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Know Your Flour!
Let's talk about what's in that bag of flour you purchased. Many flours on the grocery shelves are labeled "bleached" and or "bromated" These are chemical additives you may consider avoiding after reading about them.
Bleached:
Chlorine is commonly used to whiten flour solely for the purpose of obtaining a color we have been lulled into accepting as the standard for commercial white bread. Although using chlorine to whiten flour has been approved by the FDA, we prefer to avoid it and use unbleached brands. Unbleached flour contains beta carotene which yields a better aroma and flavor in comparison. As far as appearance, the finished baked goods will have an ivory color instead of the traditional starch white hue.
Bromated:
Bromates are used by the commercial industry to speed up the process of oxidizing flour used for bread. Bread flours need to age or oxidize for peak performance, but the industry aborts this process in favor of mass production. Bromates are considered legal and safe by the FDA, but here are a couple of facts that can't be ignored: California outlawed bromates in 1991 as a possible link to cancer, and the majority of European countries will not allow them! No small wonder that we use unbromated flours.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is made up from 2 protein molecules, glutanin and gliadin found in many flours. When water and flour are mixed and kneaded, gluten strands are formed and this is what gives traditional bread it's structure and texture. A lower content of these proteins is needed for flour to give cakes a soft and tender texture, while a higher content is needed to give bread a chewy texture.
Common Types Of Flour
Bread Flour:
A white flour that in comparison to other flours, has a high protien content (11-14%). Unlike all purpose flour, it gives an open crumb (irregular holes) and a chewy texture to artisan breads like focaccia and ciabatta.
All Purpose Flour:
A white flour that sits midway in protein content (9.5-11.5%) between bread and pastry flour. It is often used in sandwich and dessert breads to achieve a tighter crumb and softer texture. It derives it's name because it is commonly used to make yeast breads as well as cakes, biscuits, cookies, and pastries.
Whole Wheat Flour:
Unlike white flour, the bran and the germ of the wheat kernel are not discarded during the milling process. This produces a heavier and darker bread loaf with a not so mild taste and texture in comparison. Special care for cooler storage must be considered because it has a higher fat content, thereby leaving it more vulnerable to spoiling. It is commonly mixed with white flour to lighten texture and taste, as well as improve the rising stage of the dough.
Rye Flour:
This flour is very low in protien and while it is high in fiber, it produces a very dense loaf if used alone. Typically, you will find that many recipes using rye flour contain 2-3 times as much white flour. This is done to raise the protein content high enough to form a better gluten structure. It is used to make delicious pumpernickel, deli rye, russian black bread and many other favorites. The usual varieties available for purchase are light, medium, dark, and white.
00 Flour: The "00" is used to describe how finely ground the flour is. It is produced from fine European winter wheat and is first choice for traditional artisan bakers in Naples, Italy. The protein content ranges from 6% - 12.5% and is used for making breads, cookies, pastries and pizzas. If you are making pizza, make sure to use a brand such as Molino Caputo which has a high gluten content and is milled to make traditional Pizza Napoletana. Potato Flour:
This flour is produced from cooked, dried, and ground potatoes. Unlike potato starch, potato flour is produced from the entire dehydrated potato. It is very low in protein needed to form gluten so it must be mixed with other flours to make traditional yeast bread. When added to bread recipes, it provides a natural preservative by retaining moisture. Typically, you can replace 1/4 cup of flour in a 5-6 cup recipe with potato flour to make your loaves less dense, as well as improve their shelf life.
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