I have a basic recipe for white bread that is very dependable and
works great. I have tried to modify it by replacing about half the
white flour (I use Cargill "Hummer" high gluten flour) with whole
wheat flour, leaving everything else the same, and the results are
pretty much uniformly disappointing. The dough becomes sticky and
less elastic, and doesn't rise well, and the finished bread has a very
coarse crumb. I have tried increasing the amount of yeast, but this
doesn't seem to help. Is there a general principle to follow when
changing part of the flour in a bread recipe to whole wheat?

One problem may be that while it is easy enough to get hard wheat
white flour, the whole wheat flour which is readily available
(Hodgson, King Arthur) does not seem to be designated as true bread
flour.

heteroscedastic wrote:
: On Sep 3, 7:42 pm, "WSBRK1" > wrote:
:: heteroscedastic wrote:
::
::: I have a basic recipe for white bread that is very dependable and
::: works great. I have tried to modify it by replacing about half the
::: white flour (I use Cargill "Hummer" high gluten flour) with whole
::: wheat flour, leaving everything else the same, and the results are
::: pretty much uniformly disappointing. The dough becomes sticky and
::: less elastic, and doesn't rise well, and the finished bread has a
::: very coarse crumb. I have tried increasing the amount of yeast, but
::: this doesn't seem to help. Is there a general principle to follow
::: when changing part of the flour in a bread recipe to whole wheat?
:::
::: One problem may be that while it is easy enough to get hard wheat
::: white flour, the whole wheat flour which is readily available
::: (Hodgson, King Arthur) does not seem to be designated as true bread
::: flour.
::
:: You can search for the King Arthur site and request a copy of their
:: catalog. They have mucho things for a wheat loaf, and you will find
:: the additives there including good recipes. I have experimented
:: around to find a good wheat loaf for me. My single loaf recipe is
:: two and one half cups of flour total. My final whole wheat mixture
:: has been 1-1/2 cups of all purpose, and 1 cup of whole wheat (King
:: Arthur). Your mileage might vary.
:
: Thanks, both of you. I had read about adding gluten, but figured that
: my high-gluten Hummer would handle it. From what you are saying, it
: just isn't doing the job and we need more gluten.
:
: BTW, not a bread machine--a Kitchenaid with dough hook and then hand
: kneading.

I use my Kitchenaid food processor, but with the regular blade in it. I
tried the dough hook they had in the box that came with it, but shucked that
and used the regular blade. Stuff comes together quick, and I like that!
<G> Nothing like fresh home made bread.