Flours and Flour Mixtures

Flours

Types of Wheat Flour

– Whole-Wheat Flour
– White Flour
– Durum Flour (Semolina)
– All-Purpose Flour
– Pastry Flour
– Cake Flour
– Gluten Flour
Flours
Gluten: The protein
portion of wheat flour
with the elastic
characteristics necessary
for the structure of most
baked products.
Knead: To work the
dough into an elastic
mass by pushing,
stretching, and folding it.
 Flours
Starch is one of the
compounds in flour that
strengthens the baked
item through
gelatinization, and is
one of the factors that
contributes to crumb.
– Crumb: The texture
of a baked product’s
interior.
 Flours

Kneading is used extensively in bread-making and briefly for

biscuits and pastries.
 Flours
Types of Non-Wheat Flour Treated Flours
– Rice Flour
– Rye Flour – Aged Flour
– Cornmeal Flour
– Bleached Flour
– Soy Flour
– Buckwheat Flour – Enriched Flour
– Triticale Flour
– Potato Flour
– Gluten-free Grains and Flours
for baking and bread.
 Flour Mixture Ingredients
Flour mixture ingredients may include:
– Sugar
– Salt
– Liquid
– Fat
– Eggs
– Leavening agents
 Sugar
Functions of sugar in flour
mixtures include the
following:
– Sweetening
– Protective coating
– Increases the volume
– Contributes to volume
– Raises the temperature
at which gelatinization
and coagulation occur
– Increases moistness and
tenderness and also
helps delay staling
– Helps to brown the outer
crust of baked products
 Salt/flavorings
Salt/Flavoring
.
Small amounts of salt are added to flour mixtures for:
– Flavoring
– Producing a firmer dough
…for improving the:
– Volume
– Texture
– Evenness of cell structure
– Shelf-life
 Flour Mixture Ingredients

Too much salt inhibits yeast activity, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide
gas produced and decreasing the volume of the loaf.
 Liquid

Hydrate the flour

Gelatinize the starch.
Gluten formation
Solvent for the dry ingredients,
Activates the yeast,
Provides steam for leavening, and allows baking
powder or soda to react and produce carbon
dioxide gas.
 Fat
Fat performs many functions in
baked goods.
– It acts as a:
• Tenderizer
– It adds:
• Volume
• Structure
• Flakiness
• Flavor
• Color
• Resistance to staling
– It also plays a role in heat
transfer
Eggs

Eggs are added to some

flour mixtures:
– Structural integrity
– Leavening
– Color
– Flavor
– And/or nutrient
content
 Leavening Agents

Baking soda: A white chemical leavening

powder consisting of sodium bicarbonate.
Baking powder: A chemical leavener consisting
of a mixture of baking soda, acid(s), and an inert
filler such as cornstarch.
 Flour Mixture Ingredients

The two main types of baking powder are:

– Fast, or single-acting, powder
– Slow, or double-acting, powder
 Yeast
Yeasts are available in several
forms, and are classified on the
basis of their activity.
– Active yeasts include:
• Baker’s yeast
• Brewer’s yeast
• Yeasts for alcoholic
beverages
– Inactive yeasts, such as:
• Dried brewer’s yeast
• Primary- grown yeasts
 Flour Mixture Ingredients

The ability of yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which are

naturally found in air, water, and living organisms, to produce
carbon dioxide through fermentation.
Preparation of Baked Goods
 Storage of Flour and Flour Mixtures

Flour should be stored in pest-proof

containers and kept in a cool, dry
place.
Understanding Food

Chapter 24:
Yeast Breads
 Preparation of Yeast Breads

When breads are leavened with carbon dioxide

produced by baker’s yeast, they are known as
yeast breads.
Yeast bread is prepared by mixing the
ingredients into a dense, pliable dough that is
kneaded, allowed to rise by fermentation, and
then cooked
 Preparation of Yeast Breads
The fundamental ingredients The four best-known
of any yeast bread are: methods for mixing yeast
– Flour breads are:
– Liquid – Straight dough
– Sugar – Sponge
– Salt – Batter
– Yeast – Rapid
– Fat (optional)
– Eggs (optional)
 Preparation of Yeast Breads

As the yeast ferments, the dough will double in size as carbon dioxide is
produced by the yeast and as enzyme and pH changes take effect.
Preparation of Yeast Breads

Another way to
determine if kneading is
complete is to stretch
some of the dough into a
“gluten window.”
 Preparation of Yeast Breads

Yeasts are very sensitive to temperature extremes.

Optimal fermentation temperatures:
– Activated at 68 to 100°F (20 to 38°C)
– Slowing down below 50°F (10°C)
– Dying if exposed to temperatures at or above 140°F
(60°C)
 Preparation of Yeast Breads
Punching Down— Second
Rising
– Once the dough has risen
to double its size, it is
punched down and left to
rise a second time.
Shaping
– After the bread has risen,
it is ready for shaping.
 Preparation of Yeast Breads
Proofing is the final rising
that occurs in the pan or on a
baking sheet, and it has an
important effect on the
quality of the finished bread.
– Proof: To increase the
volume of shaped dough
through continued
fermentation.
 Preparation of Yeast Breads

Oven spring: The

quick expansion of
dough during the
first ten minutes of
baking, caused by
expanding gases.
 Preparation of Yeast Breads

Crumb: The cell structure appearing when a baked product is sliced.

Evaluation is based on cell size (called “open” if medium to large, or “closed” if
small), cell shape, and cell thickness (thin walls occur in fine crumb, while thick
walls predominate in a coarse crumb).
 Varieties of Yeast Breads

The simplest yeast bread Varieties that include loaf

is made from: breads:
– Flour – White
– Water – Whole-wheat
– Yeast – Sourdough
This basic formula has – Malt bread
evolved into more
complicated varieties.
 Storage of Yeast Breads
Fresh
If it is not going to be consumed
right away, it should be completely
cooled before being wrapped and
stored in a dry, cool place at room
temperature.
Unfortunately, staling starts as
soon as the bread leaves the oven.
Staling is best prevented by
keeping the bread away from
air.
Several techniques include:
– Wrapping breads in
plastic or paper bags
– Adding moisture retainers
such as fat or sugar
– And/or freezing
 Storage of Yeast Breads
Refrigerated
Bread should be refrigerated
immediately in the warm
temperatures and moist humidity of
tropical regions.
In less humid areas, refrigerating
bread is not recommended
because it speeds staling.
Frozen
Freezing is one of the best ways to
maintain some of the texture and
flavor of freshly baked bread.
Most breads can be frozen for two
or three months.
The bread should be wrapped in
heavy-duty aluminum foil and
dated.
Frozen bread should be removed
from the freezer and thawed at
room temperature in the wrapper.
 Chararaterstics of good flour

Color
Strength
Tolerance
High absorption power
Uniformity
 Continue…..

Color
Creamish white color
Good quality flour will reflect the light,
Bleaching will helpful
Strength
Two types of flour
a) Strong b) Weak
 Strength depends on
A) Gluten Quantity B) gluten Quality
Strong flour: bread making
Weak flour: cakes etc
Tolerance
the ability of flour to withstand the fermentation
OR
The mixing process in excess of what is normally
required to mature the gluten properly
WAP
The ability of flour to hold the water
WAP less------- bread inot of good quality
Uniformity
Needs constant monitoring and adjustment