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52 votes
Accepted

Does flour have yeast?

Flour “contains yeast” in the sense that it is not a sterilised product and contains impurities such as wild yeast cells. The yeast and bacteria contained in flour, in fact, are the genesis of “...
Sneftel's user avatar
  • 30.2k
34 votes

What is the most accurate cheap way of repeatably measuring out small quantities of compressible powder?

Get a precision scale. Not the one you posted; it’s way too expensive, since it needs to be both high-capacity and high-precision. Here’s the one I use, and it’s fifteen bucks, and ten times as ...
Sneftel's user avatar
  • 30.2k
30 votes
Accepted

What causes dough made from coconut flour to not stick together?

Gluten is what makes a dough stick together and have structure. Coconut flour has no gluten, so the resulting dough will be a crumbly mess. Intentionally gluten free recipes usually contain any number ...
user141592's user avatar
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29 votes
Accepted

What is the best way to turn soup into stew without using flour?

I wouldn't actually call a soup with thickened liquid "a stew", for me a stew is a cooked dish with very little liquid altogether, be it thick or thin. Because of this, I would suggest a ...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 140k
28 votes

What is the best way to turn soup into stew without using flour?

Let's leave aside the question of what separates a soup from a stew (there's no real answer, only mostly arbitrary opinions - which seems to be a somewhat widely shared belief around here: https://...
Juhasz's user avatar
  • 2,555
27 votes
Accepted

Flour contaminated by raw pork juices

Throw it away, it's not worth risking health issues over such a cheap staple. While the flour was originally dry, the pork juice introduced moisture into it, providing a much better breeding ground ...
mech's user avatar
  • 2,543
27 votes

What would result from not adding fat to pastry dough?

You'd end up with something somewhere between unleavened bread, pasta & laminate flooring, depending on what else you did with it. The first two are what you'd get if that's how you treated them, ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 29.9k
26 votes

I need to judge whether my bread flour is ok or not. 50LB bag 11 months old

It's impossible to say whether the four is safe for certain, given the conditions you describe it is likely fine but there are no guarantees. It's very possible that the flour has simply gotten ...
GdD's user avatar
  • 77.2k
25 votes
Accepted

What is the best practice storage method for flour to avoid bugs?

Based on my personal experience of living in a 100-year-old apartment building, where both pantry moths and flour beetles were basically chronic: The freezer will prevent bugs more effectively than ...
FuzzyChef's user avatar
  • 65.5k
25 votes

What is the most accurate cheap way of repeatably measuring out small quantities of compressible powder?

There is a misconception in your question. You say: I do not really care about knowing the actual weight and I do care that today's measure is the same as tomorrow's measure In fact, the "...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 140k
24 votes

How do I substitute almond flour for all purpose flour?

There is no general replacement. Almond flour has very little in common with all-purpose flour, and behaves very differently in baking. Your idea of adding gluten is very interesting - many flourless ...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 140k
22 votes

Does flour have yeast?

This may surprise you, but there are arguments for both a "yes" and a "no" answer, and both are right. My personal preference is on the "no" side. The arguments for "...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 140k
21 votes

Can I make bread/pizza dough with only cricket flour and no wheat flour

I think you will be disappointed. While a fantastic protein source, cricket flour does not contain the gluten proteins that make bread what it is. Therefore, bread made with cricket flour must get ...
Sobachatina's user avatar
  • 47.6k
21 votes

Why is my Taiyaki (Cake that looks like a fish) too hard and dry?

I have never made these, but this is what I observe from comparing your recipe to the most readily found online ones: Your mix is dry. Other recipes tend to have up to twice as much liquid as yours, ...
Spagirl's user avatar
  • 3,244
20 votes

I am cooking beef stew in the crockpot and accidentally put a little flour in the beginning not end

You should be fine, as long as you mix it in thoroughly. Flouring the beef and browning is a very common first step, so there is maybe some in there already? Any extra flour to thicken needs some ...
MarsJarsGuitars-n-Chars's user avatar
20 votes
Accepted

Can I make cornbread without flour?

As far as I know, generally the problem with corn based doughs is cohesion. Cornmeal only mixes tend to be very crumbly and the resulting consistency weak, hence the addition of flour to increase ...
Duarte Farrajota Ramos's user avatar
17 votes

I need to judge whether my bread flour is ok or not. 50LB bag 11 months old

From your description it sounds more like the flour was simply packed tightly rather than getting damp, but even if it remained dry, I think you will likely find the flavor is off. You said you don't ...
barbecue's user avatar
  • 825
15 votes

How best to use gluten free all purpose flour?

You don't need xanthan gum or other thickeners; they are already in the mix you bought. These mixes don't behave much like standard, gluten-containing flour. Don't bake bread with them on their own, ...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 140k
13 votes

How do I substitute almond flour for all purpose flour?

In addition to totally lacking gluten, almond flour contains way more fat than AP flour, around 50 times as much. That's another reason it's popular in vegan/gf baking, it adds plant-based fat. So you ...
Dan C's user avatar
  • 1,883
13 votes

Cake flour weight

Who’s right? In a way, all of them are. The weight equivalent of volumetric measurements will depend on the packing, which in turn will depend on the baker. The probably lowest value you will get if ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 60.5k
13 votes

Is flouring meat necessary in stews (specifically ossobuco)?

I'd say the reasoning is three-fold. It cooks it first, in oil, so it's not going to go lumpy when liquid is added, same premise as a roux but one-pot. It saves having to make up a slurry later, ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 29.9k
12 votes
Accepted

How to make stone ground flour?

It is possible, whether it fits your definition of easily is questionable, though. Whole grain flour is made by grinding whole wheat/rye/... berries until you get a fine flour, a technique used since ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 60.5k
11 votes

Why is there malted barley flour in all purpose flour?

From the Code of Federal Regulations, 21CFR137.105: (a) Flour, white flour, wheat flour, plain flour, is the food prepared by grinding and bolting cleaned wheat, other than durum wheat and red durum ...
Leigh Harris's user avatar
11 votes
Accepted

Can I make ravioli dough with only all-purpose flour or do I NEED semolina flour?

Pasta can be made from many types of flour. Often, this is predicated on style of pasta or the dish. 100% AP flour will be just fine for your ravioli. I use it often when making fresh pasta. ...
moscafj's user avatar
  • 76.9k
11 votes
Accepted

bread flour: is it all just branding?

Yes, it would be reading too much. ADM is a food processing company, and it operates a number of mills. King Arthur doesn't mill its own flour (and I assume neither does Aldi). The commodity wheat ...
Athanasius's user avatar
  • 33.2k
10 votes

Why is there malted barley flour in all purpose flour?

Note - label on my bag says all purpose flour, not all purpose wheat flour. So you can take that strawman (#4) for a long walk on a short pier. You won't find it in the "100% whole wheat flour" ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 19.1k
10 votes
Accepted

Why flour on bread?

In traditional bread making methods loaves are often risen in a proofing basket: The bread takes on the shape of the basket as it proves, and is then turned out onto a baking surface, in other words ...
GdD's user avatar
  • 77.2k
10 votes

Can I replace baking soda with bread flour in a cake recipe that already has baking powder?

No. Not at all. Baking soda is a leavening agent. Together with baking powder it gives your cake lift and airiness. Bread flour is just flour with a higher protein content. If anything, it will make ...
Catija's user avatar
  • 16.5k
10 votes
Accepted

Should we start making dough with water or with flour?

The best thing is to do as your recipe directs it, because there are several considerations that play together here. First, if you have a very exact recipe where you measure each ingredient and mix ...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 140k
10 votes

What is the best practice storage method for flour to avoid bugs?

If there are no bugs in the flour you buy, then storing it in an airtight container will prevent bugs from getting in. This could be your fridge but could equally well be a large tupperware or similar ...
dbmag9's user avatar
  • 12.1k

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