Hot answers tagged wheat
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Much of the bitterness in breads made from whole wheat is caused by the phenolic acid and tannins in the bran layer of the wheat. Different varieties of wheat have different levels of those compounds and produce breads with different levels of bitterness. "Traditional" varieties of wheat, such as red wheat, contain high levels of tannins, while hard white ...
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You're very correct the grinders are pretty pricey. I believe we paid about $300 for ours.
There are a few good reasons for me to have a grinder. Whether they are good reasons for you is your call.
1- I can grind whatever I want. Right now I am using hard white wheat. Unbleached, hard, white wheat flour is more expensive than your run-of-the-mill flour and ...
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"Wholemeal" or "whole wheat" flour is mostly 100% whole wheat in most countries. They used to remove the "brush" though, but I suspect modern grinders take care of these now
As I understand it, when you grind your flour it may not be as good as commercially ground flour if your grinder causes the wheat to heat up. This will effect it's nutrition and shelf ...
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Buckwheat seems to have fallen out of favor in the US. In other countries it is still a staple.
In Russia buckwheat (grechka) is eaten as a hot cereal- just boil it until it bursts and add some sweetened condensed milk. Delicious. In fact- the best way I have purchased it locally is by finding international grocery stores that have a Russian section.
It ...
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A friend of mine has been experimenting with different kinds of rye bread for quite some time. He's come to grinding the rye flour himself. I've been tasting the bread for most of the time.
The grinders are indeed expensive. Manual ones are cheaper, but it's really a lot of work to grind even a smallish amount of grain (I've tried). Off-the-shelf flour is ...
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You should have no problem refrigerating the dough. I have done it with chapatti dough, which is essentially the same thing, without a problem. It's only flour, water and salt after all. You might find it a little hard to roll out straight from the fridge but nothing some brute force and ignorance (or letting it warm up a little) won't cure.
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The FDA does not currently have a legal definition of stone ground.
Companies like Hodgson's Mill, Bob's Red Mill, and Arrowhead Mills have petitioned the FDA to set a definition in the past under the concept of truth in labeling, to no avail.
Petition example
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I have found the water roux or tangzhong method effective for 100% whole wheat bread, as it makes the texture less dense, and therefore less crumbly.
Also, you may simply be using too little moisture overall. Now that I'm baking bread for a 2 year old, whose tastes lean slightly less rustic in bread than mine, I've rediscovered high-hydration loaves, which, ...
3
Alkaline solutions are added to wheat noodle dough when it is too be pulled by hand. The alkaline substance will break down the gluten connections to make a more pliable dough
See What flour and technique do I need for hand pulled noodles?
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Semolina is hard wheat (Triticum Durum). If it's labelled as 00 flour it means it's very finely milled. Sometimes it's labelled as semola di grano duro rimacinatta which literally means re-milled (milled twice) hard wheat.
As you said, it gives more flavor and is chewier (if processed as pasta) than normal soft wheat. But you can perfectly substitute it for ...
3
This really depends on the locale. For example in Seattle we have a couple of Washington State grain farms and mills that do sell their product at farmer's markets. If you have trouble tracking down a miller directly, you might do well to ask at your local natural foods co-op if they can source this or direct you to people who can help. Another place to ask ...
3
Are you looking for grain or flours? If the latter, just track down your local mills (most farms don't mill their own flour). If the former, ask the millers or other farmers who nearby is growing grains. It might be an inconvenience to farmers to sell very small quantities, but then again, you'll be paying a premium on what they normally charge, so it's ...
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To build on what @hobodave said :
A kernel of wheat is composed of three main parts:
bran
germ
endosperm
(see a diagram of the parts)
The endosperm is what's milled into white flour; the germ is removed from white flour because it contains fat which can go rancid, spoiling the flour and shortening the shelf life.
Cracked wheat, as it still contain ...
3
Cracked wheat is a whole wheat berry that has been crushed or cut into smaller pieces.
Wheat germ is a very small part (1.5 to 2.5%) of a whole wheat berry. It is rich in protein and dense with nutrients. It's hard to overstate how much wheat germ is a nutrition powerhouse. It has more protein than most meats (28%), contains more potassium and iron than any ...
3
You may be interested in checking out shops that sell homebrewing (beer) supplies. A lot of the grains they have will be malted/kilned, but not all. This will mostly be useful if you are planning to mill the grains yourself.
You may not be able to find much strictly locally-sourced at a homebrew shop, but it might be a good starting point.
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I tried making seitan by boiling it once and didn't like the texture. The way I do it now is wrapping it in tin foil then steaming it (I recently got some cloth bags I'm going to try doing it in). I found my recipe here, and I generally follow a similar process for any seitan.
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i've only made seitan myself a couple times, and it's been awhile, but isn't there a point where you drain it and/or squeeze out some moisture? if so, maybe an extended sit in some sort of press would help. the times i've made it, i put it in a smoker afterwards, so it was firm because of the low-heat semi-cooking, i guess.
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Around my parts, the only place I know to get bulk local grains is the feed auctions (for animal feed... not sure how it'd be for human consumption).
You might also see if there's a local health food co-op, as many of them sell bulk foods, and you might be able to get them to sell you whatever the unit is that they purchase in. (this won't necessarily be ...
2
I can't speak to your specific flour but I have worked with coarsely ground whole wheat flour.
My standard bread recipes required quite a bit more kneading than usual. Additionally I had to work with them while they were still quite sticky to eventually get them to an elastic consistency.
I use a stand mixer to do the kneading for me- I'm afraid that it ...
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Sorry, my answer was incorrect (it used to say that there is no white wheat). The only defense I have is that such newfangled things like white wheat have not yet reached my part of the world (is Europe really that old-fashioned?). Big thank you to Jefromi for correcting me and teaching me something new.
"Normal" white flour is, as I described in the old ...
2
One has to juice wheat grass and consume raw if you want to get any health benefits and nutrients out of the superfood. Smoothies, ice creams and other beverages are good places to start consuming wheat grass juice. Freezing any plant or animal food will cause the cells in the food to expand and burst so it is best to drink any fresh juice right away before ...
2
I can think of adding alkali or acid substances mainly as means of changing the ph of the dough. And adding can be understood as in the dough, or on its surface.
Alkali/basic additives or ingredients
Gluten only works if PH is between 3 and 11. Outside those values it loses its stength.
Before reaching PH>11 it will make flour have a higher absorption.
...
1
Parathas are not chapatis.
I went to a restaurant in Funchal, Madeira once, and asked for a naan with my meal. The "naan" they served me was best described as the thickest chapati I have ever seen. i asked for a couple of chapatis to augment it.
You have to work with local opinion as to "what is and what is not" a bread form, but a paratha HAS to contain ...
1
A mixture of sodium bicarbonate (which is alkaline) and tartaric acid is commonly used as a chemical leavener in baking. If flour is mixed with small amounts of these substances, then carbon dioxide gas will form when water is added to the mixture creating small bubbles in the batter or dough. The mixture is typically cooked as soon as possible after the ...
1
Eggs make crepes stronger, which makes them less vulnerable to tearing. It also adds some taste if you like eggs.
If you have a good frying pan then you don't need them at all. You can make crepes with next to any type of flower without eggs or any egg replacement. Pure buckwheat on the other hand does not have gluten and might be more fragile.
In my ...
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I use hard white wheat as well as hard red wheat for a lot of things.
When you think of the hard, almost astringent, taste of whole wheat it is almost certainly red wheat.
White wheat is much milder (and as you would expect, paler in color) but, unlike soft southern wheats, still has enough protein for bread doughs. The bread made from finely ground white ...
1
You could also use them in place of bread crumbs when, for example, coating chicken breasts.
You could also use them in muffins.
There's a whole list of shredded wheat recipes here and here.
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