Hafrashas Challah - Whole Wheat Flour

QUESTION: I normally only make a beracha when I make a dough with 5 pounds of flour. Is the amount the same when I use whole wheat flour (which includes the bran)?

ANSWER: Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 324:3) writes that bran counts towards the amount needed for challah, provided that the bran was not first removed. However, if the bran was sifted out, even if afterwards it became mixed back in with the same flour, it can no longer be counted. Today, in most mills, the bran is sifted out and then metered back in. It would therefore seem that the bran should not be counted towards the measurement of challah. The bran constitutes approximately 14% of the kernel weight, which becomes about 19% of the flour by volume. Therefore, if you intend to say a beracha, you should add 19% more flour. This means that instead of using 5 pounds of flour, you should use about 6 lbs. 

However, there is a basis to recite a beracha on 5 lbs. of whole wheat flour:

According to many poskim one can recite a beracha even on 4 lbs. of flour.

Rav Shternbuch (Teshuvos V’Hanhagos 3:71) writes that since the bran is separated with intent to mix it back in, as is done today, it is as if it was not removed.

Rav Shternbuch (Teshuvos V’Hanhagos 3:71) also writes that since today many people consider it healthy to add bran to their flour, even extra added bran can be counted as part of the bread.

The Meiri (Pesachim 36b) writes that only larger pieces of bran do not recombine for the shiur of Challah, but finely ground pieces of bran (as would be found in whole wheat flour) do combine for the shiur of Challah. The Rashash (Challah 2:6) also puts forth this possibility.

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