Whole Wheat Bread Flour vs Whole Wheat Flour+ Gluten???

[chueh]

I would very much like to purchase whole wheat bread flour directly rather than using whole wheat flour and adding some gluten to it, for I am not sure how to get the same or similar texture.

Because I like to only use whole wheat flour entirely to make breads without adding all-purpose or white bread flours, I add 3 table spoons to the mixture a total of 6 cup flour.

Can anyone tell me if it's actually the same end-result texture-wise and glutenous elasticity by adding the gluten to the the whole wheat flour compared to using whole wheat BREAD flour entirely?

If it is, what's the ratio to add the gluten?

Thanks,
**** I use Bobs Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten

 

[blissful]

I make bread every week to 10 days. I use whole wheat flour and add gluten. For a 6 cup recipe (2 loaves worth) I add 3 tablespoons of gluten. (coincidentally the same as you)



Now, if you are getting whole wheat flour and that flour is ground from white wheat, then it has less protein (gluten) than the red wheat. Cake and pastry flours are usually made from white wheat.



Things get more complicated when a manufacturer, removes the bran and germ, then grinds wheat, then says it has more protein by % (which it does) but now it is not a whole wheat product, this is also called an Artisan Bread Flour by Bob's Red Mill.


My opinion is, based on my experience, that my whole wheat flour plus the added gluten is a very stable bread, substantial, and texture wise as good as any full whole grain bread made. It is not though, fluffy, compressable, or doughy. It doesn't have any preservatives so after it cools it gets cut, then bagged and frozen. We thaw it and then usually toast it before eating.

 

[dcSaute]

wheat gluten is contained in the endosperm of the wheat kernel.
to produce "white flour" the husk and bran and germ are removed.


"bread flour" is distinguished by a higher protein/gluten content expressed as a percentage by weight.



because whole wheat has the bran and the germ included, the amount of gluten is - per wheat kernel - the same, but as a percentage by weight, the protein/gluten is less.


another issue often cited is that the bran has kabillions of sharp edges which shred/break the gluten strands, as they are developed.


adding supplemental wheat gluten is the accepted practice for increasing the loft and airy crumb of whole wheat loaves.


there is no magic grind of whole wheat that solves the issue - at best all they can do is 'pre-add' wheat gluten to the mix you buy.

 

[taxlady]

I am interested too. I have never added gluten. I buy wholewheat bread flour. As I understand it, the bread flour that I use is from wheat that has more gluten to start with. I don't think that the wholewheat pastry flour that I use is made from white wholewheat. It looks the same as the bread flour, but you can feel the difference with your fingers. Try it and you will understand why bread flour is called hard and pastry flour is called soft.

 

[pepperhead212]

Do you have a Lidl near you? If so, buy some of their WW flour - it now has their name on it, and it has 13.3% protein, which is slightly higher than the protein in some hard white wheat berries, which I bought, in the beginning of the pandemic, to grind my own ww flour, for bread making. And the price is great - only $2.39 for a 5 lb bag! The first bag I got I noticed the increased gluten in the dough, and checked the protein. This week, when I noticed the new label, with the store name, I checked the protein, and was glad it was the same!

 

[dcSaute]

protein content is "generally" associated with "gluten" content.
but not always - and it is not a 'hard and fast" rule/relationship.


wheat varies - so protein content is an indicator, it may not perform 'as expected' in real life.