[world_famous_recipes] FLOUR XP

FLOUR

The main difference between flours is their protein content. When mixed with liquid, these proteins form gluten which gives dough its elastic quality and provides the capability for dough to rise by trapping the gas bubbles given off by yeast as it grows. The type of wheat, where it is grown, and the milling process all influence the amount of gluten the flour contains. The higher the gluten content, the more volume the bread will have.

Bread flour is a high-protein (or high gluten) flour specially
formulated for making yeast breads. It consists of hard wheat flour, protein, a tiny bit of malted barley flour, and vitamin C or potassium bromate which help form the gluten and allow the dough to rise and retain gases as it bakes, resulting in greater volume and better texture.

The barley flour improves yeast activity while the other ingredients increase the elasticity of the gluten and the dough's gas retention as the dough rises and bakes. Dough made with bread flour should be kneaded longer than dough made from all-purpose flour to fully develop the gluten. Bread flour is often called for in many bread and pizza crust recipes because of the desired chewiness that the extra gluten provides. All-purpose flour can be substituted in a recipe that calls for bread flour, but expect less optimal results.

High-gluten or simply gluten flour is flour treated to remove most of its starch, which results in a high gluten content. It is generally used as an additive to doughs made of low-gluten flours, such as rye flour, to give them the elasticity that they cannot provide on their own. This flour can be used in combination with all-purpose flour or bread flour to produce a bread better in both texture and size.

All-purpose flour is made from a blend of high and low-gluten wheats or hard and soft wheat flours. It has less protein than bread flour - 11 or 12 percent compared to 13 or 14 percent. All-purpose flour is ideal for making most cakes, muffins, quick yeast breads. The ratio of high and low-gluten wheat flour varies by region; AP flour in the southern regions have more soft wheat because they tend to make more biscuits; northern regions have more hard wheat since they tend to bake more bread.

Here are some other flours available:

Pastry flour (or cake flour) is a grind of soft wheat berries and tends to be lighter and produces softer dough. Lower in gluten than all-purpose it is perfect for delicate pastries.

Pasta flour is a grind of pure durum wheat and is designed to produce the stability needed in pastas so they don't turn to mush when cooking.

Whole wheat flour, which contains the entire wheat kernel,
gives dough a nutty flavor. Some all-purpose flour is often added to it whole wheat flour to lighten the dough and yield a larger volume.


Rye Flour, limited in gluten, is usually combined with all-purpose, whole wheat or bread flours to improve volume and texture.

May the spirit of Love be with you!
From:
Treva in the beautiful mountains of
North Carolina

World Famous Recipes

Love Quotes

Famous People

World Search Engines News




------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/f8NolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

-----------------

World Famous Recipes Message Board



Love-Quotes

Chicken Recipes Famous Recipes

Quotes Famous Quotes