What is dry flour

Flour

(flour ground from wheat)

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This entry was created by the "Popular Science China" Science Encyclopedia Entry Writing and Application Work Program. The review is done by the "Science Popularization China" Science Encyclopedia Entry Writing and Application Work Program.

Flour is a kind of powder made from wheat. According to the amount of protein in the flour, it can be divided into high-gluten flour, medium-gluten flour, low-gluten flour and gluten-free flour.

Flour (wheat flour) is a staple food in most parts of northern China, and there are many varieties of food made from flour, with many different patterns and flavors? [1]?

Chinese name

Flour

Foreign name

Wheat flour

Alias

White flour

Main ingredient

Wheat, barley

Whether preservative

No

Main nutrient content

Protein, Sugar

Main Food Efficacy

Nourishes the heart and kidneys, removes heat and quenches thirst, strengthens the spleen and thickens the intestines

Suitable for People

All

Side Effects

None

Storage Methods

Choose to store it in a dry place

Density

Ordinary Household Flour's Density is 520g/L.

Catalog

1?Basic Information

General Classification

Grades Application

Prices

Distinguishing Flour

2?Classification Relevance

Classification Rationale

Classification Application

3?Classification Categories

Whole Wheat Flour

Bread Flour

Cake Flour

Stone Ground Flour

4?Selection Tips

Whiteness

Gluten Strength

Fermentation Tolerance

High Water Absorption

5?Recipe Examples

Noodle Buns

Sourdough Buns

Fritter Preparation

6?Storage Methods

7?Nutritional Composition of Food

Basic Information

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We often say "flour" refers to wheat flour, that is, the flour milled from wheat, "high-gluten wheat flour" and other names refer to what we usually call flour. Wheat flour is divided into special flours (such as bread flour, dumpling flour, cookie flour, etc.), general-purpose flours (such as standard flour, enriched flour), nutritionally enhanced flours (such as calcium-enriched flour, iron-enriched flour, "7 +1" nutritionally enhanced flour, etc.) according to their performance and use; according to the accuracy of the special first-class flour, special flour, second-class flour, standard flour, common flour, etc.; according to the strength of gluten is divided into special first-class flour, special second-class flour, standard flour, common flour, etc.; according to the strength of gluten is divided into high gluten wheat flour, high gluten wheat flour and so on. etc.; according to the gluten strength is divided into high-gluten flour, medium-gluten flour and low-gluten flour.? [2]?

Broad classification

By the amount of protein content in the flour, the flour can be divided into High Gluten Flour, Middle Gluten Flour, Low Gluten Flour.

Type

Protein content (g)

Use

High Gluten Flour, Middle Gluten Flour, Low Gluten Flour.

High Gluten Flour

10.5-13.5

Bread

Medium Gluten Flour

8.0-10.5

Noodles, Snacks

Low Gluten Flour

6.5-8.5

Snacks, Dishes

Grades of application

From the grades , we can further categorize the flour into various grades such as Extra Flour, First Class Flour, Second Class Flour and so on.

Grade

Protein(%)

Mineral(%)

Type

Application

Premium Flour

7.2

0.32

Low Gluten Flour

For Snacks

First Flour

12.7

0.43

Low Gluten Flour

First Flour

1st Flour

12.7

0.43

0.43

High Gluten Flour

First Class Flour

10.7

0.45

High Gluten Flour

French Bread

Second Class Flour

13.5

0.54

High Gluten Flour

French Bread

French Bread

High Gluten Flour

First Class Flour

Price situation

Monitoring data show that: since September 2012, the national flour prices rose significantly, the price of November prices gradually stabilized, and the end of December prices resumed the upward trend. Compared with December 28, 2012, January 8, 2013, the price of special one flour, standard one flour rose 1.3%, 1.0%. Sub-regional perspective, about 60% of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, the price of special flour rose, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, led by 16.4%, 5.0%, 4.8%; about 70% of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, the price of standard powder rose, Tianjin, Shanghai, Sichuan, led by 6.4%, 3.9%, 3.0%, respectively. National special one powder, standard one powder prices significantly higher than the same period in 2012, January 8 prices rose 5.2%, 5.7% year-on-year.

Distinguishing flour

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When choosing flour, the information we want to get is the classification of different products such as high-gluten flour, medium-gluten flour and low-gluten flour, or grades that indicate the purity of the flour, as well as the indication of the content of minerals, crude protein and so on. Many people in the purchase of flour will mistakenly think that "high-gluten flour = high-precision flour", in fact, the meaning of "high-precision" is simply high-level refining, which only indicates the processing technology of wheat, and can not explain the gluten of the flour, so the "high-precision" is the same as the "high-precision". So, "high refined" may be high gluten flour, or low gluten flour, or special grade flour, or second grade flour. It seems that the term "highly refined" is actually unscientific, or at least not an industry-standard term, so it is recommended that when shopping for flour, you should pay attention to its protein content, i.e., its gluten content, rather than its "advanced refinement".

High-gluten flour: darker in color, more active and smooth in itself, not easy to form a ball in the hand; more suitable for bread, as well as part of the shortcrust pastry class shortening snacks, such as Danish pastry. In pastry, it is mostly used in muffins (lasagna) and cream hollow cake (puff). In cakes, it is limited to high-ingredient fruit cakes.

Medium gluten flour: milky white in color, between high and low flour, semi-loose in texture; generally used in Chinese dim sum, such as buns, steamed bread, noodles, etc. (Note: Commercially available gluten-free flour is not used in the production of bread. (Note: the general market without special instructions of the flour, can be regarded as gluten flour use. And this kind of flour package will generally be marked on the top, suitable for making buns, dumplings, steamed bread, noodles)

Low gluten flour: white in color, easy to form a ball with the hands; low gluten flour protein content of an average of 8.5%, low protein content, gluten is also less, so gluten is also weak, is more suitable for cakes, muffins, cookies, as well as tart crusts need to be fluffy and crispy texture of the Western-style desserts.

To put it more simply, you grab a handful of flour, then clench it into a ball with your fist, then release it and gently weigh it with your hand. If the ball falls apart quickly, it's a high-gluten flour, and if it holds its shape while you're gently weighing it, it's a low-gluten flour.

A bowl of flour

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Wheat grains are mainly composed of three parts: the bran wrapped around the outside of about 18% -25% of the weight of the grains; wheat grains rely on the germination of the wheat germ accounted for only 1-2%; endosperm accounted for about 80%. Between the endosperm and the wheat bran there is also a layer of paste powder adhesion. Wheat grains are processed through the milling process to separate the bran, wheat germ and endosperm, and the endosperm is finely ground to make flour for human consumption. Flour milling is a physical separation process and does not change the original chemical properties of the wheat endosperm or the rheological properties of the dough after hydration.

From the point of view of the factors affecting the edible quality of flour, protein content and quality are the most important factors determining its edible quality, processing quality and market value. For example, the production of bread should use high gluten wheat flour in order to bread volume and taste good; production of noodles, dumplings should be used in the strong gluten wheat flour in order to its "gluten", smooth; and low gluten wheat flour made of fluffy cakes, cookies and crispy. It can be seen that with the development of industrialized food production, the demand for a variety of special flours is getting higher and higher, and the decisive factor is the "protein content and quality" of the flour.

Category Related

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Basis for classification

The more flour milled near the center of the grain, the higher the grade; as more flour is mixed into the flour milled near the outer skin, the lower the grade.

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The grade of flour is also directly related to the content of minerals (ash) in the husk and germ of wheat grains, the higher the content of minerals, the lower the grade of flour; on the contrary, the lower the content, the higher the grade of flour. If you are looking for bread with the unique flavor of flour, a lower grade of flour is more suitable than a higher grade of flour, such as healthy whole wheat bread made from whole wheat flour ground from wheat containing bran. In the case of flour in general, the amount of minerals in it will not have much influence on the nature of the bread it makes. However, if the mineral content is high, the color of the flour is slightly grey and the color of the bread is naturally dark. Decades ago, if the color of bread was white, it was a symbol of its delicious taste, but later on, the flour was no longer bleached, and people gradually preferred the natural color and taste. There is another kind of flour that is very common in the domestic market - Self-rising Flour. The so-called Self-rising Flour is pre-mixed with a certain proportion of salt and baking powder, and then packaged and sold. This is to make it easier for home use, eliminating the step of adding salt and baking powder. But I do not like to use, and do not recommend that we use, first, because in the flour mixed into the salt and baking powder is not a bother; second, self-rising flour in the storage of a certain period of time, which the baking powder will be varying degrees of loss of effectiveness; third, many pastries in the production of salt, and the self-rising flour already has salt, whether to add salt and how much to add still have to be carefully converted. All these factors will affect the final quality of the pastry, so it is not recommended.

Classification of applications

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Commercial ordinary buns and dumplings steamed buns flour can certainly make bread, but the finished bread organization will not have the kind of bakery toast a hint of a hint of the pulling effect and delicate taste, if you pursue the finished quality of the bread, then the best choice of conditions of the best use of high-gluten flour, preferably bread flour, if there are no conditions, with medium gluten flour is also the same. If you are looking for a good quality product, it is best to use a high gluten flour, preferably a special flour for bread, if not, use a medium gluten flour as well.

If you use gluten flour instead of high-gluten flour to make bread, then the amount of water in the original recipe should be reduced, because of the different types of flour, its own water absorption rate is also different, in general, the higher the gluten of the flour, the higher the rate of water absorption; and vice versa the gluten of the flour is the lower the lower the rate of water absorption of the flour, the lower the rate of water absorption of the flour.

In fact, due to the different processing technology and raw materials used by various manufacturers, even different brands of the same type of flour will have a difference in water absorption, such as the same high-gluten flour or the same bread flour, there will be a slight difference in the absorption of water, so please feel the characteristics of the flour used by their own, the correct addition of water, so that we can make a successful pastry.

In China, the common household flour is not used to "high gluten flour, medium gluten flour, low gluten flour" to distinguish and do the trade name, so the general supermarkets will see most of the "bun flour dumpling flour" or "special one flour" or "special one flour". "special one powder" "refined powder" or something, strictly speaking, such a name is not standardized, but the good thing is that it is easy to understand, huh, we know what this flour is used. Characteristics written is "high gluten", because you do noodles and dumplings buns will also need flour gluten to smooth texture, so gluten will indeed be higher (but gluten is generally not more than 11) so this does not belong to the high-gluten flour.

Classification categories

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Whole wheat flour

Whole wheat flour is the whole grain of wheat in the milling, only after grinding, without going through the removal of bran program, is the whole grain of wheat contains the bran and germ all ground into flour. The bran in wheat contains fiber that is highly nutritious.

Bread flour

Some people may ask, it is not about the high-gluten flour, high-gluten flour is used to make bread ah, in fact, bread flour is not the same as high-gluten flour, the so-called bread flour is in order to improve the performance of the flour for the production of bread to the flour to add malt, vitamins, as well as gluten, etc., to increase the content of protein, in order to be able to more easily make bread. As a result, flour with a protein content as high as 14-15% has appeared, making it possible to make larger breads.

Also, there is a flour called ready mix, which can be simply mixed with water and two or three other ingredients to make bread molds.

Cake flour

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Cake flour, also known as pastry flour. In fact, low gluten flour is not equal to cake flour, because in foreign countries, flour classification is more fine part of the region, low gluten flour is also divided into two grades at the same time, one is the cake flour (Cake Flour), refers to the low gluten flour after chlorine treatment, so that the original low-gluten flour of the acid value of the lower, conducive to the organization and structure of the cake; one is the pie flour (Pastry Flour). Pie flour has a slightly higher gluten level than cake flour, but it is also a low gluten flour.

Of course, in China, the classification of commercially available household flours is not detailed, so you can use low-gluten flour as cake flour, and make cakes, muffins, and cookies with no problem. If you can't get low-gluten flour, you can also use gluten-free flour and 20% cornstarch instead, i.e., gluten-free flour: cornstarch = 4:1 ratio, cornstarch can reduce the gluten of the flour.

Stone Ground Flour

Stone Ground Flour is flour that is processed without any additives by the traditional stone mill (stone mill speed 20 rpm). Low-speed grinding, low-temperature processing, will not destroy the nutrients in the wheat, so the stone milled flour to retain the maximum degree of wheat protein, gluten, carotene, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1.B2 and other nutrients, especially the stone milled flour in the carotene and vitamin E is 18 times that of other flours. Its low-speed grinding characteristics and maintain the molecular structure of the flour, without any additives, in the cooking of noodles, stone-ground flour broth color is light yellow, while other flour containing additives broth color is white. Therefore, stone-ground flour retains the original flavor of wheat, with stone-ground flour made of a variety of pasta taste pliable, wheat aroma, nutritional value is higher, is the real natural green health food.

The traditional stone mill is made of the upper and lower two after a thousand hammering, brazing and axe carving of the round stone made of two fans are with a certain thickness of the large stone chiseled by hand into a flat cylindrical, chiseled in the two discs of a diagonal pattern, called grinding teeth. Stone mill grinding teeth production is a highly specialized and complex technology, its reasonable, natural, scientific design features, must be hand-modulated, its angle, size, clearance is some modern tools irreplaceable.

The slightly yellowish color of the original color flour is more nutritious. The yellowish color is due to the high amount of B vitamins retained in the flour, which are beneficial to the human nervous system and skin tissue.

Features of stone milled flour

①The low speed and low temperature grinding of stone milling will not destroy the nutrients in wheat, and it retains various nutrients such as proteins, carotenoids, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins and other nutrients in wheat to a maximum extent, especially carotenoids and vitamins gall 18 times more than other flours.

②Its low-speed grinding characteristics and maintain the molecular structure of the flour, without any additives.

③When cooking noodles, the color of noodle soup of milled flour is light yellow, while the color of noodle soup of other flours containing additives is white.

Selection tips

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Whiteness

The color of the flour will directly affect the color of the bread, the closer the color of the powdered heart part of the wheat grain, the whiter the color, and the quality of the flour is good, so by the color of the flour you can see that the flour is good or bad. You can't bleach it with bleach, but if you bleach it too much, the color will be dead white and grey and bad, but for making hard bread, the color of the flour is not important.

Gluten strength

The gluten within the flour forms the web of the bread, and if the web is too weak it will not make good bread. So the flour should have enough gluten to make a good bread:

(1) Sufficient amount of protein and good quality protein.

(2) Sufficient sugar and amylase to supply the sugar needed for yeast fermentation.

(3) Sufficient a-amylase to adjust the gelatinization of starch.

Leavening endurance

The ability to make good bread even though the bread has exceeded the predetermined leavening time is called leavening endurance. So the flour should have enough fermentation endurance.

High water absorption

When the flour is mixed with water, it is possible to add a lot of water, but it is also possible to make good bread, the more water absorption, the more it is possible to reduce the cost, and the storage time can be a little bit longer, and the economic value of the big.

Introduction of Flour Quality Terms

1. Crude Protein: the value of the amount of protein contained in whole wheat flour measured, expressed in percentage points. It is a very important parameter for nutritional quality. Flour protein and seed protein content is closely related, generally the latter is one percentage point less than the former. The larger the value, the better the quality.

China's quality standards of various professional wheat flour

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2. Wet gluten: expressed in percentage points. Flour gluten is the basis for baking bread and other fermented foods, the quantity and quality of gluten is the main factor in determining the quality of flour milling, wet gluten is a certain amount of water and not dried gluten, the larger its value, the better the quality.

3. Sedimentation value: also called sedimentation value. Is a measure of gluten content and quality of the comprehensive indicators, expressed in milliliters, the larger the value, the better the quality. Some countries according to the settlement value of the size of the flour is divided into strong, medium, weak three levels, strong flour settlement value is greater than 45 ml, medium flour for 30 - 45ml, weak flour less than 30ml.

4. Dough formation time: the dough formation time is short, indicating that the amount of gluten is less, the quality is poor, and vice versa, the quality of the good.

5. Dough stabilization time: short dough stabilization time reflects that the gluten after dough formation is not resistant to stirring and kneading, and the gluten network is easy to destroy.

6. Evaluation value: a comprehensive price indicator, the larger the value, the better the quality.

7. Baking quality: baking quality of wheat requires flour absorbency, dough has appropriate toughness, extensibility and elasticity of the fermentation strength of moderate, kneading and cutting and baking without sticking to the instrument, baked bread volume, development of proportionality, beautiful shape, color, no cracks in the skin, internal porosity is small and uniform, the texture of the fluffy and elastic, tasty and pleasant to the mouth.

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8. Bread volume: the volume of bread baked with 100g flour, expressed in milliliters. The larger the volume, the better the quality.

9. Specific volume: the ratio of bread volume to weight (grams) is one of the indicators for evaluating the processing value of bread, the larger the specific volume, the larger the volume of bread.

10. Water absorption: the amount of water needed to make the dough reach the standard consistency in the process of adding water for kneading, the flour with high water absorption can bake more bread.

11. Falling value: its size reflects the strength of a--amylase activity in the flour. Falling value is large, a--amylase activity of low durum wheat suitable for bread; falling value of medium, a--amylase activity of moderate soft wheat suitable for cookies and pastries.

Example recipes

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Flour Buns

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Buns are a kind of food made by mixing flour with water, sugar, etc., and adding fillings such as meat, vegetables, and minced beans when making them, and then steaming them through a steamer cage after fermentation, with the finished product having a hemispherical shape. In the south of the Yangtze River, buns are generally called steamed buns.

Dosage: 1000 grams of flour, baking powder, 750 grams of meat, vegetables, 50 grams of vegetable oil, a little sesame oil, chicken essence.

Doughnut Preparation

①Stir the flour, sugar and yeast with warm water.

②Pour the yeast water into the flour and knead the dough, then add cooking oil and continue to knead.

③Post-ferment for one hour, and let the dough rise until it doubles in size.

④Put in the salt + baking soda, melt it with 15ml of warm water, and use the baking soda water to knead the dough again. (It's best to knead the water into the dough at once.)

⑤Cover with plastic wrap and continue to ferment, and let it rise again until it doubles in size, and use it the next morning. (You don't always need to ferment the dough a day in advance, but it's okay to ferment it on the same day, as long as you have enough time.)

6 Grease the board and hands, and press the dough into a rectangle on the board.

7 Grease a knife and cut the large sheet of dough into small strips.

8Fold two noodles together, flatten them, and press a groove in the center with chopsticks.

9 oil boiled to 70% hot, under the doughnut blank fried, turning over while frying.

Storage

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1, well-ventilated flour has a respiratory effect, so it is necessary to make air circulation, so that the flour has air available for use.

2, humidity dry flour will be according to the temperature and humidity of the environment and change its own water content, the greater the humidity, the flour water content increases, easy to caking. The smaller the humidity, the smaller the water content of the flour. The ideal humidity is about 60%-70%.

3, the right temperature storage temperature will affect the flour cooking time, the higher the temperature, the faster the cooking. But the temperature also shortens the shelf life of flour. Flour storage recommended ideal temperature of 18 ℃ -24 ℃.

4, clean environment, clean environment can reduce the breeding of pests, microbial reproduction, and thus reduce the chance of flour contamination.

5, no odor flour is a material that will absorb and store odor in the air, so the surrounding environment in the storage of flour, there should be no odor.

6, away from the wall away from the ground in order to have good ventilation, reduce moisture, reduce the contamination of insects and rodents and the provisions of the law, it is necessary. Palletizing boards should be selected plastic products, such as wood products, should be careful of wood spikes, made of pollution.

7, first-in-first-out to ensure the stability of the flour, to reduce the man-made flour expiration date.

8, regular cleaning to reduce the breeding of insects and rodents, and thus reduce the flour contaminated

.