February 21, 2012 - 7:46am
What flour excites you?
I almost always bake with simple bread flour or bread flour with a small amount of rye or ww. I'm looking to broaden my horizons and bake with flour I've not used before. I'm mostly thinking about the french flours that seem hard to get here in the USA, like t80 or t55, or perhaps some of the King Arthur Artisan flours. What flour have you used that pleasantly surprised you and become part of your repertoire? What did you bake with it and what was it about the flour that made the difference?
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I am a big fan of the all purpose flour found in the states with about an 11% protein content. It is quite versatile and can be manipulated by blending it with pastry flour on the one end or high gluten flour on the other end of the spectrum. I also use a comercially milled whiteish flour that has the germ intact but the bran removed. I mill whole grain flours such as spelt , rye, various wheats, and buckwheat and so I utilize a wide variety of flours and grains. Everything that I use is organic.
Jeff
Durum, Medium Rye, Sir Lancelot (for bagels mostly.) (I got on the KA email list and keep my eye out for special offers.)
I love KA french style flour and use it for lean non-sourdough breads like baguettes. It makes a very flavorful, fragrant loaf. I also love KA sir lancelot. I use it for bagels and heavily enriched breads like panettone, as well as breads that contain a high percentage of whole non-wheat grains (e.g. rye or spelt) to help with structure. In general, I am a huge fan of King Arthur Flour because there are few other sources in the United States that offer such a selection of high quality flours.