No flour wins every recipe. For most people, I would start with whole-wheat flour because it keeps the bran and germ and has more fiber than refined flour. Use white or bread flour when structure and texture matter more. If you have celiac disease, choose flour labeled gluten-free; wheat-free is not enough.
Whole wheat or white flour? What changes in your bread
HILLARY LIN
APRIL 22, 2024
I made my first sourdough bread last week! Yes, I got through an entire pandemic without once trying it. “The Great British Bake Off” finally inspired me, with some help from Paul Hollywood’s enthusiasm for bread.
I also wanted more control over what went into my bread. Baking it myself lets me choose the flour, ingredients, and portion size. But homemade bread still contains carbohydrates. The advice about gluten, wheat, oats, keto, and low-carb diets gets confusing fast. I want to sort out what actually changes in the bread.
For this first comparison, let’s look at whole wheat and white flour: what processing removes, what enrichment puts back, and what changes when you bake.
Refined vs. Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat and refined white flour come from wheat. The difference is which parts of the grain remain after milling.
Whole wheat flour contains the bran, germ, and starchy endosperm. Keeping all three gives it more fiber and many naturally occurring vitamins and minerals than refined white flour. Whole-grain labels help distinguish it from products that simply say “wheat flour.”
White flour contains mainly the endosperm. Milling removes the bran and germ, along with much of their fiber and nutrients.
Whole grain refers to an entire cereal grain, also known as a kernel. The kernel consists of the bran, the germ, and the endosperm - all highly nutritious!
Why the heck do we remove the bran and germ? Shelf life, texture, color, and taste all play a part.
Longer shelf life: The bran and germ contain natural oils that can go rancid over time, leading to a shorter shelf life for whole wheat flour. Removing these components gives refined flour a longer shelf life, which is advantageous for food manufacturers and retailers.
Finer texture: True to its name, refined flour has a finer, softer texture compared to whole wheat flour, which can result in lighter, fluffier baked goods. This is because the bran and germ particles in whole wheat flour can interfere with the development of gluten, the protein network responsible for the structure of baked goods. Who here has had light, fluffy milk bread??
Appearance: White flour produces baked goods with a lighter color and a more uniform appearance, which is often preferred by consumers. Wonderbread, anyone?
Taste: Refined flour has a milder, less nutty taste compared to whole wheat flour, making it more versatile for use in a wider range of recipes. Controversial opinion, but I love nutty bread!
Enriched white flour has some nutrients added back, commonly iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid. Enrichment does not restore the fiber. For everyday bread, whole wheat can help you get more fiber; white flour can still fit your diet when it serves the recipe you want to make.
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