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When I use unbleached white wheat flour, I don't seem to have issues with my sourdough bread or cakes rising. Now using whole grain flours is causing a problem! Help!

New Year's Jumpstart

Fran Costigan - New Year's Jumpstart

Recorded

This event was on January 6, 2026

Start 2026 on a sweet note. Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry for a January deep-dive into the essential building blocks of vegan desserts. She’ll explore the flavors, functions, and best uses of different flours, sweeteners, cocoa, and chocolate and more, so you can bake smarter and tastier ight from the first whisk of the New Year!. Perfect for beginners and seasoned bakers alike, this session will reset your confidence, refresh your skills, and inspire delicious desserts all year long.

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Question

Sheral Schowe

When I use unbleached white wheat flour, I don't seem to have issues with my sourdough bread or cakes rising. Now using whole grain flours is causing a problem! Help! ?

Answer

White wheat flour is, has been rebranded by some of the companies, king Arthur as golden flour. So it is a whole grain, it should not be a problem. I am not by any means a sourdough expert, but I did some looking and I put a link in here, bread topia, whole grain sourdough. It should not be a problem. I talked to several friends who are making sourdough loaves with whole grains or partial whole grains and they aren't having a problem. So maybe you need to add a little bit more sourdough or use some AP flour with your whole grains. But have a look at that link and that should hopefully help you.

Links

https://breadtopia.com/whole-grain-sourdough/

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.