Choice of flour shouldn't be underestimated. Get to know the different types.
In a bakery, the choice of flour is a process that must not be underestimated. The quality is best determined by the texture of the dough and the crispness of the crust, but the baker must examine the flour long before he transfers it from the bag to the bowl. An important factor is storage, milling, gluten and amylase content, which affects the stickiness of the dough, but also the maturity and strength of the flour.
"Finding the right flour is crucial for every baker and is preceded by a series of experiments. These will show how the flour works in our tried and tested recipes. Even if we take the same flour every time, we have to check each new batch, first the colour, then the coarseness of the grind," explains Eska's head baker Jarda Kozdělka.
After the sensory test comes the autolysis, where the flour is mixed with water and left to rest. The enzymes start to break down the proteins in the flour and the baker looks at how much gluten is in the dough and how it's working. If the fermentation is proceeding as it should and the gluten is producing the desired consistency, the experimental bread is left to ferment for up to 14 hours and a tasting sample is baked in the morning.
Ground nutrients
When we say flour, we think of ground grainsand not many people consider the carbohydrate (starch), protein, fibre, mineral and vitamin content. However, the baker (and the confectioner) also looks at these. Starches are responsible for the binding of flour and water and for the volume and shape of the baked product, proteins, in combination with water, contribute to the formation of gluten, and fibre and minerals (called ash) in the grain husk add nutritional value to the flour.
Numbers play a crucial role in baking, so the type and fall number of the flour is important. Type indicates how milled the flour is and how many mg of fibre it contains per 100 grams. The lower the number, the lighter and "leaner" the flour, while high type numbers indicate less gluten and poorer dough rising.
An indicator of flour quality (especially for wheat) is also the fall number, i.e. the dough's falling time. this is expressed by the activity of the enzyme alpha amylase which breaks down starches and influences the stickiness of the dough, since it is the starches that influence the water and flour binding. In general, it can be said that the less starch and more gluten, the easier the baker's job is.
Coarse or not?
In the bakery, preference is given to finely ground grains, most often in the form of bread flour. The exception is kneaded flour, that is, rye flour milled into light. The colour of the bread, lighter than that of wholemeal rye loaves, corresponds to this. It has an extra fine texture and a desirable gluten content.
The patisserie takes a different view: 'For us, plain or semi-coarse flour is best. Sometimes we use a proportion of wholemeal flour, but it depends on the recipe and technique. For example, for croissants or pulled strudel, we need a very elastic dough, which means smooth flour with a higher gluten content. In contrast, whipped, fluffy baked goods may have less gluten," explains Lukáš Pohl, head pastry chef at Myšák.
The baker's best friend
It is gluten, a mixture of proteins formed by mixing water and flour and activated during the kneading of the dough. In bakeries, not only its content but also its elasticity is tested. "The more gluten, the more elastic the flour. Conventional flour usually has 32 to 35 % gluten, but for us 20 to 25 % is ideal," says Jarda.
Gluten is a reliable helper in rising the dough, giving it elasticity and holding its shape even after baking. "Yeast and microorganisms convert the starches in the flour into gases, which creates pores. If the gluten is in the right proportion, it creates a kind of membrane around the dough, an atmosphere through which the gases cannot pass. The dough then rises well and is beautifully elastic," says Jarda.
Our bodies benefit from the nutrient-dense whole-grain version, but it is not so ideal for bakers. Wholemeal flour is low in gluten and is therefore often combined with milled, "white" flours. "Too much gluten is not good for people, but it's the opposite for us bakers. Gluten is our best friend. Purely wholemeal dough tears and doesn't rise as well as we would like," explains Jarda. Wheat flour contains the most gluten, followed by spelt, barley, rye and oats.
The slow maturation of leavened bread sort of pre-digests the gluten, the bacteria in the dough eat it up and the digestive system doesn't have as much to do with it. Not long ago, a lady with gluten intolerance came to us and thanked us that she could eat our bread and not have any problems," says Jarda.
Old or young?
Another parameter is the maturity of the flour: older flour is more mature, drier and stronger. It can absorb more water and the gluten is more malleable than freshly milled grain. 'Some bakers bake with fresh wholemeal flour. However, this is often insufficiently aerated, i.e. oxidised, and the gluten in it is 'shorter', meaning the dough is harder to shape and the bread has less volume. We want the loaf to rise nicely, so we order mature, thicker flour," says Jarda. The way the flour is milled has an impact on its maturity. For example, white flours mature a little faster, one of the reasons why they have displaced wholemeal flour in the past.
Organic vs. non-organic
Organic farming and the word "organic" is a guarantee of quality, because the quality of the flour is in the hands of the farmer first, then the miller. The key role is not only the weather and the quality of the soil, but above all the way in which it is grown. "We use bio-flour because it does not contain pesticides or chemical and mineral fertiliser residues. This is a great benefit for the bread and for the customer. Grain that is not artificially fertilised is stronger and takes a lot of nutrients, minerals and energy from healthy soil," emphasises Jarda Kozdělka.
In biological and biodynamic agriculture, the the use of chemical synthetic products is prohibited and the soil is nourished only with organic fertilisers such as manure, compost or slurry. "Intercrops are used, which attract large amounts of nutrients and have a healing effect on the soil, improving the soil structure and supporting rich soil life. It is also essential to maintain a balanced rotation and crop rotation," explains the founder of the company Probio Martin Hutař.
The plants themselves build a stable root system and draw beneficial substances from the fertile soil. These give the flour its nutritional richness and better taste, but also its ethical value to support Czech farmers and Czech culture. That's why we bake with Czech flour. Its price is and will be higher because growing organic grain is more labour intensive, requires more time and love. However, the yields are lower and uncertain. If we want small farmers to make a living, we need to pay them fairly," says Jarda.
There are no additives in purely ground biomass, while in conventional mills, the poorer quality of the grain is balanced by enzymes and chemicals. This is also why conventional flour is cheaper, the care of the soil and grain is replaced by chemical intervention and the damage is compensated for by the many substances that stabilise, standardise and 'improve' the flour.
Amylase enzymes, emulsifiers, acidity regulators and other items take care of the softness, volume, crust colour and crumb softness. Unnecessary! "Probio flour contains only ground grain, nothing more. All our bread needs is water, salt, flour, leaven and time.", says Jarda.
Every harvest is different, every field and every farmer sends a slightly different crop to Probio. This one natural instability can be quite a challenge for bakers. "It would be easier for us to buy conventional flour, a mass that doesn't change. At Probio, although they always grind the flour to the same coarseness, each batch is slightly different. It's milled with grain from different farmers, each time it has a different amount of gluten or a different colour, so they send us samples and we have to test them. For the baker, the bio-flour is more complex and they have to learn to communicate with it," Jarda notes.
The human factor
The quality and the right type of flour is the number one issue, but without skilled hands and experience, no miracle can be baked. Jarda and many other bakers know this: "Biofood has its fluctuations. Sometimes it's younger, sometimes older, it tastes a little different every time, but as a baker you have to be able to deal with it. Machines will never understand dough the way we do, and that's the beauty of it. Bread needs quality flour, but it also needs hands and heart to bake it."
Source: Aroma of Bread, Kateřina Winterová (Eat and Live), Probio, Spielberger Mühle, Czech Statistical Office
