whole wheat if you bear in mind that whole wheat soaks up a lot(!) more liquid than does white flour. So always use less ww flour than the recipe calls for (7/8 cup instead of a whole cup) or add more liquid. A good trick I have learned when making ww bread is to start with a sponge. This means you start the dough using only about 3/4 of the flour which will be required. Let the sponge sit for a couple of hours or overnight. (This would also achieve the soaking advised by Sally Fallon) Then add the remaining flour when you are ready to knead and rise the bread. The sponge should be very bubbly with yeast action. So after you add the last of the flour it will rise fast. I often use white flour to complete the dough. But if using whole wheat, add only as much as necessary for kneading and handling. The ww flour you add will be thirsty and can give you a dry loaf if you are not a bit stingy with it.
The basic proportions are 2 cups liquid to 5 cups flour IF using white flour and water. When using milk you will need at least 2 1/4 cups. And as explained, use no more than 7/8 C ww flour where you would have used 1 cup of white.
For an especially silky texture to your bread, add soft butter to the dough after a few minutes of kneading (instead of adding melted butter at the beginning).
This will make two loaves.
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Here a few of the things you will find it helpful to know about using whole wheat. There is hard wheat and soft wheat. Hard wheat has more gluten and consequently is better for bread. Gluten is the protein in wheat which is capable of creating the springy cell structure of bread that traps bubbles of carbon dioxide and makes bread into the soft yet tough sponge we like. Gluten is like chewing gum in that when you first start kneading it, it is crumbley. Then it becomes chewy and stretchy. Soft wheat has less gluten. It is better for biscuits, cookies and cakes because we prefer them not to be tough. With high gluten white flour the bits of gluten easily find each other and "hold hands" to create the strong cell or crumb that is especially characteristic of French bread. The bran and germ present in whole wheat flour interfere with the connection of gluten particles. It therefore takes special effort to get light puffy whole wheat bread, but it certainly can be done using high gluten flour.
Soft wheat with its lower gluten content lends itself to other types of baked items where we prefer crumbliness not toughness. Most healthfood or wholefood stores nowadays offer both kinds of whole wheat. Ask for whole wheat pastry flour.If you can't find ww pastry flour and want to use ww bread flour for biscuits or cakes, sift it and be particular not to stir more than absolutely neccesary. For these items you do not want to develop the gluten.
Almost any recipe calling for white flour can be converted to whole wheat if you bear in mind that whole wheat soaks up a lot(!) more liquid than does white flour. So always use less ww flour than the recipe calls for (7/8 cup instead of a whole cup) or add more liquid. A good trick I have learned when making ww bread is to start with a sponge. This means you start the dough using only about 3/4 of the flour which will be required. Let the sponge sit for a couple of hours or overnight. (This would also achieve the soaking advised by Sally Fallon) Then add the remaining flour when you are ready to knead and rise the bread. The sponge should be very bubbly with yeast action. So after you add the last of the flour it will rise fast. I often use white flour to complete the dough. But if using whole wheat, add only as much as necessary for kneading and handling. The ww flour you add will be thirsty and can give you a dry loaf if you are not a bit stingy with it.
The basic proportions are 2 cups liquid to 5 cups flour IF using white flour and water. When using milk you will need at least 2 1/4 cups. And as explained, use no more than 7/8 C ww flour where you would have used 1 cup of white.
For an especially silky texture to your bread, add soft butter to the dough after a few minutes of kneading (instead of adding melted butter at the beginning).
This will make two loaves.
