Flour Chat
I have been reading with interest all the chat and wonder about the various flours.
I am in Canada and have been using locally grown organic flours.
I am lucky enough to have a good selection from a local miller and have been using a blend of white and WW hard flours for some great bread. Unfortunately the flour I use and many others i play with do not list protein content on the bag. I notice many use an all purpose flour for baggeutte.
How do you guys tell one from the other in terms of protein or gluten as you choose a certain flour for a certain bread? My winter goal is a great baggeutte and croissant and know I have to use different flours.
My thinking is the more processing and perhaps finer sifting removes more of the germ and bran and then the higher relative protien but most flours don;t list the protein as the KA flours do.
Any thoughts?
My local miller has a stone mill and can not seem to have a truly white flour - whch is fine with me.
How do other non-bleached organic flours get so white? There is not much white in a wheat berry.
Thanks, I love this site.
If you know the type of berry you're flours are ground from you can get a better indication of protein levels. A Hard Red or Hard White will have more protein and better results when used for breadmaking. While a Soft Wheat will have less protein. I use the Soft wheats in Cakes/Muffins. So I would ask your miller which type of berries were ground into your flour.
There are three designations when talking about berries
Hard/Soft - Protein levels
Red/White - AFAIK, this only indicates the color of the berry
Winter/Spring - When the wheat was planted.
How do flours get so white? *shrug* really good sifting???
- Tom
Thanks Tom,
I have the choice of both hard and soft / ww or white and use them as you have listed.
Little information beyond the hard or soft, ww or white is available and the miller does not have a the protein count but knows the best use for what he offers. His flour is very consistant in how it feels and acts due to his wheat source being a select number of farmers growing the same wheat for a season's crop.
I have been making some great breads but have had little success in matching the lightness for croissant without opting for commercial "processed" flour.
My last visit to France had me pass an evening in a small rural bakery where the baker has moved away from his white baggeutte and towards organic flour. I noticed that many in France cut the baggeute lengthwise, carve out and throw away the middle crumb and eat only the crust, I have to say that is my favorite part too.
I share bread with friends/neighbours and workmates and have many ask what is the flavour/spice or secret ingredient I add to the bread to make it taste so good. They are surprized to learn that that is actually the lovely taste of wheat all by itself as i stick to flour/water/salt and a little yeast when speed is an issue.
Just thinking off the top of my head, I would try a mix of Sifted white flour (bran removed) ground from a Soft White and then the WW of a Hard White. Seems like a good experiment (that I haven't done yet). The problem I've noticed when home grinding soft wheats is that the bran comes out in rather large bits that messes with the texture too much.
I've heard you can make amazing sandwiches from a french bageute cut lengthwise... mmmmm
Imagine if Subway founded their empire on sandwiches made from real bread. Not only would they be as successfull, they could have forced the issue and others would have to follow. With all the research they do i wonder why they don;t.