Atta Flour
My only supplier (Australia) of durum (semolina) flour is currently out of stock and is unable to tell me when it will be back. I use this flour in combination (up to 50%) with bread flour in my breads regularly. Until I can access this flour again, I have purchased some khorasan and also some atta flour to experiment. The atta has a distinct yellow cast similar to the durum flour. I have seen on this site that atta has been substituted for durum semolina flour but cannot find this post. On atta flour, I am a little lost. It was purchased from a bulk loose bin, so no further info as to its qualities. Can either of these flours replace durum semolina flour? If so, what changes in water absorption etc would apply? I am unsure of protein, gluten levels. I hope someone on this site can help this amateur home baker, and if so I thank you muchly!
Sondra
like atta but I find it OK as long as you sift out the added back in bran and hard bits first ....if you want it to be closer to the semolina you have used before. A little eexperimentation should yield good results.
A lot depends on the type of wheat used and also whether or not there has been heat damage while grinding. This is a common occurrence seen in atta flour. In India and that part of the world, most atta is used to make flat breads and it works quite well for that. The question comes as to whether or not it can make a risen loaf of bread. My recommendation is to make a small loaf with it and see how the dough behaves. Being Whole Wheat, it will need a bit more water and also a rest/autolyse in order for all the branny bits (even finely ground ones) to absorb the water and make a nice crumb in the finished loaf.
Thank you DAB and Clazar for your input. As I mentioned in my OP the flour that I have just bought is a very fine soft flour with a distinctly yellowish appearance. It does not appear to have any bran bits in it, which confused me. I do have some wholemeal atta which I bought on impulse some time ago and have never used. The appearance of this flour is totally different. I was going to chuck it, but hate waste, so have procrastinated.
Guess there is only one way to find out and that is to give it a go. Will use perhaps a 60/40 mix with bread flour and see what happens. Was trying to avoid wasting electricity in the bake. We here in Sth Australia have reputedly the highest electricity prices in the world!,
And DAB, please give that little redhead who resides with you, hugs and tummy rubs from me!
Sondra