Whole Wheat Flour Vs. White Flour

White flour gives you light delicious bread while whole wheat breads are denser and heartier. When you consider whole wheat flour vs. white flour, the major difference is the nutritional value. Most of the essential fibers and nutrients are absent in white flour while whole wheat flour has more fiber and more nutrients. Whole wheat flour is healthier than white flour and should be incorporated in regular diet.

Whole Wheat Flour and White Flour: Nutrition Data

The manufacturers use white flour because it has longer shelf life. Its baking properties are more predictable than that of whole wheat flour. White flour is used to make pasta, pizza, donuts, bread, cookies, cakes, crackers and other processed foods. It is known as 'all-purpose flour'. To get the white refined flour, the nutritious parts of the grain are stripped out. White flour does not contain the fiber that promotes digestion of food and elimination of toxins. These days, white flour, fortified with vitamins and minerals is available in the market. It has been observed that many people prefer the taste and texture of white flour. The following table, which clarifies whole wheat flour vs. white flour nutrition, should encourage them to incorporate whole wheat flour in their diet.

100 g of whole wheat flour and white flour (all-purpose) contain:

NUTRIENT	WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR	WHITE FLOUR
Iron	3.9 mg	4.6 mg
Calcium	34 mg	15 mg
Magnesium	138 mg	22 mg
Potassium	405 mg	107 mg
Phosphorus	346 mg	108 mg
Copper	o.4 mg	0.1 mg
Selenium	70.7 mg	33.9 mg
Manganese	3.8 mg	0.7 mg
Zinc	2.9 mg	0.7 mg
Thiamin	0.4 mg	0.8 mg
Niacin	6.4 mg	5.9 mg
Ribiflovin	0.2 mg	0.05 mg
Pantothenic Acid	1.0 mg	0.4 mg
Vitamin B6	0.3 mg	0.0 mg
Vitamin E	0.8 mg	0.1 mg
Folate	44 mcg	183 mcg
Total Dietary Fiber	12.2 gm	2.7 gm
Total Fats	1.9 gm	1.0 mg

Baking with Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat breads taste great. Baking with white doughs is easier while baking with whole wheat flour is somewhat trickier which may sometimes lead to baker's frustration.

• You need to have patience as whole wheat doughs rise much more slowly than white flours. Don't get frustrated if whole wheat doughs do not appear to rise at all after an hour or more. Just go ahead and punch them down. For a dinner loaf of white flour bread, you might start in the afternoon, but if you are baking with whole grains, you have to start in the morning.
• As whole wheat doughs are stiffer than white flour doughs, they need to be kneaded longer. For instance, you can knead a white flour dough in 5-10 minutes but you will have to knead a whole wheat dough for 15-20 minutes. This also helps develop the gluten, which helps transform flour and water into bread.
• You are required to add more water to the recipe while using whole wheat flour as whole wheat doughs require a larger liquid to flour ratio.
• If the white flour dough is sticky, you may add more flour while kneading, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky.
• If the whole wheat flour dough is sticky, you may add more water while kneading, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky.
• For a good bread, wheat dough needs to rise at least twice when compared with the rise in white dough. Several self rising flour recipes are available on the Internet.

Converting White Flour to Whole Wheat Flour

If you have a recipe with white flour and you want to use whole wheat flour, you will have to alter the quantity slightly. You may take cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour in place of one cup white flour. You will have to adjust the quantity of water while kneading. You may be required to double your yeast amount when baking with whole grains, otherwise, you are going to want the luxury of time.

If you are thinking of making cakes or cookies, you should replace white flour with whole wheat flour, because it will give you the full goodness of the bran and germ in everything you bake with it, be it cookies, pancakes, breads, pizza or brownies, adding hearty flavor and whole grain nutrition. You can try replacing of the white flour with whole wheat flour and you can gradually increase the percentage until your baked cookie's flavor and texture are just the way you like them.