September 20, 2016 - 6:42am
Brazilian bakers, unite! :)
Hi Brazilian loafers (well everyone is welcome) :)
I just put together a little bread forum in portuguese. It's a working in progress, but already functional (I think) :)
The idea is to have a place to talk about local bread baking stuff, like our poor flour availability, for instance.
If you will, please have a look, and make suggestions.
There is almost nothing there yet, but perhaps it can grow, let's see.
Thanks.
The url for now is far from ideal, if it take off we can change it later.
best
vk
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@Vk,
Id' like to hear about the reasons Brazil has such poor flour. Is this true for Argentina as well? I think your site will grow over time as more aficionados come to realize the value of good bread. You might want to check in with us every once in a while to keep us posted on your progress.
Best regards,
Wild-Yeast
Not leaving at all. :)
Thanks Wild-Yeast for your kind words.
I not sure why this is like it is, and as far as I know, this is not true to Argentina, I believe they have great flour there.
Actually this is the real reason I thought of putting up a site. To try to find out why and, if possible, how to improve the situation. Flour used by bakeries, (regular not artisan) is type 1 which is around 9 to 10 % protein. Pizza places and artisan bakeries AFAIK uses imported flour. It sucks :(
About the site, I don't know about it growing, I think it's not an easy task, but, in the other hand, it's there already, so... As another brazilian loafer said, it's kind like a levain. The flour and water is there... Let's see if the right beasts take over the place to inflate the dough. :) I already have some fun setting that up :) Before baking coding was my hobby, so they are now united.
And I have not the slightest intention of leaving TFL. No way! Even if, and that's a big if, the site works. I learned and learn a great deal here from all you experienced guys (and ladies:) behind the ovens. I think this is the place I spent most of my online time lately.
And as they use to say here...
happy baking.
I am desperately trying to find type 00 or better for bread here in Rio. The flours here are just awful for serious bread making. Certainly cant make a baguette with it. It doesnt hydrate well at all. If you know where I can find quality bulk flour for bread, please, let me know.
sorry
Again, thanks for the response. I have seen most of these already and they are all retail. I need bulk, 50kgs at least for my small home based bakery. At between R$11. and $20. for 1 kg, its not cost effective for business. Rio is a difficult place for everything useful. I have found commercial providers at Mercado Livre and have inquired with them. I also have a friend here who is a French pastry chef. She would probably split cost with me for a quantity. At least Type 00 is good. Its a good general purpose flour for pastry and bread. I do everything from ciabattas to Italian to sourdough and even Italian for bread bowl soups. The type 1 is just not sufficient and I need quality for my clients and potential clients.
I'm Brazilian too, and it's good to know there are more Brazilians in TFL.
We can definitely exchange more ideas now, such as where to buy grains, flours, banettons, couches and the such, how to make our own dried fruit, ciders, all of which are kind of hard to find here.
As for the quality of flour here, yes, Argentinian flour is very good quality. Here in Brazil the climate is not adequate for growing wheat, except for some regions in the South. Brazilian mills import Argentinian and Canadian flours and mix it with national flour.
Why can't we find Argentinian flours, or higher quality flour mixes in the supermarket then, when other products like Argentinian apples are so easy to find? Well this is kind of a delicate topic. What I heard is that long ago a cartel of flour mills was formed in the Northeast of Brazil (which can grow no wheat at all!), and they control what blends become accessible to the public.
For those who live in São Paulo, it is relatively easy to find the Italian brand Caputo, type 00 flour, in supermarkets like Pão de Açúcar, San Marché and Hortifruti/Sabor/Natural da Terra. From 8 to 15 R$, it is accessible for family bakes, but I guess kind of prohibitive for businesses.
Hi @bakingmaniac, thanks for all the info. Another cartel, sadly, that's not hard to believe... Perhaps you could also share this in the fórum, and help to rise our "dough" :)
bem-vindo à bordo. (welcome aboard)
vk