The Fresh Loaf

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help with high-gluten flour

ericb's picture
ericb

help with high-gluten flour

A few weeks ago, I picked up about 30 pounds of some really good bread flour at an excellent price. I was so excited about finding a locally milled flour that beat KA's price point that I neglected to read the label. This flour has a much higher gluten content than what I'm used to (KA AP). In the past, I had purchased this company's AP flour and it worked great. I just was a big dummy and didn't read the label.

Anyway, I'm starting to realize that I don't care for the tough crumb that comes with using this flour. However, since I can't return it, I was wondering if anyone has suggestions to "soften" it a bit.

I have thought about mixing it with AP, but I don't think that will lower the protein percentage enough. I don't really have a good source for good soft wheat flours, unless I use something like White Lilly bleached AP or bleached cake flour. Even then, if I were to mix them together, I'm not sure I could do the math to put the protein at 11% or so.

Are there any techniques I can use to get through the other 20 pounds of this flour?

Eric Brown

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

I just wrote this but it might be worth a try.   LINK

Adding soda is like adding salt, so watch the amounts of salt too.

Another thought might be to combine high gluten flour with semolina or lots of seeds.  Even Grated nuts is a possibility or oats, oats are very low in gluten and tasty too!  Corn!  Man!  You can add all kinds of whole wheat and stuff together with it.  Go for it!

Mini

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Hi Eric,

I ended up in a similar boat.  I purchased 50# of Giusto's Ultimate Performer, a 14+% flour.  It's too much on it's own for my taste.  Luckily I also have several pounds of another unfortunate purchase, which is more like 9%.  I find 20% of the lower protein with 80% of the higher protein gives a texture that I like well enough.  FYI  No math, just exprimentation.

:-Paul

nbicomputers's picture
nbicomputers

it is simple math if you know the protien percentage of both flours you want to use.

just add 1 part flour percent x and one part percent y and devide by 2

example

1 oz 14 percent  plus 1 oz 8 percent =22/2 or 11 percent protien

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Unfortunately mills, when they list "3 grams of protein per 30 grams of flour" are only approximate to the nearest gram.  It could be anywhere from 2.5 to 3.4 grams of protein, which wildly changes the percentage of protein.

:-Paul

ehanner's picture
ehanner

You could just make Bagels for a while and enjoy how good they are. That's a perfect flour for Bagels.

Eric

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Rye breads call for high gluten flour, as well.

What is the protein count for your flour?  And brand?   I need some high gluten flour but can't find any unbleached locally, so am waiting for the next (free shipping) sale at KAF.