Grains of cereals, ground into flour, are the basis for any test. There are many types of crops. Flour made from them varies considerably in quality and properties. And this, in turn, affects the way the flour is processed and used.
Basic cereals
- Wheat is the most commonly cultivated and processed grain crop in our country. It has excellent baking properties due to its high gluten content( gluten is called a grain protein, which strongly swells and binds the dough).
- Spelta has recently become more popular. The reason for this is the natural food system, whose number of adherents is constantly growing. Spelled is a relative of wheat, so wheat flour can be replaced by coarse flour from spelled.
- Oats are very rich in protein and fats. For baking it can be used only in combination with another kind of cereal( for example, with wheat in a 1: 1 ratio).To taste, oats are like nuts. If the oatmeal is fried, then this taste groans more pronounced. Due to the large fat content, it is not recommended to store the oats for a long time - it quickly acquires a rancid taste.
- Rye is used primarily for baking bread. Dark gray flour contains less gluten, so before baking, you should add acids to it or mix it with wheat flour. When baking rye flour takes more liquid than wheat flour.
- Rice also refers to cereals. One third of the world's population feeds on it. In China and Japan, rice noodles are made from rice flour. For baking rice in its pure form is not suitable. Rice flour should be mixed with flour from other cereals.
- Soya refers to leguminous crops, and not to cereals. However, we mention it, because not only soy milk, butter and tofu are made from soy, but also soy flour is made. Fat-rich( 20%), soy flour can replace part of the baking fat used and part of the eggs. One egg can be replaced with 15 grams of soy flour. The content of soy flour in mixed flour should not exceed 10%.
From grain to flour
The grain of a cereal plant consists of a mealy body, an embryo and a shell. The mealy body contains primarily starch;embryo - protein, fats, vitamins and mineral salts, shell - mineral and ballast substances. Usually, white flour is used, because the baking is light and airy.
During the grinding process, the embryo and outer layers of the shell are removed. More recently, flour of coarser grinding has been increasingly used. Such flour contains all the constituent parts of the grain, so it is rich in valuable nutritional and ballast substances, which gives the products a more pronounced taste. Since there is a large amount of ballast substances in rye flour, more liquid is required when baking.
Finished flour or mixtures of flour for baking bread, biscuits and cakes contain along with flour and other ingredients, such as baking powder, milk powder, sugar. To prepare ready-made mixtures( semi-finished products), only add liquid.