Hello,
I recently made some honey whole wheat bread, what I didn't notice was the flour was graham whole wheat instead of whole wheat flour. The bread came out dense and heavy. Should I have used regular whole wheat flour versus graham whole wheat flour?
Be well,
Annie
I see that Graham Whole Wheat flour is identical to any other whole wheat flour but perhaps a bit more coarse. Shouldn't have made a whole lot of difference to the final loaf but would have benefitted from an autolyse and perhaps more gentle handling so as to not tear the gluten due to the coarseness.
Lechem,
I used the autolyse method, I am thinking maybe the kitchen was too cold or I didn't cut down on the whole wheat flour as I should have. I will try again in a few days and see what happens.
Thank you and be well,
Annie
it also differs in that it is not sifted when milled. So it is whole grain flour that contains all of the bran and the germ. Whole wheat flour is sifted to get out all the bran and the germ then some of the bran is put back in but none of the germ since the germ will make the flour go rancid over time and millers don't want their flour to go bad that quickly. So graham flour is quite different than whole wheat and should be kept in the freezer if you don't use it up right away - just like wheat germ.
Wholegrain, wholemeal, different flours, countries... etc. Terminology can be confusing. I think it should be standardised. Knowing what you're dealing with is a big must when it comes to baking.
Dabrownmans,
I had just opened the whole wheat graham flour to use it and the expiration date isn't until 2018, so I thought I was "safe". Maybe I did overkneed it, or just used too much, because it never had elasticity to it.
My counters is Ice cold and I opened my oven to make brioche on Saturday, but the chocolate chips melted inside the dough. It has been a long time since I made bread or any other yeast products, so maybe I just need to keep practicing until I get it right. (Again)
Thank you and be well,
Annie
"Whole wheat flour, graham flour, entire wheat flour is the food prepared by so grinding cleaned wheat, other than durum wheat and red durum wheat <....> The proportions of the natural constituents of such wheat, other than moisture, remain unaltered."
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=137.200
Suave,
Sooner or later I will figure out what I am doing wrong, probably by trial and error. It could be that I am using the wrong white flour, but I used it previously with no problems. Everything I make has no elasticity whatsoever.
Thank you and be well,
Annie
I would just try another brand of whole wheat flour. However, if you are making a 100% whole wheat bread I would not expect much in a way of elasticity, no matter what kind of flour you use.
Suave,
I have used Beth Hensperger's Bread book for over 21 years, I think it's just the whole wheat, because it had elasticity before.
But this is the first time I have made bread in my new home and I think it is very cold and yes ... I need to use another type of whole wheat, this graham I will just use for a country bread.
Thank you and be well,
Annie
I bought quite a bit of graham flour recently... I'd better move them to the freezer which is quickly turning into bread only freezer. :-)
Look up Memo's Graham Bread here on TFL. It was posted by zolablue a few years back.
Paul
Thank you, Paul.
Be well,
Annie
here. I recommend that all newbies read her blog front to back.I am still struck by her take in Pierre Nury's Rustic Light Rye and that explosive tinned durum loaf is stupendous.
Okay, thanks.
Be well,
Annie