The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

French Flour conversions to American Flour

saraugie's picture
saraugie

French Flour conversions to American Flour

Wanting to copy Shiao-Ping's latest gorgeous, yummy looking bread T110 Miche, I see that the flour she used is T110.  I searched the web and came up with this chart from another food website.  I cannot understand the science of flour IE: ash content, water absorption rates etc and just need know what the American equivalents are.  I wonder if you who know could tell if these comparisons are correct ?

AMERICAN: Cake & Pastry
APPROXIMATE FRENCH EQUIVALENT: Type 45

AMERICAN: All-Purpose & Bread
APPROXIMATE FRENCH EQUIVALENT: Type 55

AMERICAN: High Gluten
APPROXIMATE FRENCH EQUIVALENT: Type 65

AMERICAN: Light Whole Wheat
APPROXIMATE FRENCH EQUIVALENT: Type 80

AMERICAN: Whole Wheat
APPROXIMATE FRENCH EQUIVALENT: Type 110

AMERICAN: Dark Whole Wheat
APPROXIMATE FRENCH EQUIVALENT: Type 150

Crider's picture
Crider

to type 80, 110, and 150. All we have in North America is whole wheat and stone-ground whole wheat. And both of those are 100% whole wheat. King Arthur sells a 'first-clear' flour which appears to be a bolted whole wheat flour -- the larger pieces of bran are sifted out.

Shiao Ping bought her French flour through mail order from France as I recall.

GeekyGuy's picture
GeekyGuy

I've read in Crust and Crumb that a good U.S. approximation of French #55 is 50% AP and 50% BF.

MmeZeeZee's picture
MmeZeeZee

I've presently got two flours, Vollkorn Weizenmehl (which is literally translated as whole wheat) and Weizenmehl 1050.  Both of these are from an old-fashioned water mill here in Rheinland-Pfalz.  They cook deliciously and both are much, much finer than any flour I've ever had in the States, except perhaps pastry flour.

So does anyone have any idea how I might go about substituting these two flours for flours in the American recipe books?  My German is basic so forget German recipes, and I'm not trusting Google Translate with my bread.

I'd love to hear from you.  So far, I've used the 1050 for the bread flour and vollkorn for whole wheat in Hamelman's rustic bread recipe as posted here, and they seem to have worked very well.  But perhaps I could do better?

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

You keep me smiling with your untrust in Google translator.  I couldn't agree more! 

I know that on many of the flour packages in Austria, there is a guide that discribes the uses of the flour - for which types of bakery it is best used.  Is that also in Germany?

I have been using the 700 to 960 flours for bread flour.  I also enjoy the "10 korn" flours.  More when I get back to Austria.  I have a mixture of cookbooks in several languages.  I also bake in different countries so I tend to start with what is most available and tend to bake and cook with it and start from there. The lower numbers are amazing flours as well.  I am amazed by the "Griffig" or coarse flours and how flexible they are.

Mini