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.
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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