How to Understand Flours and Choose the Right One?

Each type of flour has different characteristics, which determine different results. To achieve perfectly risen products, it is essential to know in detail the characteristics of the flours. Understanding flour to choose the right one: the first and fundamental thing to know is that flours are divided into two main categories.

Gluten-producing flours

These are those obtained from wheat (soft and hard) including old varieties of soft and hard wheat (Senatore Cappelli, Verna, Gentilrosso, Saragolla, Bidi, etc.) from Kamut® (Triticum turgidum spp turanicum), from spelt, barley, rye, oats, and triticale. The latter have a weak gluten that is not very stable over time, comparable to a gluten-free flour. Gluten-free flours include those made from corn, rice, sorghum, millet, panic, teff, and fonio, as well as those from buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth. The presence of gluten is essential for leavening, as it allows the dough of water and flour to swell, trapping the gases produced during the process. This is why gluten-containing flours are usually used for bread and leavened products. In general, gluten-producing flours other than modern wheat (spelt, Kamut® and old varieties), can be used similarly to flours obtained from modern wheat, except that they do not tolerate very long hours of leavening: unless alternative processes are adopted, which we will see in another article.Organic Monococcum Spelt Flour Sifted 1Kg 00 Strengthened Soft Wheat Flour BIO 5Kg (only Italian wheat) Multigrain Flour 5kg ideal for biscuits

P/L - Report between the strength (P) and extensibility (L) of the flour

Strength expresses the force that must be applied to stretch the dough, while extensibility is the ability of the dough to stretch without breaking. Very strong flours produce bread that rises in height and tends to form cracks during baking (like that obtained with finely milled durum wheat semolina) and are not suitable for making, for example, stretched breadsticks.Conversely, very extensible flours are suitable for stretched breadsticks, for making very thin doughs such as filo pastry, Recco focaccia, and very thin tray pizza/focaccia.

Absorption

It expresses the capacity of the flour to absorb water and is related to the percentage of proteins (and type), fibres, and the size of the particles it is composed of: a finely milled flour absorbs more water than a coarsely milled flour (given the same starting raw material).

Stability

The period during which the flour maintains its characteristics without denaturing: gluten-rich flours are generally more stable and can be kneaded for a long time, while weaker flours should be kneaded little to avoid denaturing them. For example, spelt flour should be kneaded for only a few minutes, even better if some pauses are taken to allow the gluten to develop well without mechanical "induction".

Falling Number

Also called falling number, it expresses how active the amylase enzymes are, which are essential for yeast fermentation. All these factors affect the final result. With the addition of other ingredients, we can enhance or decrease certain parameters. The right balance is essential for producing, for example, gluten-free bread, or if one wishes to use flours other than wheat. Natural mix for Pinsa and Pizza in Pala 1Kg

How to choose a flour based on strength?

In general, wheat flours 0 and 00 have a W index around 150, thus rather weak. Flours are increasingly being introduced with indicated appropriate uses based on the W factor: Weak flours: W80 – W170 They absorb water for about 50% of their weight. Suitable for biscuits, small pastries, and crumbly products. in general. Protein content 9-10% Medium flours: W180 – W240 They absorb water for about 55-65% of their weight. These flours are suitable for pizza, pasta and bread (common or French). Protein content: 12% Strong flours: W240 - W350 They absorb water for about 65-75% of their weight. Flours suitable for bread, pizza, and long-fermentation pastries such as babà, brioche, panettone, pandoro, etc. Protein content approximately 13% Special flours: over W350 They absorb up to 90% of their weight in water and contain about 13-15% protein. They are mainly used to strengthen weaker flours. As you can see, the higher the protein value of the flour, the higher the W factor and thus the strength.Text freely adapted from the book Basta Grano!, by Aldo Bongiovanni.Check out the great selection of organic flours on Tibiona.it: wheat flours, other cereals, special flours, vegetable and legume flours.