Everything You Need To Know About Flour: Explain Which Flour Is Best For Which Cakes

Two-thirds of Lithuanians bake at home and even one-fifth began to do so more frequently during their quarantine, according to a survey. The new group of bakers and the increased demand for flour also increase the dilemmas: which flour is better for which bakery?

“If you think wheat and rye flour is the only division you need to know, you are very wrong. If you use a strong gluten-rich flour for fluffy cakes, they will become bitten and crisp, and if you use a weak flour for bread, It just won’t rise. Therefore, the main thing to pay attention to is the labeling of the flour. In Lithuania, we mark the flour with letters that indicate the firmness of the flour, the amount of gluten and the numbers on which the flour depends. whiteness of the flour ”, assures Aistė Kazakauskienė, Quality Manager of Malsena, in a press release.

The numbers 405, 550, 812 on the flour indicate the ash content or the color of the flour. The lower the number, the whiter the flour will be. Loose cookies should look as floury and fluffy as possible, but bread may contain ashes and the minerals it contains, as it is a food for yeast bacteria. For this reason, type 405 is the most popular choice for loose cakes and 550 or 812 for bread.

Letters must also be taken into account. The letters (B, C, D, E) indicate the amount of gluten that determines the structure of the dough. For baked, yeast or bread doughs, the gluten content must be higher, so choose the flour with the letter closest to the beginning of the alphabet. For baking shortbread cakes or cookies, low-gluten flours marked with the letters D or E are also suitable.

“Although gluten is viewed ambiguously today, it is actually the simplest wheat protein. While dry, wheat proteins have no structure, but when mixed with water, they change their shape, form bonds with each other and become elastic protein structures. They can stretch and expand strongly, thus shaping the dough. These unique properties of gluten elevate the bread, make baked products soft and fluffy, and do not allow them to fall ”, says the expert.

How to know for which cakes which flour to choose?

1. Universal: flour of the highest quality

This is the most popular flour in Lithuania, marked 550D. This flour has a slightly higher protein content, making it extremely versatile and can be used for pancakes, bread, and cakes.

“These flours are stronger because they have more protein (gluten) and their ash content is higher. In American and British recipes, this flour could be equated with the equivalent of “all-purpose flour.” Here it is important to pay attention to the preparation of the pastry – if you bake loose cakes, do not mix the dough with this flour, and if you bake bread – on the contrary, take the time to knead to form strong gluten bonds “, says the specialist .

2. Wheat flour for cakes

Another popular type of flour is the one marked 405D, because it is a whiter and fluffier flour, they are suitable for various confectionery products, cookies, shortcrust dough. In American and British terminology, this flour would correspond more closely to baked flour. pastry flour) alternative.

“This is a very fluffy, fluffy and finely ground” Royal “first class wheat flour. This flour is best suited for cakes that should be soft but retain their structure, such as cupcakes, tarts and galate base. They are perfect for everything. anyone who likes to bake cookies, donuts, minced dough cakes, cottage cheese cakes, crunchy cakes and even branches ”, says the expert.

3. “Extra” wheat flour

“Extra” means wheat flour, which, thanks to a special milling technology, has a special granular structure that can be seen with the naked eye. This flour is also marked 405D, which means it is extremely white, making it perfect for fluffy cookies and cakes.

“For our” Extra “minced wheat flour, only 3 kg of wheat flour from 100 kg of grain are selected. It is an exceptional product, also known as groats or the name” kruppachata “remembered since ancient times. When preparing the dough , the flour is evenly distributed in it and does not jump into lumps, they are mixed quickly and easily until a homogeneous dough is obtained. When mixed with water, these flours do not develop dense gluten bonds in the dough, so they are not replaced in the preparation of extremely fluffy cakes, such as cake cookies, pies, buns, muffins. In English, this flour would be the closest to the equivalent of pastry flour. However, we will not bake bread or leavened cakes from such flour , this flour is definitely not suitable for them ”, says the specialist.

4. Flour with raising agents – “Spontaneous rising”

Aging is one of the most important baking processes, creating the desired structure and shape of the dough. The leavening agents are already mixed evenly in this flour.

“They are ingredients of the highest quality yeast dough and wheat flour in a single package, mixed in the most suitable proportions for home production. The ingredients are mixed with the help of special technologies, which ensures a uniform and uniform distribution. Therefore, you will achieve the best results when making pastries at home: cupcakes, cakes, biscuits, cookies or simply sponge cakes for breakfast. In Western Europe, this type of flour is very popular, in Lithuania it continues to gain ground among the most popular ones, ”says A. Kazakauskienė.

5. Wheat flour from all parts of the grain

Whole wheat flour gives the product a denser structure. Also, cakes with this flour will be “heavier”, so it will not rise, which is why in baking they are often mixed with common wheat flour.
“Whole wheat flour often has more protein, but all the grain in it prevents gluten from forming because it makes the dough hard. In addition, whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid, so when replacing the usual flour in recipes with whole wheat flour, the liquid proportions are also controlled ”, adds the expert.

This flour is especially suitable for baked bread products, because the whole grain of this flour is great food for the natural yeast bacteria.