Why do most Whole Wheat Bread recipes call for so much white flour? Can I skip the white?

Can I use all whole wheat instead of part ww and part white? Haven't even made my first loaf yet, but every recipe seems to call for white as well as ww, and want to cut down on white. Thanks in advance.Why do most Whole Wheat Bread recipes call for so much white flour? Can I skip the white?
The whole wheat flour is heavier (all those goodies that haven't been stripped) so it won't tend to rise as much. If you like a dense solid bread that's a good thing - that's how I like it - but if you don't, there are various solutions. The easiest is just to add gluten (many groceries carry it but just about any health food store should have it in the flour section). Gluten is that element in flour which holds things together and provides elasticity. When the yeast gets going and releases the ';gases'; which cause dough to rise, gluten stretches and holds the gases, thereby helping the dough to rise. You can also ';get a rise'; out of whole wheat flour by increasing the yeast and/or rising time.


This is a lousy explanation from a scientific aspect but this will get you the lighter loaf you're looking for. But do try the heavier, denser loaf sometime - put a thick slab of an heirloom tomato on it and top with a slice of real cheese and enjoy.Why do most Whole Wheat Bread recipes call for so much white flour? Can I skip the white?
No, you shouldn't do that. Since you haven't made any yet, stick to the original recipe until you fully learn how to alter recipes to fit your need. A bread made of only ww flour will be a hard lump of a mass. The white flour gives it a lightness that you will like. Even rye bread calls for part white and part rye flour.
Make the recipe as is first. Then, you may adjust to your taste SLOWLY. Whole wheat flour is dry and heavy and to just use that would be a huge mistake. (when adjusting, go with 1/4 cup increments until you find what you like.)
pure ww flour will come out like a hardened baked brick with the same consistency, if you want something to toss at your great uncle at next years xmas party, thats the way to go
The source below is for a very nice whole wheat sandwich bread. It comes out fairly light and has a good texture, what bakers call the crumb.





You can substitute whole wheat flour in any white flour recipe up to about 20-25% without any problems. If you go above that, you need to be aware of the special problems of whole wheat flour and make adjustments.





Whole wheat flour has all of the wheat grain in it, bran and all. As a consequence, the flour has tiny shards of the hull, the bran, in it. These shards will actually cut the gluten strands and reduce the rise in the loaf, which is why so many people have trouble with whole wheat breads. If there is a small amount of whole wheat in the recipe, you won' t have much trouble. If there is a lot of whole wheat in the recipe, then the loaf doesn't rise as much as people think it should.





To compensate for the whole wheat, you have to be very careful in rising and transferring the loaf to the oven as it may collapse, especially if the dough is very wet, such as for an extreme rustic bread or a ciabatta. You have to be sure to give the loaf every chance to rise properly, which means not letting the loaf dry out as it is rising (cover with a tea towel and spritz the towel to keep it damp), baking in a hot oven with steam or water vapor in it (keeps the crust soft while the loaf undergoes oven spring), and slashing the loaf properly (so the loaf can undergo a controlled expansion.)





You can also up the yeast a little or use whole wheat bread flour. In the US, Whole Foods sells whole wheat bread flour in the bulk foods section. I use it a lot and have had good success using it as a substitute for white flour up to 50% in regular recipes.





If the thought of whole wheat attracts you, give some thought to using a stone ground rye flour, such as Hodgson Mill Stone Ground Rye. This is also a good flour to substitute for white flour at 20-25% and will give you a very good crumb.