All About the Flour..............

Flour is the most important ingredient in baking.

Your baking product depends on the type of flour you use.

When used in baking, flour contributes body, structure, texture and flavor to
baked goods

Most people think of flour in terms of "wheat" flour. When in fact flour can
be ground from a variety of nut, seeds and vegetables.

Some types of flours available are: barley, buckwheat, chickpea, corn, oats,
potato, rice, rye, soy, wheat, and vegetables etc.

Most of our baking we will be using WHEAT FLOURS.

To control the outcome of our bakery product we must know about different
Wheat flours and related flours.

To understand this, we must observe the anatomy of wheat.

A VERY BRIEF ANATOMY OF WHEAT
 Wheat has three parts to it
The BRAN- which is packed with fiber.
The ENDOSPERM--the largest part of the seed and made up of mostly starch.
The GERM the nutrient-rich embryo of the seed.

In terms of flour,
Whole wheat flour (Atta) includes the bran, endosperm and germ of the wheat grain
which gives it a slightly darker color and makes it more nutritious.

All-purpose flour(maida) has just the endosperm

 THE CLASSES OF WHEAT ARE

Durum(duadkandi/Bhalia) Very hard, translucent, light-colored grain used

to make semolina (sooji) flour for pasta & bulgur (fada/dalia); high in protein.
Good for poori, bhakhri

Hard Red Spring( tukdi) Hard, brownish, high-protein wheat used for bread
and hard baked goods. Makes good bhakri, poori

Hard Red Winter Hard, brownish, mellow high-protein wheat used for
bread, hard baked goods and as an addition to other flours to increase
protein in pastry flour for pie

Soft Red Winter (some all-purpose flour) kuva/kantha Soft, low-protein

wheat used for cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, and muffins. Cake flour, pastry
flour, and some self-rising flours with baking powder and salt added, for
example, are made from soft red winter wheat. Makes good roti, paratha.

Hard White (jadi) Hard, light-colored, opaque, chalky, medium-protein

wheat planted in dry, temperate areas. Used for bread and brewing.

Soft White (closest MP shehori sharbati) Soft, light-colored, very low

protein wheat grown in temperate moist areas. Used for pie crusts and
pastry. Pastry flour, for example, is sometimes made from soft white winter
wheat. Makes very soft roti.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHEAT
Different types of flours contain different amounts of protein.

So using a different type of flour than what is called for in a recipe (without
compensating for this change) will alter the outcome of the baked good.

A cake flour is used to make a white cake where a delicate tender crumb is
desired.

Bread flour is used to make a chewy bread

All-purpose flour/maida makes a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies.

DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF PROTEIN RESULT IN VARIED DOUGH
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR (MAIDA)

It has a 10-12% protein content and is made from a blend of hard and soft
wheat flours.

Some brands of bleached all-purpose flour have a lower protein content (8%)
as they are made from a soft winter wheat.

All-purpose flour can vary in its protein content not only by brand but also
regionally.

Good for making cakes, cookies, breads, and pastries.

BREAD FLOUR

It has a 12-14% protein content and is made from hard wheat flour.

The high gluten content causes the bread to rise and gives it shape and
structure.

Comes in white, whole wheat, organic, bleached and unbleached.

Good for making breads and some pastries.

Maida is close to 12-13% protein

CAKE FLOUR

It has a 6-8% protein content and is made from soft wheat flour.

It is chlorinated to further break down the strength of the gluten and is

smooth and velvety in texture.

Good for making cakes (especially white cakes and biscuits) and cookies
where you want a tender and delicate texture.

To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour

1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour.

Make your own - one cup sifted cake flour (100 grams) 3/4 cup (85
grams) all-purpose flour+ 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch.

PASTRY FLOUR

It is similar to cake flour.

It not been chlorinated.

It has an 8-10% protein content.

It is made from soft wheat flour.

It is soft and ivory in color.

To make two cups of pastry flour, combine 1 1/3 cups (185 grams)
all-purpose flour with 2/3 cup (90 grams) cake flour.
SELF-RISING FLOUR

It has 8-9% protein.

It contains flour plus baking powder and salt.

Note
strength and your baked goods will not rise properly.

If you want to make your own add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
and 1/4 teaspoon salt per cup (130 grams) of all-purpose flour.
 TALK ABOUT THE PROTEIN
For our purpose flour is divided into two main types:

Gluten

Non-Gluten (free)

SO, WHAT IS GLUTEN?

Gluten is the name given to the protein found in some, but not all, grains. (it
is formed when water/liquid is added to flour)

Gluten is a composite of storage proteins termed prolamins and glutelins

that is stored together with starch in the endosperm of various cereal grains.

Gluten is a mixture of two proteins present in cereal grains, especially wheat,

which is responsible for the elastic texture of dough.

Gluten if formed properly helps to form a net to trap CO2 gases, this gives the
bread its rise and crumb.

Different varieties have different amounts of gluten

 Grains containing gluten

Wheat and Wheat varieties like

Durum (Daudkandi/ Bhalia)

Aestivum (Sharbati)
Tukdi
Jadi,
Kuva/Katha
Amrit Godi
Banjhia
Bansi
Bhadra
Bundeli Kaithi
Gujraji
Java Godi
Kalibal
Khaira
Khapli(emmer)
Bundeli Laliya

Pisu
Saipuri
SharbatI
Sujata, Surya
Spelt (non-hybrid wheat ancient grain),
Kamut (Khorasan-ancient grain),
Farro(ancient grain)
Products like - Bulgar (Fada/ Dalia)

- Semolina (Sooji)

Barley (Jav)
Rye
Triticale(a hybrid grain produced by crossing wheat and rye)
Oats (they do not contain gluten but are grown and sometimes processed
around wheat)

NOTE: ancient grains have less gluten and high fiber

Why mention ancient grains? They are making a comeback as healthy grains,
you will come across them especially when baking bread.
 Non- Gluten (free) flour
They contain protein but not gluten forming proteins

Here are some but not all of non gluten

Amaranth(Rajagira),
Buckwheat (kuttu),
Rice (brown, white, wild),
Finger Millet (ragi)
Kodo Millet-kodri
Pearl Millet-bajra
Sorghum-jowar
Teff (mainly Ethiopian micro grain 1 wheat grain =150 teff grain),
Maize (makai)
Chickpea (besan)
Quinoa
Bean
Soyabean
Peas
Oats
Many Nut flours
Almond
Coconut
Cashew
Etc
Many Starches like
Corn starch
Potato Starch
Arrow Root
Tapioca (sabudana)
Etc
SO, YOU HAVE GLUTEN IN YOUR FLOUR
NOW WHAT?

You need binding and elasticity to get proper texture, feel and taste of
bakery product.

The solution is to add starch to help in the binding oat flour, rice, potato
starch, cornflour/cornstarch

We use the raitio of Grain (40) : Starch (60)

For 100gm gluten free flour, we need 40 gm of our gluten free flour PLUS 60
gm of starch.
Example: 40gm Oat flour
+60gm Starch --[30gm rice flour + 30 gm cornstarch(Corn flour)]
= 100gm gluten free flour
When you form gluten free flour keep in mind the final result, the above was
for cookies, they turned out soft and remained soft
THE FLOURS YOU WILL COME ACROSS IN CLASS ..

Maida- Besides commercial , Uttam is preferred brand,

Tattva is an organic brand of unbleached maida-final result may vary
from Uttam

Whole Wheat Flour- fine to coarse milled about 13% protein

Multigrain Premix a mixture of various seeds and grains. It may contain up

to 40-48 % of Linseed (flaxseed), kibbles wheat,
maize, semolina, oat flakes, sunflower seeds, whole ragi, whole wheat flour,
vital wheat gluten, sugar, wheat bran, salt malt extract, soy flour

Barley - Jav, a high fiber, high protein flour, high nutrient values

Amaranth- Rajgira, a gluten free grain, mostly used in fasting

Semolina- sooji rich in protein gives texture to product

Waterchestnut Flour-Singoda Flour

Sponge (Cake) Premix commercial mix of flours, starch, leaveners to give

good sponge