Hydration guide
White Whole Wheat Flour Hydration Guide
Workable range: 72–82% · Absorption: 1.060× bread flour · Midpoint target: 77%
How White Whole Wheat Flour behaves at each hydration
White whole wheat is milled from hard white wheat (not red). Same whole-kernel nutrition as red whole wheat but with a milder, sweeter flavor profile and slightly lighter crumb color. Protein is ~0.5% lower than red whole wheat, and absorption is ~1.5% less. Good gateway for bakers transitioning from refined flours. King Arthur's White Whole Wheat is the US reference. Excellent in 20-40% blends with bread flour for everyday sourdough that's more nutritious than 100% refined but less intense than 100% red whole wheat.
Substituting White Whole Wheat Flour for bread flour
Absorption multiplier: 1.060×. When substituting for bread flour, add about 6% more water. For example: a 75% bread-flour recipe becomes 80% when using 100% White Whole Wheat Flour.
The calculator below is pre-set to 77%. Adjust the slider to match your target. Salt and levain percentages are the flour-independent defaults (2.0% and 20%).
Technique at target hydration
Same autolyse approach as red whole wheat (60-90 min) but slightly shorter. Pairs well with bread flour at 25-30% whole grain for balanced loaves. Increase hydration by 1.5% when substituting for refined bread flour.
Calculator pre-set to 77%
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 335 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 895 g
- Effective hydration
- 77%
How the math works
Total water = flour × hydration %. Your levain contributes 50 g flour + 50 g water — both count toward the totals. You add only the remainder as fresh flour and water.
Salt % is computed on total flour weight, not final-dough flour.