Mixing flour
If I understand correctly, millers will blend grains from different batches to achieve an end product with specific properties, similar to what vintners do with grapes, or roasters do with coffee beans. If my understanding is incorrect, then what follows is moot, so stop me now.
My question is this: can you mix flours in your own kitchen to get a final result with a desired composition?
I'm thinking of venturing into the realm of croissants:
- Imported T65 flour is reputedly ~10% protein.
- SoftAsSilk cake flour says their protein content is 9.4%
- King Arthur says their AP flour protein content is 11.7%
- If I want to combine two partials to achieve a specific total the math is as follows:
- (Percentage A)xX + (Percentage B)xY = (Final percentage C)x(X+Y)
- Rewritten: 0.094xX + 0.117xY = 0.10x(X+Y)
- Solving for Y: Y = 0.35xX
So, for example, if I have 125g of 9.4% protein cake flour, and I add 43.75g of 11.7% protein AP flour, do I have 168.75g of flour with a total protein content of 10%?
Or is it like apples and oranges and you can't look at it like that? I understand that the mixture won't perfectly duplicate French flour due to variables like ash content, etc., but would duplicating the protein content produce a reasonable approximation?
... just curious
--Mike
Sure, you can do that. However, when I want to adjust my protein content, I usually just add potato starch. I wouldn't add cake flour, however; it's bleached and has an unpleasant flavor in anything other than cakes.
I think you're making things too hard for yourself, though. You can make fine croissants with just regular KA AP flour. Get the technique down and then you can fiddle with the flour if you really want to.
I'm not sure about this either, but I think the 'blenders' select for not only protein content but also other characteristics. They can select out flour from different parts of the endosperm (closer to the bran or closer to the germ), among other things.
I'm also not sure of the importance of a percentage or two of protein in the overall quality of dough or bread. :)
Speaking from a similar perspective of trying to concoct a t65 equivalent it's very hard with local flours - you may get a similar protein content but flavor them needs to match. It might help if you obtain a n authentic t55 or t65 then run a few batches to get a sense of how it responds - the easiest way is to pick up Francine bio t55 there's plenty of suppliers. This is not ideal for bread since its straight flour with no amylases or malt additives but it responds almost identically to an artisan brand. What you'll immediately notice is the extensibility of such flours os a very delicate elastic dough that once you get used tossed other doughs seem very tough and hard to shape in comparison. That could then act as a benchmark for any blends you come up with because shooting for protein percentages won't equate to similar character - as an example my t65 is 10% and so is KA AP but KA feels like tough rubber bands in comparison no matter how I adjust hydration it's always more resistant. Btw the brand I use (moulin d'auguste) I have noticed some differences between batches throughout the year so over time you get to notice subtle differences in spring and winter wheat. Then of course there's the matter of ash and all the good stuff that somehow gets into French grown grains - their milling technique is different an what I understand is the bran is pulverized. So in this guys opinion if you really really want authentic then go all out and get the good stuff shipped to your door - there's just no substitute !
Since getting flours shipped is so expensive do you have any thoughts as to how KA AP could be altered to make better baguettes? I also have some Caputo 00. I assume that dough extensibility is paramount for baguette shaping.
I have wheat berries and other grains shipped in bulk. I’d hate to spend $4 or more per pound for flour.
Dan
btw; my scoring is coming along. I’m testing a straight razor and liking the results.
makes his with store bought Pillsbury or Gold Medal AP flour. It has plenty of but low amount of gluten and is just extensible enough to get a great Baggie.
A number of folks here are exceptional baguette/long batard shapers. My short list off the top of my head includes bikeprof, jimbtv and kendalm. There are probably a few dozen more who don't post, but just come for our goofy sideshow ;-) . I appreciate the nod, but it would be a pity to shortchange our other folks here.
I do agree about my use of the national brands of flour as you mention. Although just recently I joined one of those warehouse clubs that carries 10 lb. bags of KA AP for about the same or less than my 5 lb. supermarket brands, so I started using that one too.
I couldn't pull off a decent baguette with pilsbbury no matter what - I'm so accustomed to slacker dough that any time I venture towards store bought stuff I feel like I'm in a wrestling match with the stuff. Even though I go for the t65 for that authentic flavor profile I tip my hat to don bags for working magic on the cheapest flour available (that does even address all the seeds and nuts etc)
KA AP and only 30 cents a pound. If I could score I would use it for baggies. There are lots of great Baggie makers on TFL for sure but only one Don Baggs
I haven't seen it (or any of their other products) in stores in my area. Is it an Arizona local brand?
Google says it's available at WalMart, but I admittedly don't grocery shop there often - might have to give it a look.
--Mike
I couldn't remember ever seeing any posts by a "Don Baggs."
Then I realized it's not "Donald," but rather the Italian honorific for nobility (or Mafia bosses), and Baggs refers to baguettes.
This place gets hilarious sometimes! In any case, I have to agree with DAB that your baguettes are rather pretty.
--Mike
It has been a while since I tried flour blends and the last round I was more aiming for flavor characteristics (which btw involve kinda hard to find wheat malt). Extensibility is not necessarily paramount to shaping its just more like all the vids you see with t65 / t55 that is, less mechanical forcing to elongate (the French dough just sort of rolls out with more ease) but this thread did get me thinking and here's what crossed my mind. I would aim to blend in some whole wheat or if you have a grinder to add your own and grind up the bran finely so there's no large husks. I once ordered some central milling t70 that they tout as the closest thing to t65 due to year's of consultation with renowned French bakers. The one thing I though odd was that they didn't grind up the bran and I ended up sifting one batch just to see how much bran they could have introduce. It also made me wonder if the bran itself, ground finely, was a factor in the delicate characteristics of French flour. So that has actually been a back-of-the-mind though. Of course for me too it would be fantastic to have a back up blend for times when stock is low (side note of you order 30lbs the cost per pound with shipping is around 2 dollars comparable to shelf bought KA). As you probably found with KA AP doing baguettes the scores often just stretch and stretch and resist bursting , it my contention that the incredible strength is preventing that final breaking point where the crust just says ok time to rupture and the nature of the long shape itself doesn't make the job easier - so thats my thought at least I'm actually running rather low on t65 now so perhaps I'll give it a whirl and report back. I'd also be inclined to use instant yeast in this experiment as I've come to find the ascorboc acid is a good sub for the t65 which usually is added to aid the fermentation when using fresh yeast (I only use fresh with t65) so that's a side note to the endeavor but all in all a hunch tells me the bran may interrupting the gluten network as it suspended in the whole mass and that may be key to the really delicate dough. In some blogs I dropped some photos of t65 window pane and you can see that gravity alone allowed the dough to stretch out. Great news on your scoring - a little thing I discovered is I get best burst on my top racks presumably due to hear rising as I always emphasize the kick is key ;)