Over the last years baking bread at home has become more and more popular. Not only because baking is "cool", but also because baking bread at home can give you great results at a much cheaper price, which is something very valuable these days. As a consequence of a higher demand, the offer of flours in the supermarkets has remarkably increased, to the point that it is sometimes confusing to understand what they are made of and what they are for.
In this article I will give en overview of wheat flour, by far the most common in bread baking. Wheat was one of the first plants to be grown by humanity, its first appearance dating back to thousands of years BC in the Fertile crescent in Southwest Asia. Later it spread to other areas, like Europe, Ethiopia and China. Nowadays the European Union is the world first producer of wheat (with France and Italy the main producers within the EU), followed by China.
There are different wheat flours that can be obtained, depending on which part of the kernel is used. The wheat kernel is composed of three parts. The bran: it is the outer protecting skin of the seed and is a good source of fiber and vitamin B. The endosperm: it contains carbohydrates (starch) and proteins. The germ: much smaller than the endosperm, it is where the nourishment for the seed is stocked. It's also a source of carbohydrates, along with antioxidants, vitamin E and B.
White flour as we know it, comes from the endosperm. When the germ is added to the endosperm, we have germ flour. When all three pats are grounded together, the result is Wholemeal (also called whole grain) flour. A particular kind of wholemeal flour is the so called "Graham" flour, where the three parts are treated separately and then out back together in the same proportions.
The right flour for bread baking is "strong." The strength of a flour depends on the content of gluten, a proteic complex composed of glutenin and gliadin. Gluten absorbs water up to 150% of its weight, and when the dough is left to rise, it withholds the CO2 produced by the yeast, giving bread its typical bubbly and spongy texture. If you have ever kneaded strong flour you will have noticed that the more you work it, the harder the dough gets. This is the flour's strength. Gluten forms a kind of elastic coat, that can be stretched while kneading and holds its shape when baked.
To know if a flour is strong enough to be used in bread making, we should look at the content of proteins: if it is below 10% then the flour is soft, over 10% (11-12%) then it suitable for bread. Other uses of strong flour are pizza, Italian focaccia or fresh Italian pasta. Soft flour is used for pastries and cakes. One exception is Irish soda bread, made with soft flour.
In this article I will give en overview of wheat flour, by far the most common in bread baking. Wheat was one of the first plants to be grown by humanity, its first appearance dating back to thousands of years BC in the Fertile crescent in Southwest Asia. Later it spread to other areas, like Europe, Ethiopia and China. Nowadays the European Union is the world first producer of wheat (with France and Italy the main producers within the EU), followed by China.
There are different wheat flours that can be obtained, depending on which part of the kernel is used. The wheat kernel is composed of three parts. The bran: it is the outer protecting skin of the seed and is a good source of fiber and vitamin B. The endosperm: it contains carbohydrates (starch) and proteins. The germ: much smaller than the endosperm, it is where the nourishment for the seed is stocked. It's also a source of carbohydrates, along with antioxidants, vitamin E and B.
White flour as we know it, comes from the endosperm. When the germ is added to the endosperm, we have germ flour. When all three pats are grounded together, the result is Wholemeal (also called whole grain) flour. A particular kind of wholemeal flour is the so called "Graham" flour, where the three parts are treated separately and then out back together in the same proportions.
The right flour for bread baking is "strong." The strength of a flour depends on the content of gluten, a proteic complex composed of glutenin and gliadin. Gluten absorbs water up to 150% of its weight, and when the dough is left to rise, it withholds the CO2 produced by the yeast, giving bread its typical bubbly and spongy texture. If you have ever kneaded strong flour you will have noticed that the more you work it, the harder the dough gets. This is the flour's strength. Gluten forms a kind of elastic coat, that can be stretched while kneading and holds its shape when baked.
To know if a flour is strong enough to be used in bread making, we should look at the content of proteins: if it is below 10% then the flour is soft, over 10% (11-12%) then it suitable for bread. Other uses of strong flour are pizza, Italian focaccia or fresh Italian pasta. Soft flour is used for pastries and cakes. One exception is Irish soda bread, made with soft flour.
About the Author:
Maria is a mother of three from Spain, and a "bread machine." She shares her love for bread baking in a blog, where all bread recipes are tested and approved bya very severe committee composed of three hungry kids and a hungry husband. Try her Focaccia or the Traditional Irish Soda Bread
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