Baking With White Whole Wheat Flour

If you’ve been around here for a while, you may remember that I went through a whole white whole wheat flour era years ago. Apparently I just woke up one day and stopped though. No explanation. No formal announcement. We all just moved on, haha.

But lately I’ve been baking more bread again, messing around with sourdough, and generally thinking way too much about flour, so white whole wheat flour has made its way back onto my radar. And honestly, I think it deserves a little more attention.

White whole wheat flour is still 100% whole wheat flour, but it has a milder flavor and lighter color than the traditional whole wheat flour most of us picture when we hear the words whole wheat (and cringe).

Which means you can sneak a little more whole grain into muffins, cookies, pancakes, bread, and even pizza dough without everything suddenly tasting aggressively wholesome. A big win.

What Is White Whole Wheat Flour?

First things first, because the name is admittedly confusing. White whole wheat flour is not white flour mixed with whole wheat flour. It’s whole wheat flour made from a naturally lighter-colored variety of wheat called white wheat rather than the red wheat commonly used for traditional whole wheat flour.

Both contain the entire wheat kernel, the bran, germ, and endosperm. The difference is mostly flavor and color.

Traditional red whole wheat flour tends to have a stronger, nuttier, sometimes slightly bitter flavor. White whole wheat flour is lighter in color and generally tastes milder and a little sweeter.

One other thing worth knowing too, if you used to buy King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour (like I did), you may not see that name anymore.

King Arthur renamed it Golden Wheat Flour/Golden Whole Wheat Flour, but it is essentially the same style of flour, whole wheat flour milled from hard white wheat. So no, you didn’t imagine that bag of flour. They just changed the name.

Is White Whole Wheat Flour Actually Whole Wheat?

Yep. Despite the word white, it is still a whole grain flour. Unlike all-purpose flour, which is made primarily from the endosperm of the wheat kernel, whole wheat flour contains the bran, germ, and endosperm. That means white whole wheat flour naturally contains more fiber and many of the nutrients found in the whole grain.

But, and this is where I’ve changed my tune a little over the years, I don’t think we need to turn a chocolate chip cookie into a wellness program. I mostly like white whole wheat flour because it tastes good and gives me another option when I’m baking. The whole grain part is a nice bonus.

What Does White Whole Wheat Flour Taste Like?

This is probably its biggest selling point. White whole wheat flour tastes noticeably milder than traditional whole wheat flour. There’s still a little nuttiness and wheat flavor, especially if you use a lot of it, but it doesn’t have quite the same hearty whole-wheat taste.

At a 25% or even 50% substitution, you may barely notice it in things like:

• muffins
• banana bread
• pancakes
• waffles
• chocolate chip cookies
• brownies
• pizza dough
• sandwich bread

Once you start replacing all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, you’ll notice a bigger difference in color, texture, and flavor. Still good. Just different.

How to Substitute White Whole Wheat Flour for All-Purpose Flour

This is where things can get unnecessarily complicated on the internet. You do not need to automatically start changing every ingredient in your recipe because you swapped in a little whole wheat flour.

Start With 25%

If you’ve never baked with white whole wheat flour before, replace about 25% of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat.

For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups all-purpose flour

Use 1½ cups all-purpose flour + ½ cup white whole wheat flour

At this amount, most baked goods won’t change much at all.

Try 50% Next

For muffins, quick breads, pancakes, cookies, brownies, and a lot of everyday baking, I usually think 50/50 is the sweet spot.

You get some of the flavor and texture of whole wheat without completely changing the personality of the recipe.

If your recipe calls for 2 cups flour, use 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 cup white whole wheat flour

Simple. And no, you don’t usually need to start dumping in extra baking powder just because there’s whole wheat flour involved. Leave the leavening alone unless you’re specifically developing or testing the recipe that way.

Does Whole Wheat Flour Need More Liquid?

Sometimes. Whole grain flour absorbs more water than all-purpose flour, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to add more liquid every time you substitute it. If you’re only replacing 25–50% of the flour, I’d make the recipe normally first.

Then look at the dough or batter. If it seems unusually stiff or dry, add a small amount of liquid. When you’re replacing 100% of the all-purpose flour, especially in yeast bread, additional liquid is more likely to be helpful.

A good starting point is roughly 2 teaspoons of extra liquid per cup of whole wheat flour when converting a white-flour yeast bread recipe to 100% whole wheat. But flour brands, humidity, recipes, and measuring methods all vary, so the dough gets the final vote. Very scientific.

Let Whole Wheat Dough Rest

This tip is especially helpful when you’re making bread. Whole wheat flour takes a little longer to absorb water than regular white flour.

After mixing the dough, giving it a 20–30 minute rest before kneading or continuing with your recipe allows the flour to hydrate.

The dough may feel sticky or stiff when you first mix it and then noticeably softer and easier to work with after it rests.

This is also helpful with pancakes and some quick-bread batters if you’re using a high percentage of whole wheat flour.

White Whole Wheat Flour for Bread and Sourdough

Since apparently sourdough has become part of my personality now, let’s talk bread. You can absolutely use white whole wheat flour in sourdough.

But I wouldn’t necessarily take your favorite white sourdough recipe and replace all the bread flour with whole wheat flour on your first try. Whole grain flour changes the way dough handles.

The bran interferes somewhat with gluten development, and whole wheat flour also absorbs more water than white flour. Because of that, a loaf made with a high percentage of whole wheat flour may feel stiffer and rise a little less.

Start by replacing about 10–25% of the bread flour with white whole wheat flour. So if your sourdough recipe uses 500 grams of flour, you might try 400 grams bread flour + 100 grams white whole wheat flour

That’s 20% whole wheat. You can increase it from there once you see how your dough behaves.

And if you’re working with sourdough, don’t be surprised if whole wheat makes fermentation move a little differently either. Whole grain flour contains more of the grain and can be very fermentation-friendly.

Watch the dough, not just the clock. A lesson sourdough seems determined to teach all of us repeatedly.

Baking With 100% White Whole Wheat Flour

Can you replace every bit of all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour? Sometimes. Whether you’ll want to depends on what you’re making. I have no problem going 100% whole wheat in things like:

• hearty muffins
• banana bread
• zucchini bread
• pancakes
• waffles
• brownies
• some cookies

But lighter baked goods, think delicate cakes, tender pastries, fluffy white bread, or anything where you’re specifically chasing a very fine texture may be better with only part of the flour replaced.

The more whole wheat flour you use, the more likely you’ll notice a darker color, slightly coarser crumb, nuttier flavor, and sometimes a little less rise. That’s not a baking failure. That’s just whole wheat flour being whole wheat flour.

Measuring White Whole Wheat Flour

As always, don’t pack flour into the measuring cup. Spoon it lightly into the cup and level it off, or weigh it if the recipe gives gram measurements. Whole wheat flour already absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour.

Accidentally adding an extra quarter cup because you scooped it straight out of the bag is not going to improve matters. Ask me how I know.

How to Store Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flour doesn’t keep quite as long as all-purpose flour because it contains the germ, which includes natural oils that can eventually become rancid.

If you bake with it regularly, storing it in a cool pantry in an airtight container is fine. If you only use it occasionally, keep it in the refrigerator or freezer. The freezer is especially handy because you can measure the flour straight from frozen and use it normally.

My Favorite Ways to Use White Whole Wheat Flour

If you’re not ready to commit to an entire loaf of 100% whole wheat bread—and truly, no one is making you, I think the easiest places to start are everyday baked goods.

Muffins and Quick Breads

This may be my favorite place to use it. Banana bread, zucchini bread, and muffins already have plenty of moisture and flavor, so a little whole wheat flour fits right in.

Pancakes and Waffles

A 50/50 blend of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour works really well here. You’ll get a slightly nuttier flavor without turning breakfast into a brick.

Cookies and Bars

Chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, brownies, and bars are surprisingly forgiving. Chocolate also happens to be excellent at hiding your attempts to make something marginally more nutritious.

Yeast Bread and Pizza Dough

Start with about 25% whole wheat flour and work your way up. If you eventually want a true whole wheat loaf, I usually recommend using a recipe specifically developed for 100% whole wheat rather than trying to force a white bread recipe into becoming one.

Sourdough

Start around 10–25% and see how you like the flavor and texture. Whole wheat flour adds a really nice depth of flavor without making the loaf feel overly heavy.

The Bottom Line

White whole wheat flour is one of those ingredients that sounds much more complicated than it actually is. It’s whole wheat flour made from a lighter, milder variety of wheat. That’s really it.

If you want to experiment with it, don’t overhaul your entire recipe on day one. Replace 25% of the all-purpose flour. Bake something. Eat it. If you like it, try 50% next time. Very advanced baking science over here, haha.

And if you’ve been looking for King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour and wondering where it went, look for Golden Wheat Flour instead. Mystery solved.