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Baking with Flours and Grains
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Here we explain the individual properties of the most common types of grains and flours.
Flours and grains are absolutely essential for baking. Without the structure offered by flour, cakes and cookies bake into sticky puddles, and breads would be nothing but kneaded yeast. Grains contribute flavor and dense texture to baked goods and are chosen to complement the flour used in the recipe.
FLOURS
Baking delicate cakes, cookies, and pastries generally requires the exclusive use of some type of white flour (cake, all-purpose, or bread). This is because white flour provides a light texture.
Bread baking, including muffins, biscuits, and scones, uses a diverse range of flours and grains. Keep in mind that while the whole-grain flours have more nutrients and fiber than white flour, they have less gluten – the ingredient that reacts with yeast, causing dough to rise. Therefore whole-grain flours may not be substituted for white flours indiscriminately. Most breads are made up of at least half white flour.
Substituting whole-grain flours for white flour is done with best results in muffins, scones, and biscuits, where baking powder and baking soda are used a leavening rather than yeast.
All-Purpose Flour
As its name implies, this type of white flour is suitable for all types of baking. It is milled from a combination of soft and hard wheats, and will be more than satisfactory in most breads, cakes, cookies, and pastries.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is milled from soft wheat, which has a delicate gluten network that makes it too fragile for bread baking, but perfect for delicate pastries. It contains more starch than all-purpose or bread flour and is ideal for making cakes and some cookies.
Bread Flour
Milled from hard wheat, bread flour has sturdy gluten structure that makes it the best choice for yeast breads, which rely on the gluten to help raise the loaves. For the best results, use bread flour exclusively for making bread, and all-purpose flour or cake flour for cakes and pastries.
Whole-Wheat Flour
Whole-wheat flour is made from wheat that has been milled, but not sifted as for white flour. It therefore contains all the nutrients and fiber found in the bran and germ of the wheat kernel and adds a nutty flavor wherever it is used.
Rye Flour
Made from milled rye kernels, rye flour lends an earthy flavor to baked goods. Although rye flour has a small amount of gluten, it is not enough to properly rise a loaf, so it is usually combined with bread flour.
Buckwheat Flour
Since buckwheat flour has no gluten, it cannot be used on its own to produce a loaf of bread. It has a strong, woodsy flavor that is lovely when added in small amounts to scones and muffins as well as breads, but can otherwise be overpowering.
GRAINS
Gains are becoming more and more popular as an ingredient in breads and quick breads. However, before using grains in recipes, they frequently need to be soaked in water or milk to soften them.
Wheat
Wheat grains are available in man forms. Wheat berries are the whole wheat kernel, and need either soaking or actual boiling to soften them. Cracked wheat is simply cracked wheat berries that have been toasted fir a nutty flavor. Cracked wheat must be soaked briefly before using. Bulghur wheat is wheat berries that have been coarsely ground and par-boiled. Though not required, a brief soak in tepid water will make the bulghur nice and pliable.
Rye
Rye comes in several forms besides rye flour. Rolled rye is much like rolled oats, and does not need to be pre-soaked. Whole rye, or rye kernels, will require a long soak in boiling water before use. Both forms of rye are generally available in health food stores.
Oats
Oats have always been a popular addition to breads, cakes, cookies, and muffins. Rolled oats and oatmeal have been processed and therefore do not need to be pre-soaked. However, some recipes will call for pre-soaking since doing so will provide a softer texture to baked goods. Steel-cut oats, which are pieces of the whole wheat kernel, do need lengthy soaking.
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