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White Whole Wheat Bread - Is it whole wheat or white bread?

White whole wheat bread is becoming more common on grocery store shelves.  But not everyone knows what white whole wheat bread is.  When most of us think of whole wheat bread, we think of the darker colored bread.  But for those that don't like the taste of regular wheat bread, white whole wheat bread is the answer-it has the nutritional benefits of whole wheat bread, with increased fiber and nutrients, but with texture and taste of white bread.

Regular white bread is made from grain that has been refined, in a process that strips out certain parts of the grain.  But whole wheat bread is made with whole grain.  The difference between white whole wheat and regular whole wheat bread is in the type of wheat used.  The whole wheat that we are used to seeing is made with red wheat, which is what gives the bread the darke color, red wheat also has a slightly bitter taste.  White whole wheat bread is made with an albino variety of wheat, which is not only lighter in color, but is has a smoother texture and more mild and sweet flavor.

The really important thing to remember when you are choosing your bread is to look at the ingredients list.  You want to see the first ingredient listed as "whole" grain.  For example, whole wheat, white whole wheat, or whole oats all mean that it is a whole grain bread and has the nutritional benefits of whole grain.  If it doesn't list whole grain as the first ingredient, is is not a whole grain bread.  Many people make the mistake in thinking multi-grain makes bread healthy in the same way whole grain does.  But all multi-grain means is that more than one grain has been used in the mix, but these could be precessed grains.