There is a whole range of products in the flour shelf and each one is different. Which flour is great for baking, has more nutrients, and yet we don’t use it much?
What kind of flour do you prefer to bake with?
Do you know flour? Did you know that we are one of the few nations where plain, semi-coarse and coarse flour is used, so you rarely come across the “self-rising” flour common in American recipes? What about spelled? Would you know what spelled flour is?
It is a type of wheat, which, however, is distinguished by two more refined and more profitable relatives. Spelled wheat contains gluten, but has a higher proportion of minerals and proteins. Although spelled flour is darker, it is not always whole grain. The author of this post from the YouTube channel Ladislav Žatečka – Nutrition Coach and Trainer will also tell you something about the use of spelled flour.
Source: Youtube
Why is it good to know flour?
Like everything, flour has its own interesting history. It is a processed food that belongs to the most basic raw materials known to mankind for thousands of years. You probably remember what the stone millstones looked like, which can still be found on various old homesteads among the rustic decorations. Because many things can go wrong. While in Europe it is mainly cereal grains and perhaps also nuts, in other parts of the world unknown grains such as teff are ground, but also dried bamboo shoots, dehydrated green bananas or even insects such as crickets and grasshoppers.
However, white wheat flour is definitely the most common in our country. Whole grain, rye, but also buckwheat or chickpea flour is also commonly available today, and rice flour is usually also available in shops. Even though baking and cooking with gluten-free flour is extremely trendy and gluten-free or whole grain flours cannot be condemned, it is not by chance that wheat flour has become one of the most used. This is not only for its softness and taste, but also for the gluten it contains and the high proportion of starches and enzymes that are necessary for the dough to rise well. Why should you know this?
Simply to make it clear that wheat flour cannot simply be replaced with other flours without consequences, i.e. worse leavening, density and the resulting appearance and taste. You should try alternatives to wheat flour, or follow recipes that are already based on the preparation of other flours and take into account their properties.
You should also know that the division into smooth, semi-coarse and coarse flour is not common and very often in different countries you will be surprised by numbers, letters or a combination thereof, the absence of any coarseness other than fine is quite common.
Flours according to use and nut-flavored spelled flour
If we return to our Czech classic cuisine, then you should know this:
- Smooth white wheat flour is used for delicate pastries such as cookies, cakes, biscuits, cakes or to thicken sauces and soups.
- Semi-coarse flour is suitable for yeast doughs, i.e. buns, cakes, but also dumplings. In general, sweet and savory pastries are baked from it.
- Coarse flour is suitable for bread dumplings and potato dough.
- Whole grain flour, whether from wheat or rye, can be used to bake bread, gingerbread and buns, as well as fritters and biscuits. Usually, part of the flour in the recipe is whole wheat and part is wheat. The same applies to the use of rye flour. Often even rye bread is not 100%, but only partially.
- And then there is the specific spelled flour. As already said, it is flour from a different type of wheat. It is characterized by a slightly nutty taste and better nutritional properties and better digestibility, however, it contains gluten.
And that is why some advocates of a healthy but gluten-containing diet claim that spelled flour is the best possible.
If you decide to give spelled a chance, which is definitely a good idea, then know that even this flour is less leavening than we are used to, which is why it is usually combined with classic wheat flour in baked goods. However, baking exclusively with spelled flour is definitely possible. Again, however, it is better to use recipes that count on the use of spelled from the beginning, which behaves a little differently than classic wheat. Such recipes already take into account the specific properties of flour, and you can tell by the results.
Sources: techsvet.cz, toprecepty.cz
