The Fresh Loaf

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Pain au Levain with Korean flour

varda's picture
varda

Pain au Levain with Korean flour

I'm a sucker for flour.   Yesterday I went to the local korean supermarket to see if they had less than whole grain durum and I came back with something else.   All I know about it is it's "premium flour," has 3g of protein per 30g serving, and can be used for making noodles. 

I didn't want to make noodles - I wanted to make bread.   And use my new flour.   I  restrained myself from having this mystery flour be the main event and instead limited it to 15% of flour to support my standby King Arthur AP (80%) and Rye (5%).  

The result is a nice mild naturally leavened boule.

I am somewhat disappointed that my scores didn't open more.  

I baked indoors with plenty of steam, but the dough was tacky throughout fermentation and my razor snagged while scoring.   So I'll attribute it to the fact that my starter has still not completely recovered from being abandoned for a few weeks and left to ride out the hurricane (or resultant power failure) alone.   I've been babying it as much as I can, but perhaps not enough.

Anyone know anything about this flour?   Have I just paid an unreasonable amount (ok not so much) to import regular old AP flour across an ocean and a continent?  

Update:   I used this flour in pizza dough last night - 335g KABF, 165g Korean Flour.   It was absolutely and by far the best pizza crust I've every made.   Not sure if this is of general interest since I doubt many people have access to this flour, but I just had to add it to the post. 

Comments

wassisname's picture
wassisname

Excellent mystery flour adventuring!  I can't help with any of your questions but your courage in the face of the unknown is inspiring :)  Higher % experiments to come?

Fellow sucker,

Marcus

varda's picture
varda

to skydive so it has to be this.    I am hoping that someone who can read Korean will chime in and tell me what I've got before I venture further.    It's nice to know I'm not the only flouraholic out there.   Thanks for your comments.  -Varda

Syd's picture
Syd

Well, that is a fine looking profile there Varda and nice scoring, too.  You have been getting very creative with your scoring recently.  Nice to see.  I am afraid I am not very adventurous with my scoring.  It always feels like I am in a rush to get it into the oven and would rather stick to a tried and tested method than try something new.  It is not something I plan when I think about making a loaf.  I spend a lot of time think about the ingredients and the process, though.  Note to self:  allocate more time in planning phase to exploring new scoring methods. :)

Have no idea what flour you bought there but nice experimenting.  Yes, I suppose it is marginally safer than skydiving, however being a miller has serious dangers.

Best,

Syd

varda's picture
varda

Remind me not to take up large scale industrial milling.   Thanks so much for your comments Syd.   For scoring this bread, I put it on the table, where I could see the Japanese Maple out the window and tried to follow a few of the lines of the tree.    And yet it came out looking like a bird.   I'm still hoping someone out there reads Korean or has at least baked with this flour.    -Varda

holds99's picture
holds99

Varda, correct me if I'm wrong, it appears that the protein content for the Korean flour is approximately 10% which is about the same protein content as White Lily flour.  Don't know about the Korean flour, but the White Lily flour bag indicates that it is made from soft wheat rather than hard wheat.  I mix the White Lily with K.A. Bread Flour at about the same ratio that you mixed your formula for your pain au levain when I make baguettes, in an attempt to approximate T55 flour.  I have had good results with this mix ratio for baguettes---and it appears you did fine with your mix ratio.  With the baguettes the mix ratio produces a softer, more open crumb and slightly thinner crust than when using K.A. exclusively.  Thanks for sharing.

Howard

 

varda's picture
varda

I don't think I've seen White Lily flour here, but I'm guessing you are right since this flour had the effect that you mentioned.   I guess I could compare it to my Hecker's AP which at half the price and available in a closer supermarket would be the more practical choice.  So you use KABF rather than KAAP?   I tend to use KAAP as my base flour and then add other things to it.   Except when paired with a high percentage rye or other flour with low gluten.   I've never laid my hands on T55 flour itself so I wouldn't know if I were close to simulating it.  -Varda

holds99's picture
holds99

Varda, I'm guessing the Korean flour, intended to be used for making noodles, is soft wheat.  Regardless, you made a lovely loaf with it.

I switch back and forth between KABF and KAAP.  We don't really have a wide selection here in St. Augustine, FL.  The best price for K.A. here is Walmart.  It's hard to believe but K.A. at Walmart is nearly a dollar less than either of the two major supermarkets, Winn Dixie (Yep, they still love Dixie down here) and Publix. 

Thanks your posts, and for your thoughts.

Howard

 

varda's picture
varda

I guess I'm just going to have to make noodles.   Thank goodness the instructions are in English.   Your remarks remind me how fortunate I am with a wide variety of quality flours available in the near vicinity.    On the other hand, we have winter in these parts which I'm guessing isn't an issue for you.  -Varda

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Three spoons flour, that's what I call that brand. For a minute there, thought you might be in Korea! I can't read the label either but I've used the flour. AP flour at about 10% protein. Made excellent hard rolls, fluffy insides with thin hard crust. Can you make a picture of the panel (side or back) that shows fiber content? Then someone who reads Korean can tell us more. :)

Mini

varda's picture
varda

Hi Mini.   Thanks for the clues on how to use this flour.   I'll have to dig up a recipe for hard rolls.   No fiber content on the label but here are shots of the other three sides of the bag.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

into the liquids to be sure.   :)

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Mini, a question for you;

Why the egg white for hard rolls?  I am thinking the extra protein since the flour has only 10% but have never heard of using egg whites to boost the protein (I might have read it somewhere though but I forget most of what I read unless I read it numerous times)  ....does make sense if my assumption is correct....

Can I also use an egg white when incorporating my soft whole wheat in a 'regular' loaf formula?  (If so, how many whites to  500g loaf?-)

Is the soft wheat used primarily for a thinner crust and softer crumb in any formula?  I thought is was used mostly for pastries.

Thanks,

Janet

 

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Varda,

I, too, love the scoring pattern and like Syd don't usually stray from the tried and true due to past disasters   ah, experiences.

How do you know what kind of score will yield a taller loaf rather than one that spreads out?  (Neighbors have fond memories of my frisbee loaves :-).

Take Care,

Janet


varda's picture
varda

I don't think I really know what scores make a loaf taller or not.   As you can see this one isn't particularly tall.   I thought that was more a factor of how well the dough is fermented as long as you have sufficient opening to handle the expansion.   I have been more looking at the top of a nice broad boule as a sketch pad to doodle on.    I'm really not that good at straight and parallel lines, and really I don't have to be.   I'm sure others out there would have a more precise answer to your question.   Thanks so much for your comments.  -Varda

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Varda,

I read somewhere that different scoring patterns do effect the rise.  That a diamond cut will encourage a taller loaf and 3  scores across the top of a boule will encourage a shorter loaf.......

Can't recall where I read it but I know my loaves that I use the diamond score on do rise up rather than out so I have been sticking to that......think I will do an experiment again when I am baking 2 identical boules....You have piqued my curiosity :-)

Take Care,

Janet

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Experiment Results:

I baked 4-500g boules of Onion Dill this afternoon.  Two I scored with my usual diamond which isn't really a diamond - more like a square - and two with a scoring pattern like the loaf on the cover of Floyd's book (I am looking at it on the left side of my screen as I type)...there wasn't much of a difference in the spring.....Next time I will try with the 3 cuts across the top and see what the result is...

Take Care,

Janet

varda's picture
varda

and you will post about it when you finish your experiments.   I'm sure a lot of people would be interested.  -Varda

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Varda,

I didn't take pictures.....I tried doing the picture thing awhile ago and did post pictures for awhile but then commands etc. on my computer changed and it all got too complex for my tired brain to work through so I stopped photographing and now simply stick to the baking part.....sorry....

 

Janet

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Varda,

I note that this loaf has a translucency in the crumb that is now very consistent in the breads you post here; it looks very inviting indeed.

Ok, so the flour has only ordinary levels of protein.   But haven't you overlooked the word "premium"?   It's clearly good quality flour, and that is actually more important than the headline protein figure!

Hi Janet,

Have you made Chollah?   Lots of egg in the formula...for protein, as you suspected

All good wishes

Andy

varda's picture
varda

Yes, I guess we learn over and over that that protein number on the side of the bag doesn't tell us much.   And the bread was well worth eating (gone now.)   I so appreciate your comments.   -Varda

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Andy,

Yes, I have made Challah with all the eggs according to PR's method using whole wheat flour not my pastry flour so I hadn't thought of the protein adding strength to that dough...thought it was more for the density and flavor....

Another lesson :-)

Take Care,

Janet

kumitedad's picture
kumitedad

This website is fantastic for this type of thing.  I had questions about korean flour, because in the Artisan Pasta book I snagged from the library, it mentions it as a sub for "00" flour, which is my neck of the woods would probably be harder to get than Korean flour.  Did you do anymore experimentations with pizza, which is what I was going to try myself

 

thanks

 

varda's picture
varda

Hi.   I really love this flour.   I looked back over my bread records, and before I used it up, I threw it in this, that and the other thing.    It gives a special softness to the crumb, even when you use it at around 20% of total flour.    I did use it for pizza dough, but I'm not as careful of recording experiments with pizza dough as I am for bread.   I do see that I used it in Focaccia - 200g King Arthur All Purpose, 100g Korean flour and noted that it came out really well.    Hope you will try it and let me know the results, as I've been meaning to go out and get some more.   -Varda