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I use this flour for making parathas: Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta (whole wheat flour)
This is whole wheat flour. The parathas never tasted bitter.

Is the commercial whole wheat bread made of this kind of flour? I have found the commercial whole wheat bread to be bitter. What's the reason?

If I make the brown bread with this flour only, will that be bitter too?

ElendilTheTall
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Aquarius_Girl
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    It happens the same where I live. Industrial brown bead has an odd taste. But when I made myself (whole) brown bread for the very first time, noticed just the oposite: a sweet taste. My guess (in my country) is that they added that strange taste because "whole bread is healthier" and "healthy food tastes like medicine". – J.A.I.L. Mar 04 '13 at 09:24
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    @J.A.I.L. *"My guess (in my country) is that they added that strange taste because "whole bread is healthier" and "healthy food tastes like medicine"."* -- You indeed have a great sense of humor! – Aquarius_Girl Mar 04 '13 at 09:29
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    I believe commercial bread normally contains burned malt used for colouring (real bread is never as dark as most commercial breads). – Cerberus Mar 04 '13 at 20:28
  • i am not sure but they might be adding some kinda preservative, as expiry period of brown bread is more than that of normal(maida) bread. That preservative or baking powder must be reason behind bitterness. – Sunishtha Singh Mar 05 '13 at 03:00
  • In the part of the United States I am originally from brown bread is a steamed quick bread like this: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/11/boston-brown-bread. I've suggested an edit to the title of your question to make it clear you are talking about 'whole wheat bread.' – Glenn Stevens Mar 05 '13 at 06:53
  • Whereas in many parts of the world the term 'whole wheat bread' isn't used at all... – ElendilTheTall Mar 05 '13 at 08:18
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    @Cerberus It's true commercial brown bread is usually added non-diastatic malt for colouring. And yes: the odd taste in those breads resembles a lot to that burnt malt. I think this might be the reason. – J.A.I.L. Mar 05 '13 at 10:06
  • @J.A.I.L.: Right, it is the reason why I never buy the very dark kinds of bread: they taste weird to me. As to "regular" commercial bread, I am undecided what the exact reasons are why I dislike it. – Cerberus Mar 05 '13 at 18:17
  • BTW, tried making normal bread from (wholewheat) chapati flour once... rather dense but tastes great (moist, very sweet and aromatic without needing to add much sugar). – rackandboneman Nov 03 '15 at 10:23

2 Answers2

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Much of the bitterness in breads made from whole wheat is caused by the phenolic acid and tannins in the bran layer of the wheat. Different varieties of wheat have different levels of those compounds and produce breads with different levels of bitterness. "Traditional" varieties of wheat, such as red wheat, contain high levels of tannins, while hard white spring wheat contains relatively low levels of tannins.

Here is what bakingbusiness.com has to say about this subject:

With whole wheat, taste differences boil down to the tannin content of the bran. These red pigments in hard red wheat carry a bitter flavor. “... Whiter whole-grain varieties typically contain fewer tannins, which results in a less bitter taste,” said Brook Carson, technical product manager, ADM Milling, Shawnee Mission, Kansas. "Differences in taste can also be overcome with added sweetness or with a masking agent."

Based on your question, it sounds likely the Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta whole wheat flour you use for making parathas is milled from either hard white spring wheat or a blend of the white wheat with a more traditional variety of wheat resulting in a non-bitter end product.

There is another possible source of bitterness in bread made from whole wheat flour, although it shouldn’t really affect commercially made bread. When whole wheat flour is milled, it includes the oil containing wheat germ, which is different than refined white flour where the wheat germ is removed prior to milling. This oil in the whole wheat flour results in it having a much shorter shelf life than white flour and makes it susceptible to rancidity if not stored properly. Commercial bakeries go through (literally) tons of flour, so their whole wheat flour shouldn't be sitting around long enough to go bad.

I can tell you from first-hand experience, one of the signs whole wheat flour has started to go rancid is an increase in bitterness.

Andrew P.
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Glenn Stevens
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  • What is your opinion on the non diastatic malt possibility commented in the question? – J.A.I.L. Mar 05 '13 at 20:38
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    If the bread contains a [dark non-diastatic malt](http://www.flourbin.com/blog/2013/01/15/marvellous-malts/) (or for that matter a dark diastatic malt) the malt could also contribute a slight bitterness to the bread. – Glenn Stevens Mar 06 '13 at 04:10
  • I highly suspect dough conditioners change the flavor. I only taste this odd bitterness in factory bread. ie dough processed at high RPMs that would 'burn' without the conditioners – Pat Sommer Feb 07 '18 at 18:09
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American bread is more bitter than Japanese bread. I think this is caused by the use of baking power or baking soda.

Richard ten Brink
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Miyu
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    While there are some types of bread that use baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent (quick breads), it is far more likely that the OP came across a yeast leavened bread. Chemical leavening agents *can* leave odd and unpleasant flavors if used incorrectly but this is also unlikely to be the case for a commercial product. – Chris Steinbach May 19 '15 at 20:34
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    @ChrisSteinbach I dunno, commercial products are by no means perfect, and if it's easier/cheaper to use chemical leaveners they may prioritize it over ideal flavor. – Cascabel May 20 '15 at 02:00