If you care about the quality of your batter or dough, then it makes sense you would want to care about the quality of your wheat flour. But what exactly makes a flour quality? Well, it all comes down to what you're baking, and what the desired result is. But first things first, you have to [...]
Wheat flour constitutes over 50% of bread formulas and about 25% of cake formulas. So controlling the quality of this key ingredient is essential. It's quality related to breadmaking performance is usually determined by: Protein content: Protein quantity in the wheat kernel is mainly dependent on cultivar, soil type, soil nutrients and crop climate [...]
Sedimentation Test What is a Sedimentation Test? The sedimentation test is a physicochemical test that helps provides information on the baking quality of wheat flour. It is based on the suspension of flour in a dilute alcohol and acid solution which causes the flour particles to sediment.1,2 The sedimentation test is also [...]
Take a close look at flour, and you’ll find a lot of valuable information there. Understanding the makeup of flour gives insight into baking factors such as protein, starch, and moisture. Another key aspect of flour science is analyzing it because types and even batches of flour can differ in composition. In this episode [...]
Extraction Rate What is the Extraction Rate? Extraction rate (ER) is the amount of white flour that is extracted from a given weight of clean and conditioned wheat. It’s expressed as a percentage of the wheat entering the first break rolls in a roller milling system. Aside from size reduction and standardization, [...]
High Protein Baking What is High Protein Baking? Diets high in protein are popular for their potential benefits in staving off hunger and weight gain control. Because of these properties, consumers are seeking out baked goods high in protein. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 allows for the nutrient [...]
Protein in Flour What is protein in flour? Protein content and quality of baking flours are vital functional, nutritional and economical parameters for millers and bakers. They determine whether a given flour is suitable for either: Yeast-leavened bakery products that require higher levels of protein in flour (pan bread, buns, hearth breads) [...]
Farinograph What is a Farinograph? The farinograph is a tool to assess baking qualities and performance of wheat flour doughs. It records the resistance to deformation, or the consistency of dough mixed from flour and water. To millers and bakers, farinographs are essential for: Adjusting dough mixing parameters: absorption, time, pre-hydration ratio [...]
Cookie Flour What is Cookie Flour? Cookie flour is a soft, finely-milled low gluten wheat flour. It is used mainly in making cookies, pie crust and other tender-texture baked goods. The protein content of this flour is typically between 8 and 10% It’s slightly lower than that of all purpose flour (11%) And higher [...]
Pastry Flour What is Pastry Flour? Pastry flour is a powder produced from milling soft white or soft red wheats. This type of flour usually has low absorption and little mixing tolerance. Its properties are intermediate between bread and cake flours. It is used to make:1 Laminated products (e.g. croissants, Danish and [...]
