Facts Of Basics – Part 1, Flour

A friend stopped in while I was writing last week’s posting and read what I was writing. She remarked that she loved, as she termed them ”mechanical tips” that make cooking easier, but would really like to learn more about her options among the ingredients she had to buy when preparing baked goods for the holidays. There are so many kinds of flour available now and types of sugar, she didn’t know if she had to buy everything stipulated in each recipe, or if some could do double duty and save a bit of money. This was true of other basic items required as well. So I promised to do what I could to help.

Nothing is more basic than flour.  By definition, “flour” is the ground meal of any of several grains, most commonly wheat. Whole Wheat flour contains the seed, germ and endosperm of the wheat berry. White all-purpose flour, bleached or unbleached contains only the endosperm. (See my posting on “Organics”) There are several types of wheat flour, but they all contain gluten forming proteins, which, when mixed with water, join to form elastic sheets.  The more of the wheat berry in the flour, the higher the protein content or “Gluten” factor, which makes better artesian breads and pasta. The lower protein and more refined or “bleached “ flour  results in flakier pastries and lighter, more tender cakes. Simply put, gluten acts as a glue binding the dough together. This is why breads are more dense than pie crusts. It’s also why chefs save some pasta water to add body to the sauce. They use the gluten that leeches out of the pasta dough during boiling to bind the sauce and thicken it.

There are wheat flours specifically processed for making different items.  Whole wheat flour comes only in bread and pastry verities. Because of the higher gluten content of these flours, it’s vital not to over-mix the batter or it will toughen, I know from experience.  If you want to try a whole wheat flour, start with the pastry one. The wheat berries have been aged to soften them and yield a lighter texture but limit its use to quick breads and muffins, not pie dough. White flour comes in all-purpose, bleached and unbleached, as well as pastry and cake grades, which are finer ground.  Cake flour also has extra bleaching agents which foam when exposed to liquid, giving “airiness” to the texture.

When choosing flour, the easiest way to gage the best one to buy for your purpose is to be familiar with the gluten contents:
            1) Cake flour has 5-8% and shines in recipes high in sugar, like Angle Food.
            2) White Pastry, for pies, cookies and biscuits has 8—9%
            3) Whole wheat pastry for quick breads and muffins has 9-10%
            4) All-purpose, bleached or unbleached, is a white flour, its uses described by its name has 9-12%.
            5) White bread flour for pizzas, pasta, yeast breads and bread machines has 12-13%
            6) Whole Wheat flour, used in country and artesian breads has 14%

The range in percentage is due to the variations in brands and the quickest way to select a brand of wheat flour is to check the protein content on the label. The relationship between gluten and protein is complicated, but one thing is clear, the higher the protein content the higher the gluten level and the denser the baked product.

 Some experienced bakers combine flours to get the results they want.  I once made a pie crust from whole wheat pastry flour. That thing wouldn’t cut with a meat cleaver! Years later, I was having trouble with the crust for a free-form pie, a “Rustica” or “Galette”.  Rolled as thin as I wanted, it wouldn’t fold up and pleat without breaking. Substituting ¼ cup wheat flour for some white did the trick, but that’s my only foray into this field. Experts recommend mixtures can go up to half the amount, depending on the results they want. I would advise you to “test bake” an item before showcasing it. Just a note here, there are also white wheat berries, which are lighter in color and sweeter in taste, but produce baked goods just as dense as the dark. They are somewhat of a gourmet item and their flour is harder to find.

Durum is a type of wheat that is drought resistant, high in protein and low in gluten. Its flour is chiefly used in making pasta and similar products, because unless mixed with an all-purpose flour it will not rise. Semolina primarily refers to the purified coarse middlings of durum wheat, but can also refer to the middlings of other types of wheat as well as to those of corn and rice. “Middlings” are the larger pieces of the endosperm that remain after the milling process has separated it for the germ and seed, or bran, of the wheat berry. Its main use is in breakfast cereals, and in Europe and Africa, in puddings.  Mixed with other flours, it’s used in baking breads with lower gluten content

Mixing flours is successfully done in bread baking, enabling chefs to create Signature Artesian loaves. They follow a master bread recipe and instructions, but introduce other flours to produce breads that look and taste different from the original. Some proportion guidelines, using a basic recipe that requires 3 ½ cups of flour for 2 loaves of bread, are:
       1) Whole wheat or Rye flour 1 ¾ cups + All-purpose flour 1 ¾ cups
       2) Oat flour ¾ cups + All-purpose flour 2 ¾ cups
       3) Soy, Millit, Buckwheat or Barley flour ½ cup +All-purpose flour 3 cups

Now for the big question: Do you need to buy several types of flour? NO!  All-purpose is aptly named:
     1) To use for cake flour; For each cup flour,replace 2 Tbs. with 2Tbs. cornstarch, Sift before using.
     2) To make self-rising flour, replace each cup self-rising with 1scant cup all-purpose+1 ½ tsp. baking
          powder + ½ tsp. salt.
     3) To make pastry after cutting in no less than 1/3 cup shortening, and adding ICE water, gently
          rub the dough between your fingers to incorporate. DO NOT knead it. Handling as little as possible,   
         gather it into a ball and chill until firm enough to be rolled.

So as far as expense is concerned, all-purpose flour can cover all the bases for your baking needs and most of the cooking ones as well.  However, there are many flour options available:

Barley, Rye and Spelt grains also contain sufficient amounts of gluten to make their flours aggravate celiac intolerance.
     1) Barley flour is low protein, with an earthy, sweet flavor and a chewy texture .It’s good mixed with any wheat flour to make scones, pancakes and breads but reduce oven temperatures 25 degrees.
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     3) Spelt, also called Dinkel or Hulled  Wheat is an ancient variety of wheat dating from the Bronze Age. A staple in Europe, it is now becoming popular as a health food because it’s high in fiber. Since it contains some gluten the flour can be used for baking, and has a long history with matzos. The bread it makes resembles a coarse, light rye with a nutty flavor, but mainly it’s used for crackers, British type  biscuits and pasta products.

Oat flour is high in protein but contains another type of gluten that is not problematic. However, it will not rise with yeast and must be combined with another type of flour for baking. Its sweet earthy flavor compliments other grains like whole wheat, millet and rye.

Millet, Buckwheat and Quinoa: Millet is a cereal grain like the others discussed above. Buckwheat and quinoa are not cereal grasses, but rather seeds that can be used in the same way. All are gluten free.
     1) Millet flour is high protein with a nutty taste that goes well with cornmeal, rice and oats.
     2) Buckwheat, also known as Kasha, is related to rhubarb. Its low protein content yields very tender
          baked goods. The dark variety is almost bitter, but the light pairs well with fruit to make pancakes
          and muffins.
     3) Quinoa is the oldest cultivated, unadulterated grains known to man. Unnoticed until recently, it’s
          now in demand. High in protein, free of gluten, it can be eaten whole as a cereal, in place of rice or
          pasta like couscous, or ground into a flour that makes delightful quick breads and combines well
          with cornmeal, oats and barley flours.

Rice and Corn, yes corn, are gluten free grains that are ground into flour.
     1) Rice flour comes in light, from white rice, and dark, from brown.  Both make quick breads and combined with oat, graham or spelt flours  cakes and biscuits as well. It is not used with yeast.
      2) Corn flour, or meal as it’s known is familiar in corn bread, or pone and  tortillas.  Like many of the other  grain flours it makes wonderful muffins and quick breads, but not cookies or pies and isn’t to be used with yeast.

Amaranth  is called a pseudo-grain . it is gluten free, light colored, with a peppery flavor. Cultivated by the Aztecs in Mexico, it is now mostly grown in Africa and Asia for its high protein content. It has a nutty taste that blends well with other hearty grains like whole wheat and rye. Again it is used for quick breads, muffins and waffles. It’s usually sold in specialty stores.

Chestnut flour is made from ground chestnuts and its flavor varies on how they were prepared. Nuts roasted over a fire give a smoky tang, boiled ones are sweet and mild. Because it has no gluten, the flour must be combined with an all-purpose flour. It yields tasty dumplings, muffins, pancakes and pizza dough. It too is considered a gourmet, and seasonal item.

Potato flour is made from dried, ground potatoes. It’s high in starch content, but low in protein and fat and gluten free. The high starch content acts as a binding agent in the batter and gives it rising power. The baked dough is quite dense though puffy in appearance, and known for its neutral taste,

Soy flour is high in protein and fat, which when combined with other flours gives baked goods a golden crust and delicate flavor. It acts as a preservative by slowing rancidity and adding moisture.  Stone ground from a health food store has better flavor than the refined, low fat commercial variety found elsewhere.  Because of its tendency to brown oven temperatures should be reduced about 25 degrees when baking batters with soy flour.

Teff flour comes in three verities, light and red, usually found in ethnic markets, and dark which has a rich molasses-like flavor. This flour does well in gingerbread and makes  wonderful waffles, pancakes and quick breads.

Triticale flour is a hybrid of rye and wheat and high in protein but low in gluten. It’s best combined with wheat flour and is widely used in making whole grain breads.

No matter what flour you use, remember to store it in air-tight packaging, preferably in the freezer, especially  if not in frequent use.  The more of the whole grain in the flour, the more care is needed, because the grains contain oil that can cause these items to go rancid if not properly packaged and stored.  Properly packaged flour keeps for a long time, even years.

 Although I don’t advocate stockpiling normally, with the drought affecting prices of anything grain related or dependent, what could be a more direct target then grain itself? I expect the cost of flour to rise steeply, and am calculating how much I will use over an 18 month period. This includes items containing flour, like cake mixes, as well. Hopefully next year will be better, but I calculate that it will be at least that long before it’s harvested, the flour refined and ready for market.

I had hoped to get to more of the basic ingredients in this posting but there was so much on flour that I think I’ll save the rest for next time.  To repeat my answer to my friend’s original question, concerning how large a variety of special types of the basic ingredients she has to buy for the holidays, or even stock  regularly, as far as flour is concerned, unless a recipe requires a specific kind, she really only needs white bleached all-purpose. However, if someone with celiac disease is to be considered, then I suggest  further study into flours that do not contain gluten, potato, oat and quinoa are usually top choices and to consult a doctor or nutritionist, and of course, the person in question, if possible.