Hydration × flour
72% Hydration White Whole Wheat Flour
Increasingly open crumb, medium-to-large cells. Classic Pain au Levain territory. Chewy crust with moist interior.
✓ Within White Whole Wheat Flour's workable range (72–82%)
Is 72% hydration right for White Whole Wheat Flour?
White Whole Wheat Flour's workable hydration range is 72–82%. Its absorption multiplier is 1.06× bread flour. At 72%, you are in the sweet spot — the dough will handle predictably and produce the crumb described above.
Absorption math for White Whole Wheat Flour at 72%
A recipe written for bread flour at 72% hydration, when substituted with 100% White Whole Wheat Flour, becomes 76% effective hydration (because White Whole Wheat Flour absorbs 6% more water). 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.
Technique at 72% hydration
Dough requires strong gluten development (3-4 stretch-and-folds or coil folds). Shaping benefits from cold retard. Handle with wet hands or flour-dusted bench scraper.
Calculator pre-set to 72%
Weights below assume 100% White Whole Wheat Flour. For blends, use the main calculator on a recipe page.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 310 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 870 g
- Effective hydration
- 72%
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.