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KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is blend of refined hard and soft wheat flours ideally suited for
making quick breads and cakes.
Bran
Bran (unprocessed) is coarse outer portion of wheat or rye grains that is
separated from flour by sifting or bolting. It is often added to bread in small
quantities for nutritional enrichment, heartiness and flavor. It is also used to
enhance bread texture.
Bread Flour
Bread flour is a high gluten/protein flour that typically has higher gluten
concentration than all-purpose flour. Using bread flour with will produce loaves
with better volume and structure.
Cornmeal and Oatmeal
Cornmeal and oatmeal come from coarsely ground white or yellow corn and
from rolled or steel-cut oats. They are used primarily to enhance flavor and
texture of bread.
Cracked Wheat
Cracked wheat has very coarse texture. It comes from wheat kernels cut into
angular fragments. It gives whole grain breads a nutty flavor and crunchy
texture.
Rye Flour
Rye flour must always be mixed with high proportion of bread flour, as it does
not contain enough gluten to develop structure for high, even-grained loaf.
Self-Rising Flour
Self-rising flour contains leavening ingredients that will interfere with bread and
cake making. Self-Rising Flour is NOT RECOMMENDED for use.
7 Grain Cereal Blend
7 grain cereal blend is blend of cracked wheat, oats, bran, rye, cornmeal, flax
seeds and hulled millet.
Vital Wheat Gluten
Gluten is manufactured from wheat flour that has been treated to remove nearly
all of the starch to leave a very high protein content. (Gluten is the protein in
wheat that makes dough elastic.) Gluten is available at most health food stores
and in baking aisle in many markets. It is sometimes used in small portions with
dense, low-gluten flours (such as whole wheat) to increase volume and lighten
texture.
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is milled from the entire wheat kernel, which contains the bran
and germ. This high fiber flour is richer in nutrients than all-purpose or bread
flour. Breads made with this flour are usually smaller and heavier than white
loaves. Many recipes mix whole wheat flour with bread flour or vital wheat gluten
to produce high, light-textured bread.
Flour Storage
Keep flour in a secure, airtight container. Keep rye and whole wheat flours stored
in a refrigerator, freezer or a cool area to prevent them from becoming rancid.
Allow flour to come to room temperature before using.