Since everyone became a bread baker in quarantine I figured I'd use my new little platform to provide addition information into the world. This article will give some info on grains and the different flours you'll meet in the baking word, protein percentages and why they matter, and some other little tidbits of information. Share this post with someone who is learning about the wondrous world of bread, or just someone who wants random foodie information!
What exactly is flour?
Flour can be sourced from several different types of grains. These grains are: wheat, barley, oat, corn, and rye. These grains all share a common anatomy which is listed and explained below.
Bran: the outer protective coating of the grain. This is typically taken away before the milling process. It is a valuable source for fiber
Endosperm: this segment gets milled into white flour. The endosperm is the food for the germ. It is primarily starch and provides the plant with energy
Germ: It's the reproductive system of the grain and when fertilized, it makes more grain. This segment is also taken away before the milling process
The milling process can produce 3 types of flours: patent, clear, & straight
Patent Flour: only the center of the endosperm producing white flour
Clear Flour: coarser and darker in color. Made from a portion of the endosperm closest to the bran
Straight Flour: milled from the entire endosperm
Non-wheat flours, also known as composite flours, are made from grains, seed, or bran. These products can make flour, but contain none of the gluten forming proteins of wheat flour
Example: corn, soy bean, rice, buckwheat, and potato
We all know that food contains carbohydrates. All the fad diets comprise of some system of limiting the carbs you intake. But what people seem to forget is that not all carbs are bad, and carbohydrates are needed for a nutritious and balanced diet. There are 2 type of carbohydrates that are found in foods: complex carbohydrates & simple carbohydrates.
Complex Carbohydrates: contain more than 2 starch chains. Complex carbs are the higher quality of the 2 carbohydrates and are slowly absorbed into your body.
Example: sweet potatoes, old fashioned oats, butternut squash, quinoa, and lentils
Simple Carbohydrates: these carbs tend to give you a large burst of energy, followed by a crash, or sensation of lag, and are quickly absorbed into your body
Example: sugar, honey, molasses, fruit juice, and white flour
Okay, now let's talk gluten and its importance in flours.
Gluten: protein in flour
The gluten formula is as followed:
glutenin (strength)+gliadin (elasticity)+moisture (ex: h20)+agitation (kneading)=GLUTEN
Gluten in bread works like when you chew bubble gum. Imagine chewing gum and blowing a bubble. Your mouth agitates the gum which then causes it to become elastic. It then catches the CO2 from you blowing to create that bubble. The same thing happens in bread when gluten is properly developed. The elastic strands of gluten are formed when you knead the dough. When the dough begins to rest it releases CO2 gas & it then becomes trapped within the bread. When things like salt and cold water are added to a recipe, it makes the gluten easier to work with and helps it relax. When fat, like butter for example, is added to gluten, it makes the gluten strands shorter.
There are 2 identities of flours: strong/hard flours & weak/soft flours
Strong/Hard Flours: these characteristically have more protein. Having more protein results in a chewier end product. Strong flours result in more gluten development and more CO2 entrapment
Weak/Soft Flours: being the opposing flours to strong/hard, these characteristically have less protein. Having less protein results in a softer product with less gluten development, therefore trapping less CO2
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