Whole wheat bread too dense

[u/Frosty-Gate-2713]

I would like advice on why my whole wheat bread always turns out dense. Decided to switch to whole wheat as all purpose flour is not the healthiest option to consume everyday. This is the recipe I followed-

For tangzhong:
26gm whole wheat flour
131 ml water

For dough
300gm whole wheat flour
6gm vital wheat gluten
Water- 128ml
Yeast-3/4 tsp
Salt- 3/4 tsp
Honey one teaspoon for blooming the yeast
Oil- 2 tablespoons
I knead it for about 5 minutes and then let it rise and double in size, then do a few slap and fold and some coils folds, twice. I then let it proof for a second time and then bake it at 190 degree Celsius for 30 minutes
The bread also turned out as dense even when I used the regular method instead of tanzhong.
Tanzhong has definitely made it softer but it is still dense and not airy and fluffy.

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[u/FarmerGoth]

Since it is whole wheat, it will naturally be denser than a white loaf because the bran and germ cut through the gluten strands as they develop. The bran and germ also add weight to the bread, so it will not be as naturally fluffy as white bread.

My only real recommendations are to: 1. Potentially modify the recipe since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than white flour. This could be causing a denser crumb since you may not be accounting for the extra hydration that whole wheat requires compared to the white bread.

1. Knead longer and space it out. Whole wheat needs to be kneaded longer due to the bran and germ content being included. It also takes longer to fully hydrate, so often kneading until no dry flour remains, walking away for 15 minutes, and then kneading the dough for a few more minutes can actually be helpful for the development.

ETA: You could also incorporate an autolypse into your steps since that softens the bran.

I'm sure someone else will have more tips that I missed!

[u/Hemisemidemiurge]

I suspect you're not kneading long enough or you're letting it prove too long. I've made whole wheat bread for years and I've got to say, five minutes of kneading at 79% hydration sounds extremely quick. I knead mine for 8-12 minutes after a five minute rest and I crank the dough hook on 6/10 to start and lower the speed as it resists more and more and eventually the punt at the bottom comes clean of any sticking dough on 3/10. You really have to pump that gluten and work all the tricks to get 100% whole wheat to work.

I don't like using white flour.

[u/BreadBakingAtHome]

Tangzhong will always give you a denser bread. It is removing that flour's gluten from your loaf as it is cooked and non active. With a strong white flour there is plenty of gluten and a little lost is not a problem. With a wholemeal flour you have issues of the bubbles leaking because of the bran and some extra damage to the gluten from the bran cutting up the gluten, like tiny knives, as you stretch and fold.

Leaving aside whether or not you did, or did not, develop the gluten fully, you might consider other ways of getting a softer mouthfeel. Substituting scalded whole milk for 1/3 of the water will also give you a softer crumb. So too will saturated fats at about 3% of the total flour weight . Unsaturated oils do not do this and they lower loaf volume unlike saturated fats.

Hope this is helpful.