Sunday, September 20, 2015

All About Flour



When it comes to making baked goods wheat flour is the most important ingredient in the baker's inventory. Almost all flours used in American or European bakeries or used at home by the homemaker are wheat based flours. There are a few exceptions, but for the bulk of this article we will be concentrating on wheat based flours. Wheat flours are classified as either hard (aka strong) or soft (aka weak) wheat flours depending on their gluten content. The more gluten protein a flour has, the stronger or harder it is. Although they are not labeled as such on the bag when you buy them, all-purpose and bread flour are hard flours. Whereas, cake flour and pastry flour are considered soft (weak) flours due to their lower gluten protein content. Some additional terms or descriptors that you may see included on the label of a bag of flour are 'bleached', 'unbleached', and or 'enriched'.

Bleached Flour – Unless it is labeled 'unbleached', the flour has been treated with a whitening agent to give it it's pure white (bleached) color. A variety of different bleaching agents can be used, but none affect the taste of the flour. This process was originally created to give flour a clean or 'pure' white color associated with wholesomeness as well as enhance the protein content.

Unbleached flour – Is left to age naturally (over several months) and will over time via the process of oxidation 'whiten' although it may still have a slightly yellow tint. The aging process also allows the gluten in the flour to develop naturally becoming stronger and more elastic. Aging flour however has it's risks and is more costly than bleaching flour. Whole wheat flour is always unbleached, there is a variety of 'white' whole wheat flour, but it derived from 'white' whole wheat that was developed in the 1970's. White whole wheat is rare and costly and its overall production is only about 10-15% of the total wheat grown in the United States. 

Enriched Flour – Is flour that has certain vitamins and trace minerals replaced that were lost during the milling process. Regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) here in the United States, enriched flour includes the B vitamins: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), folic acid (B9), and iron (B12). In addition, it may or may not have added calcium. Although it may not be labeled as such, all bleached wheat based flours sold in the United States are enriched.

Regardless, of the process, bleached and unbleached flours taste and perform the same. As a home baker, some of the most common variety of flours you will find on your grocery store shelves are: all-purpose flour, self rising flour, wheat flour, whole wheat flour, and cake flour. One of, or a combination of these five flours compromise about 99% of the baking done by the home baker. Of all of these, all-purpose (AP) flour is the most versatile and it is why we recommend it as the only flour for the 'Minimalist Pantry'.


All-Purpose Flour

Outside of the United States it is sometimes known as plain flour, and has a gluten protein content of 10-12%. All-purpose (AP) flour is as it's name states “all-purpose” and is the most common type of flour used in the American household to make the majority of home baked goods (bread, cakes, pizza, etc…) homeowners consume. As stated earlier, unless otherwise labeled as 'unbleached', AP flours have a whitening agent added to give it it's pure white (bleached) color. During processing the bran (hard outer cover of the kernel) and the germ (the part that sprouts) are removed. (Great Value AP Flour $1.72/5lbs)

Self Rising Flour - A popular variation of AP flour found on supermarket shelves is 'Self-Rising' flour. Self-Rising flour is simply AP flour with baking powder and salt added to the flour at the factory. Personally, I see no need to purchase self-rising flour as you can make your own by adding baking powder and salt to AP flour. If you see a recipe that calls for self-rising flour, you can make your own by taking 1 cup of AP flour and adding 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt and mixing it well before using. Or you could just add 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder to your recipe for each cup of AP flour and omit the salt.

Bisquick and Other Baking Mixes – Also popular in the baking section are baking mixes made from AP flour. My grandmother's favorite was 'Bisquick'. As the name implies it is a combination of AP flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and shortening that allows you to make biscuits, pancakes, waffles etc... quickly by just adding milk or water. It is a variation of self-rising flour with fat (partially hydrogenated soybean, vegetable or canola oil) and sugar added to it. My recommendation is save your money and either make your own when you need it or find another recipe that does not call for it. I am not a hater of baking mixes, rather it is cheaper to make your own or omit them altogether.


Whole Wheat Flour

Next to AP, whole wheat flour is probably the most common flour used by the home baker, it retains it's light brown color because it is unbleached. It has a gluten protein content of 11-13% which is very similar to AP flour. Unlike AP flour, whole wheat flour is flour made by grinding the entire or whole wheat kernel including the bran and germ, hence the name 'whole wheat'. Because the whole kernel is used during the milling process whole wheat flour does not lose any of the essential nutrients and has a higher fiber content than other flours listed in this article. Therefore, there is no need for it to enriched like white (bleached) flours. Whole wheat flour generally has a lower glycemic index which means that your blood sugars do not rise as quickly after consuming products made with whole wheat as opposed to the other 'white' flours listed in this article.

Because whole wheat flour contains the germ (which is high in fat) it has a shorter stable shelf life than other flours and can become rancid over time. It can used used as a direct replacement for AP flour, however, baked made with all whole wheat flour are heavier than those made with AP flour and have a more dense texture and heavier chew. Therefore many bread recipes call for a combination of whole wheat and AP or bread flour. (Gold Medal Whole Wheat $3.66/5lbs)


Bread Flour

Bread flour is specifically milled for making bread and it is the most common type of flour used in commercial bakeries. It has a gluten protein content of 13-15%, only 'High Gluten' flours (used for bagels and some pizza doughs) have a higher protein content. As with AP flour, unless otherwise labeled as 'unbleached', it has been treated with a whitening agent added to give it it's pure white (bleached) color. If you don't have any on hand, no sweat, just use AP flour. In fact, I make most of my breads at home with AP flour although I do have bread flour in my pantry. (Gold Medal Bread Flour $2.72/5lbs)


Cake Flour

A bleached white flour similar to AP, cake flour has a gluten protein content of 8-10%. As cake flour has a lower gluten protein content than AP, it is more suitable for making cakes, muffins and other baked goods that require a more delicate texture. The lower protein content makes the baked goods lighter in texture and not as tough. That is why your homemade muffin made with AP flour has a bit more 'chew' than those made at your local bakery that use a cake flour.

Cake flour is pretty expensive when compared to AP flour and keeping it on hand is an added expense especially if you do not use cake flour a lot. A great alternative to buying cake flour is to make your own. This a simple process, for each cup of cake your recipe call for, measure out an equal portion of AP flour and then remove 2 tablespoons of the flour for each cup and toss it back into your flour container. Then replace the flour you removed with an equal amount of cornstarch. For example if your recipe call for 3 cups of cake flour, measure out 3 cups of AP flour then remove 6 tablespoons (2 per cup of flour) and return it to your flour container. Then add 6 tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour and mix throughly. Sift it three or four times and you are ready to go.

The addition of the cornstarch helps to lower the overall content of the gluten in the flour, and cornstarch also helps to inhibit some of the gluten development thereby making the cakes and muffins you bake have a softer lighter texture than if you use AP flour by itself. (Swans Down Cake Flour $3.52/2lbs)


Pastry Flour

With a gluten protein content of only 6-8%, pastry flour is the weakest of the flours in this article. It's low gluten content make it perfect for making delicate pastries, pie crusts, some types of biscuits and crisp cookies.

Like cake flour, pastry flour is pretty expensive when compared to AP flour. Pastry flour is not found on the shelves of most local supermarkets, but make be found in some specialty stores. Your only other alternative is to purchase it on the internet or make your own. If you happen to have cake flour in your pantry, you can combine ½ cup of AP flour with ½ cup cake flour for each cup of pastry flour your recipe requires.

Just as with cake flour, a great alternative to buying pastry flour is to make your own. This a simple process, for each cup of cake your recipe call for, measure out an equal portion of AP flour and then remove 3 tablespoons of the flour for each cup and toss it back into your flour container. Then replace the flour you removed with an equal amount of cornstarch. For example if your recipe call for 3 cups of cake flour, measure out 3 cups of AP flour then remove 9 tablespoons (3 per cup of AP flour) and return it to your flour container. Then add 9 tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour and mix throughly. Sift it three or four times and you are ready to go. (King Arthur Unbleached Pastry Flour $7.50/3lb)




The Myth of Stone Ground Flour

When examining the packaging of whole wheat flours you may see the term “stone ground” on the label. Stone grinding refers to a method of grinding whole wheat via a series of grinding stones to turn it into flour as millers have done for hundreds of years. This antiquated process costs more and takes longer to grind or mill whole wheat flour than modern commercial methods. As a result these prices are passed onto the consumer. I do not have a problem with stone ground flour, it's just that many companies use the term 'stone ground', leading consumers to believe that the flour is 100% stone ground when in fact the flour may have only been partially stone ground and then milled using modern techniques.

But here is the big kicker, many consumers believe that stone ground whole wheat flour has additional benefits when compared to modern commercial milling techniques. It is the nostalgia story of simpler times means better quality that is part of the 'stone ground' marketing myth that causes consumers in some instances to spend more of their hard earned food dollars for 'stone ground' flour than is necessary. The bottom line is that whole wheat flour is well 'whole wheat flour' the milling process does not improve the quality of the flour or make it any more nutritious, it is simply the method in which it is ground or milled. 

Having said that, if you shop smart, you may be able to find '100% stone ground' whole wheat flour for the same price as regular whole wheat. In fact, at my local Walmart Hodgson Mills sell a '100% stone ground' flour in the five pound bag for the same price as regular whole wheat. However, many other brands are much more expensive. Just remember if you want stone-ground whole wheat flour shop smart and look for the package that is labeled '100% Stone Ground'. (Hodgson Mills 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat $3.67/5lb)


Conclusion

The texture of the baked goods and the amount of rise associated with a specific type of bread and or pastry is affected on the amount of gluten protein in the flour. Using a flour with a higher gluten content for cakes and pastry's will make them more dense and give them more 'chew' than if you used a flour with a lower gluten content such as cake or pastry flour. Just as flours with low gluten contents will make poor breads, pizza crusts or bagels. This is why AP flour was developed, it is the 'jack of all trades but master of none' so to speak. It's versatility is unsurpassed and that is why it s the most common selling type of flour in the United States. In order to help you save some money I have included some formulas to help you make your own self-rising, cake, and pastry flours from AP flour and cornstarch. They are not exact replacements for such flours, but they are close and work relatively well.

As we have discussed in the article 'The Minimalist Pantry (Phase 1), with AP flour you will be able to make approximately 90% of the baked goods that you and your family desire with good results. When money permits, it is nice to have a small amount of whole wheat or bread flour in your pantry, but they are not necessary. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.


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Additional Resources

Gamel, T. (2015). The Minimalist Pantry (Phase 1). CulinaryYou, Retrieved From http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Minimalist


Lemy, E. (2012) A Guide To Decoding Ingredients On Grain Products. ABC News, Retrieved From http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/02/07/a-guide-to-decoding-ingredients-on-grain-products/

Mack, S. (2011). What is Stone-Ground Wheat? Livestrong, Retrieved From http://www.livestrong.com/article/487177-what-is-stone-ground-wheat/

Gisslen, W. (1994). Professional Baking 2nd Edition. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Weise, E. (2006). The Hard Truth About Stone Ground Flour. USA Today, Retrieved From http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-03-13-stone-ground-flour_x.htm

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