The Fresh Loaf

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Sourdough and High Extraction Flour: Real Significance?

Ogi the Yogi's picture
Ogi the Yogi

Sourdough and High Extraction Flour: Real Significance?

Hi everyone, 

I want to start experimenting with more specialized types of flour when making my sourdough breads. Right now I have been using KA Bread Flour and AP flour (the latter was not working out too well with high hydration recipes!)

I have been following some European bakers and have faced a challenge of figuring out what flours are actually being used! 

An Italian blogger using the language of high extraction flour. Which I have found to be Type 85 in the US, now I don't whether to get malted or non-malted. He also refers to Farro flour, which he says is Spelt but other online sources say Emmer flour. 

I guess another issues is that I feel really overwhelmed by all the options. 

I guess my ultimate goal is to be able to bake breads with flours that can handle high hydration, develop strength, and give me a nice open crumb structure. 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Einkorn, emmer and spelt.  The Italians also use size if the seed to distinguish between the 3 - small farro is einkorn medium farro is emmer and large farro is spelt.  If no size discriptor is used than it is usually spelt but might be emmer too.  You can tell by looking at the seeds if you know what they look like.

Type 85 is a European flour.  Type anything is not a US flour but you immediately know it is European.   You can buy some European flour here from various suppliers.

White flour is what is malted.  Most of the enzymes ar found in the bran and germ of the seed and these are removed when milling white patent flour so malt is added back in to make sure there is enough in the flour  - usually at about 6 tenths s of 1 percent.  Whole grain flour does not need malt to be added and high extraction may not need any either but it depends on what the extraction is.

Happy baking 

Ogi the Yogi's picture
Ogi the Yogi

these specs:

Protein / 12.5%**
Ash / 0.85%
Blend / Hard Red Winter and Hard Red Spring Wheat
Flour Treatment / None 

Would this be good for sourdough?

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

I'm assuming 'Type 85' means it has had 15% (by weight) of the bran (and maybe some of the germ) sifted out of it. Pretty much like milling your own winter and spring wheat then sifting it with a medium mesh sifter. Sounds like nothing added to it (such as enrichment or conditioners).

Try it and see how your bread turns out. If it needs a little help (probably won't, if you use long bulk fermentation), then you can always buy a little bit of diastatic malt (grain or powder; grind your own if it's grain) at a beer-making supplier and add a tiny bit to the dough.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

flour is wonderful.  Phil (PiPs) made the very best sourdough bread and he used high esxtraction flour for those beautiful loaves.  Tastes great too.  Search for his bread it will make some of the bet reading on this site.  I tell folks to just read his entire blog and sit back and be both taught and entertained.