Know The Functions Of Your Ingredients: Flour

 

Being a professional baker is not just enough when you don't have an indepth knowledge of most of the ingredients used in baking. Every profession has things that are peculiar to it. Example is teaching profession; lesson note is peculiar to teachers, and they  know what a lesson note is meant for. In baking, flour is a key ingredient and its functions can not be underestimated.

Flour provides the structure in baked goods. It is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, beans, or other seeds or roots (like Cassava). It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures. Wheat flour contains proteins that interact with each other when mixed with water, forming gluten. It is this elastic gluten framework which stretches to contain the expanding leavening gases during rising. The protein content of a flour affects the strength of a dough. The function of flour is to provide structure to baked goods. See types of flour below....

Bread flour is a hard wheat flour with about 12 percent protein. Bread flour is used for yeast raised bread because the dough it produces has more gluten than dough made with other flours. Sufficient gluten produces a light loaf with good volume. Slices hold together, rather than crumble.

Cake flour is a soft wheat flour that is 7.5 percent protein. The lower gluten content causes products to have a tender, more crumbly texture that is desirable in cake.

All purpose flour is blended during milling to achieve a protein content of 10.5 percent. This medium protein flour can be used for all baking purposes. If using all purpose flour in place of cake flour in a recipe, substitute 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour for 1 cup cake flour.

Whole wheat flour may be substituted for part of the white flour in yeast and quick bread recipes, but the volume of the finished product will be reduced. Whole wheat flour contains the nutritious germ and bran as well as the endosperm of the wheat kernel. Bran particles cut through the gluten during mixing and kneading of bread dough, resulting in a smaller, heavier loaf.

Rye flour is often used in combination with wheat flour for bread. Light rye flour can be successfully substituted for 40 percent of wheat flour in a recipe without loss of volume. Medium and dark rye flours should be limited to 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively, of the total flour amount.

Oat flour has a relatively high protein content, 17 percent, but does not form gluten. Oat flour can be substituted for as much as 1/3 of wheat flour in bread.

Corn meal is coarsely ground dried corn. Corn flour is more finely ground corn. Both corn flour and corn meal contain 7-8 percent protein on a dry basis. Neither corn meal nor corn flour will form gluten. A grainy texture in cornbread can be avoided by mixing the cornmeal with the liquid from the recipe, bringing to a boil, and cooling before mixing with the other ingredients.

Rice flour has about 6.5-7 protein and does not form gluten. For people who do not tolerate gluten, rice flour is an acceptable substitute for wheat, barley, rye or oat flours. In baked products, 7/8 cup of non-waxy rice flour can be used in place of 1 cup all purpose wheat flour.

Potato starch flour, another non-gluten forming flour is usually used in combination with other flours. It has a mild potato taste. For substitutions, 5/8 cup of potato flour can be used for 1 cup of all purpose flour.

Soy flour contains 50 percent protein and is used primarily to boost the protein content of baked goods. Soy flour cannot form gluten and does not contain starch. Its use in large amounts affects the taste of baked goods and causes them to brown quickly. An acceptable substitution is to take 2 tablespoons flour out of each cup of flour in a recipe and add 2 tablespoons soy flour.