FLOUR, THE VARIOUS TYPES AND THE GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND IT AND USE IT BEST-

THE STARTER, THE YEASTS, AND THE TECHNIQUES-

THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER, MIXER OR PLANETARY MIXER AND KNEADING BY HAND.

THE GLUTEN MESH, THE STRINGING, THE FOLDING AND THE TEMPERATURES-

BREAD COOKED IN POT

When we talk about flours very often, we do not attribute the right value to one type compared to another and we end up putting everything in the same cauldron, forgetting instead that each flour has particular characteristics that make it suitable for one or another preparation.

• Flour
• The strength of flour
• The ashes of flour
• Flour proteins
• Durum wheat flour
• The starter
• Can brewer’s yeast or dry yeast be defined as natural yeast?
• Brewer’s yeast table
• Dry yeast tables
• Sourdough table
• Characteristics and preparation of natural yeasts
• Biga
• Poolish
• Sourdough
• LI.CO.LI
• The water temperature
• Dough with the mixer (or planetary mixer)
• Dough by hand
• Gluten mesh
• How to tell when a dough is strung
• Folds
• Particular attention should be paid to temperatures
• Bread baked in a pot

Flour

Let’s see together the types of flour that are obtained from soft wheat and  their use as well as the differences in strength, proteins and a whole series of parameters necessary to choose one or the other.

Depending on the part of the wheat that is ground, different types of flour are obtained which, due to their composition and strength, are used for different preparations.

Flour 00

It is the flour that is obtained from the maceration of the innermost part of the wheat seed and contains practically nothing since in the grinding process all the elements rich in fiber, vitamins and mineral salts are eliminated. 00 flour is easily processed but does not provide nutrients to the body. There are many debates about this flour that, depleted of its raw material, is rich in sugar.

Flour 0

Slightly less refined than 00, 0 flour is widely used in baking because it is very glutinous.

Flour Type 1

It contains a fairly high amount of bran and wheat germ that make sure that this flour is also rich in nutrients useful for the body. Type 1 flour is used for bread, pizza, cakes, bakery products.

Flour Type 2

Much more fibrous and coarser ground, type 2 is a semi-wholemeal flour but easier to work than wholemeal. Flour 2 rises more slowly and less than 0 and 00 precisely because of its less refined grinding. Type 2 flour is used for bread, pizza, cakes, bakery products.

Whole wheat flour

A grainy consistency determined by a grinding almost not at all refined, wholemeal flour is the one with the highest number of nutrients since this flour contains the entire grain of wheat in all its parts. Despite a limited use in Italy because it is more difficult to work, this flour is the best kind if it is stone-ground allowing the grain not to overheat and lose its properties.

The strength of flour

The flour is also classified according to its strength or its ability to absorb liquids during processing and retain carbon dioxide during processing (so as to guarantee a “hot” result) and is measured according to the gluten protein (gliadin + glutenin together). Strong flour is mainly used for long-rising products such as bread, pizza and leavened Easter and Christmas products, while weak flour is suitable for products that do not require long leavening or that do not leaven much such as shortcrust pastry, brisé dough and so on. The strength of wheat flour is identified on the basis of parameters shown on the packages (marked with the letter W) and which indicate that the flour in question has been subjected to mechanical tests that have allowed it to be classified in a certain way; the measurement scale ranges from 130 to 400.

The ashes of flour

It is necessary to classify flours also according to their “ashes” or mineral salts that remain intact after the refining of the flour itself. The lower the ashes, the more refined the flour:

Flour proteins

As for ashes, proteins are another necessary parameter for the classification of flours in Italy. Gliadin and glutenin, gluten proteins, are the most important and the minimum values present in the flours on the market are the following:

Durum wheat flour

Unlike soft, white wheat flour, durum wheat flour has an amber color and is also known as semolina. It differs from re-milled semolina which is ground twice and therefore much less grainy than basic semolina. As for ashes and types of durum wheat flour we have semolina with 0.90% ash, semolina with 1.35% ash, whole durum wheat semolina with 1.80% ash and durum wheat flour with 1.70% ash. On a nutritional level, durum wheat flour is much richer than soft wheat flour but is not used for the preparation of leavened products (except together with a strong soft wheat flour) instead finding a massive use in the preparation of pasta, fresh and dried.

The starter

Some use a starter to prepare the sourdough, i.e., a small amount of fruit, yoghurt, sugar, honey, or brewer’s yeast to quickly engage the fermentation of the dough.

I do not recommend this method, because the sourdough so forced will tend to lose strength and quality over time. Better to use only water and flour with a lot of patience.

Can brewer’s yeast or dry yeast be defined as natural yeast?

A subject on which numerous debates have been opened and which today we will try to clarify. The answer is no. Now you are wondering why…I answer by saying that despite having a population of yeasts belonging to the same family, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae, brewer’s yeast cannot be defined as natural yeast because the bacterial component, the lactobacilli, is not present.

Now, the brewer’s yeast, and the dry yeast that we find on the market is an industrial product which, according to the strain it comes from, has different fermentative capacities. 

Obviously, using this type of yeast has speeded up the production processes, but still today, let us not forget, natural yeast (Biga, Poolish, Sourdough, LI.CO.LI) it is essential for the production of some pastry products, pizza, bread, panettone, colomba, pandoro, etc… Why? Because these products develop a specific flavor and aroma due to the different fermentations a dough undergoes, due to the different way the yeasts work and the balances that are formed, which means that fermentation and leavening based on beer can not give. 

This is one of the main reasons why panettone is not made directly with a single dough, but with two doughs, consequently very long and defined fermentation times. 

The natural yeast is responsible for a rather long fermentation process, while the brewer’s yeast used in the direct or indirect method with the biga, poolish or in any case with a pre-dough method, is a simpler and shorter method.

Brewer’s yeast and Dry yeast tables

Having said that, it is possible to derive some maximum times. So here are, shown schematically, 3  conversion tables of  leavening times in relation to the quantity of yeast (brewer’s yeast in the first, dry yeast in the second , and sourdough in the third), starting from  1 kg of 00 or 0 flour . Remember that these are indicative times, which take into account only up to a certain point the numerous external factors.

Brewer’s yeast table

Table of leavening times for 1 kg of 00/0 flour mixed with brewer’s yeast

Warning: in the case of dry brewer’s yeast, the times may increase. Read the instructions on the packaging as many dry yeasts need to be activated before use. In general, 1 g of dry yeast = 3 g of fresh yeast, so pay attention to the proportion!

Dry yest table

Table of leavening times for 1 kg of 00/0 flour mixed with dry yeast

Warning: in the case of dry yeast, the times may increase. Read the instructions on the packaging as many dry yeasts need to be activated before use. 

I recommend Caputo Yeast, a traditional Italian-made dry active yeast made from the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae.                                                                                                                                                                                       

Sourdough table

Table of leavening times for 1 kg of 00/0 flour mixed with sourdough

Remember that in the case of sourdough, another variable must also be taken into account, namely the strength of the yeast itself, which depends above all on age, type of flour and frequency of use.

Natural yeasts

Characteristics and preparation of natural yeasts:

Biga

Poolish

Sourdough

LI.CO.LI

PREMISE:

The flour already contains bacteria and yeasts, which are single-celled organisms belonging to the kingdom of fungi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast). In the same way, air and surfaces also host these microorganisms which, in contact with water and in the right environmental conditions, can multiply. The leavening can be direct, semi-direct, or indirect.

• Direct leavening is the unique leavening of a single dough that is obtained with large quantities of brewer’s yeast, or chemical yeast.
• The semi-direct leavening is the one obtained with the carryover dough.
• Indirect leavening is obtained using biga, poolish, or sourdough.

OBSERVATION:

The micro-organism most present in all yeasts, including sourdough, is the “Saccharomyces Cerevisiae“, a unicellular organism, belonging to the kingdom of fungi, which reproduces by budding. This micro-organism constitutes brewer’s yeast and is a fungus that dies at a temperature of 65°C – 149 °F.

Since the cooking temperature of leavened products is much higher, it is evident that intolerance to brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae), mentioned by some, does not actually exist, also because it would presuppose intolerance also to sourdough, which, containing the same micro-organism, can not, evidently, be the alternative. Of course, using brewer’s yeast in direct dough, with forced leavening, we will never have a good final product and it is true that the bread produced in this way is not very digestible, as it is true that it can cause abdominal swelling. This happens because the fundamental chemical transformation processes cannot be started and the important components that can only be obtained with long fermentation times are not developed. It is better not to use, therefore, brewer’s yeast for a direct leavening, but only as a starting point to prepare the biga, or poolish.

In sourdough (or sourdough), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, instead of being isolated and selected as in brewer’s yeast, develops within a complex microflora composed of many microorganisms. This microflora includes (quote):…. “several species of Saccharomyces (mainly exiguus and cerevisiae but also ellipsoideus) and Candida, and, among the lactic acid bacteria, includes heterofermenting and homofermenting species of the genus Lactobacillus (brevis, sanfranciscensis, casei, plantarum, acidophilus etc.) and of the genera Leuconostoc Pediococcus and Weissella.”

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is widespread in nature. It is sold under the name of “Brewer’s yeast”, because, originally, it was obtained from the fermentation of beer, while today it is produced on a molasses base. It does not contain protein, does not contain gluten and contains only and exclusively “noble yeasts”.

Sourdough is a mixture of flour and water left to ferment with the addition of elements rich in bacteria and sugars, so that it turns into a culture of micro-organisms, also absorbed by the environment. It contains “noble yeasts”, but can also contain “wild yeasts”, produced by contamination of the surrounding environment and by the hands of those who knead repeatedly and which are harmful to health.

In this sense, each sourdough is different from the other and you can not know exactly its composition.

The biga can be considered a sourdough always fresh. Instead of producing the “Saccharomyces” micro-organisms from scratch, as is the case for sourdough, we introduce a minimum amount of Cerevisiae (brewer’s yeast), in the initial dough and let it reproduce and ferment, in a natural way, for the necessary hours. The biga, being always fresh, not needing remix, ferments in a protected environment, does not develop wild yeasts and has more strength than sourdough.

This is also the reason why sourdough is never used in leavening that requires great strength, such as pizza, if not combined with brewer’s yeast.

Curiosity: not everyone knows that the biga is a great invention, all Italian and is an excellent alternative to sourdough, healthier and also cheaper since there is no waste.

That said, far be it from me to want to demonize the wonderful sourdough. Allow me just to give a little advice: if you really want to try your hand at sourdough, at least prepare it yourself from scratch.

-Do not go and take those centuries old kneaded and re-kneaded by a thousand unknown hands and containing who knows what myriad of bacteria of all kinds. It’s okay that then everything cooks, but a minimum of hygiene, even in these things, does not hurt us. What do you think? It is not at all difficult to prepare it, I did it myself, even the first time, without any difficulty. The commitment is only to keep it always alive.

Biga

For a SHORT biga fermented for 16-20 hours, the ideal temperature is around 18°C – 64 °F.

For a LONG biga fermented from 36 to 48 hours, you will first have to ferment the biga in the refrigerator at +4°C / 39 °F for about 12/24 hours and then you will have to let it mature at 18°C – 64 °F for the last 24 hours.

Flour 0 or 00 bread-making

• 45/50% cold water
• 1% yeast

EXAMPLE:

• 500g. strong flour

• 240g. Waterfall

• 5 g. Brewer’s yeast

or

• 1.7g. Dry yeast

The final temperature of the biga must be around 18 – 20°C / 64 – 68°F (below 20°C). If the dough is colder, it will need higher fermentation. Conversely, if too hot, it will not only ferment too quickly, but will develop excessive (lactic) acidity, which could compromise the recipe (the final dough will be very sticky and difficult to work with).

In summer (with an ambient temperature above 25°C – 77 °F), we can slow down the fermentation by reducing the yeast to 0.7% of the weight of the flour.

In Winter, on the contrary, we can favor fermentation by increasing the amount of water to about 50% of the weight of the flour, and increasing the yeast to 1.1% (only if the ambient temperature drops below 15°C – 59 °F).
The bread made with the biga will have larger and irregular alveoli. The quantity of biga to be used is equal to 30/50% compared to the weight of the flour.

Poolish

Poolish, or liquid biga, is very similar to Biga. The difference lies in hydration, in fact the percentage of water is 100%, that is to say the same weight of water and flour.

In the case of flours with high absorbency, the percentage of water must be increased until a semi-liquid mixture is obtained.

The fermentation times, with the same percentage of yeast, are lower and the poolish, always with 1% yeast and always depending on the temperature, will be mature earlier than the biga (from 12 hours upwards). It is recommended to use warm water (about 30° C – 86°F).

Bread made with poolish will have smaller, regular alveoli and a crispier crust. The amount of poolish to be used is equal to 30/50% compared to the weight of the flour.

EXAMPLE:

Poolish ready in 2 hours >> we will put 3% brewer’s yeast on the weight of the flour.

Poolish ready in 4 hours >> we will put 1.5% brewer’s yeast on the weight of the flour.

Poolish ready in 8 hours >> we will put 0.75% brewer’s yeast on the weight of the flour.

Poolish ready in 12 hours >> we will put 0.4% brewer’s yeast on the weight of the flour.

Poolish ready in 18 – 24 hours >> we will put 0.2% brewer’s yeast on the weight of the flour.

* The amount of poolish to use is proportional to the amount of dough you want to make. Typically, 30%. So, if you want to prepare 1 kg of dough you will have to prepare about 300 g of Poolish:
If you put 3% of brewer’s yeast for a poolish that will have to be ready in 2 hours, it means that we will have to take 30% of the total flour to be used (1000), which will be 300g. (300*3% = 9 g.), to which we will add 9 g. of brewer’s yeast, and 300g. of water.
If we use dry yeast, it will be 9/3 = 3 g.

Sourdough

Ingredients:

• 200 g of flour 0 or 00 breadmaking
• 100 g lukewarm water
• 1 g. Salt

Knead everything and form a ball. Place it in a container and make a cross incision on its surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 48 hours in a warm place (25°C – 77°F).

After 48 hours, take 100 g of dough (which will be fermented), add 100 g of flour and 50 g of water.

Let stand for 48 hours.

Continue like this for 4 days. If mold forms, throw everything away and start again. Now, you can bake.

The proportion will be 150 g of sourdough per 500 g of flour (30% of the flour).

Keep the remaining sourdough in the refrigerator and refresh 2 times a week. Before using it, it should always be refreshed the day before and removed from the fridge 4 hours before to activate it.

Li.Co.Li

Li= Yeast, Co= culture, LI= LiquidIngredients:

• 50 g of flour 0 or 00 breadmaking quality
• Same amount of water

Stir until a homogeneous dough is obtained. Cover with a clean cloth that lets the air through. Put to mature in a sheltered place for 24/36 hours (depending on the temperature) until fermentation begins. You will smell alcohol. The ideal temperature is between 24 and 28 °C – 75 and 82 °F.

At this point and if everything has gone well and there is no mold, make the first refreshment with these doses:

• 30 g fermented dough
• 30 g new flour
• 30 g water

After 24 hours, make a second refreshment and continue, every 24 hours, for 7 days. On the eighth day, if it doubles in volume in 4/5 hours, do two refreshments. Otherwise, continue with refreshments every 24 hours until you get the result. Once ready, use it in the proportion of 200 g on 500 g of flour (40% of the flour).. Store the rest in the refrigerator and refresh when it doubles and before it collapses. It should always be refreshed before use.

The water temperature

The water temperature also plays an important role, together with the environmental one, to ensure the correct final temperature of the dough, which should not exceed 23 – 25 ° C / 73 – 75 ° F.

Only and exclusively taking the time you need, the result will be excellent because the bread needs its leavening times which, if hurried, ruin the final result.

Dough with the mixer (or planetary mixer)

The mixer must be equipped with the appropriate hook for kneading.

Start by mixing the ingredients with the accessory called “hook”, at low speed. When the dough begins to be consistent, and knead until you reach the complete stringing, that is, until the dough comes off the container gathering in the center in a smooth and elastic ball.

If the dough rolls up along the hook, stop the mixer and remove it.

Cover for the first leavening.

Dough by hand

After mixing the ingredients, coarsely, in a bowl, move the dough on a floured surface and knead from bottom to top without ever turning the dough upside down.

After about 10-15 minutes, the dough should be well strung and will no longer stick to the top and hands.

Lift the dough and put it back in the bowl and cover.

Gluten mesh

The flour contains enzymes, (including proteases and amylases), proteins (such as gliadin and glutenin) and starches. Enzymes are activated by water.

Proteases process proteins by breaking them down, while amylases transform starches into sugars.

Sugars nourish yeast cells that produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethyl alcohol through bacterial action.

Gliadin and glutenin combine to form gluten. Gliadin makes the dough extensible, glutenin makes it resistant.

Gluten is able to form a very dense mesh (gluten mesh) that traps the carbon dioxide produced and tries to get out of the dough.

This causes the dough to swell (leavening). Gluten, therefore, is formed thanks to the action of water in flour.

Thanks to the gluten mesh, leavened products grow in width and height becoming soft and light.

One of the methods to facilitate the formation of the gluten mesh is to let half of the flour rest with all the water for at least half an hour (hydrolysis). Both mechanical and hand kneading, if excessive, can lead to the breakage of the gluten mesh.

How to tell when a dough is strung

If kneaded by hand, or with the waiting method, the dough will be strung when it is no longer sticky and will appear smooth, consistent, homogeneous and elastic (it will not tear stretching it).

If you knead with the planetary mixer, you will see that the dough will form a ball and will come off the edges leaving the basket clean. It could also climb along the hook.

Straining a flap, it will not break and will become thin enough to form a veil. If kneaded with the bread machine, the dough will form a smooth and compact ball and will detach from the walls of the basket.

Folds

Do not confuse stringing techniques with folding.

Folding is practiced after stringing and after the first leavening and serves to strengthen the structure of the gluten mesh (which, once formed, begins to relax) so that it retains as much as possible the gases useful for leavening.

At the same time, it accelerates the fermentation process and expels gases already produced and no longer useful.

The folding further oxygenates the dough, makes it smoother and more compact and allows it to increase in volume and grow in height. If repeated several times, it redistributes free sugars, favoring the metabolism of yeasts.

Without the folds, the meshes of the dough remain wider and there is a risk of gas and air escaping.

With the folds, the dough around the yeast cells is renewed, allowing them to feed and regenerate by eliminating toxic products. The fermentation of the dough will be more active and the volume more developed. Folding is essential in case of very hydrated doughs.

NOTES

In the final leavening of the product it is essential to double the mass, the time indicated in the recipes is related to a series of variables. The insertion of water in a dough greater than 60% of the total flour must be gradual, always waiting until the previously inserted water has been well absorbed by the dough.

In general, if you knead with a plunger arms mixer, the processing time will be longer than that required if you use a spiral

For the leavening of the breads that we have made, we recommend a classic room temperature of 20 – 24 ° C – 68 – 75 ° F except for the bread where a temperature of 26 -28 ° C / 75 – 82 ° F is required.

To leaven a product means to increase its volume. The leavening can also take place in the refrigerator, taking into account that the cold slows down the yeasts while the enzymes that transform complex sugars into simple continue to produce others so as to give the bread a more intense color and a more humid crumb.

Particular attention should be paid to temperatures:

• respecting the final temperature of the dough indicated in the recipe is essential;           

• it is advisable, during the kneading phase, to measure the temperature of the mass;

• if you miss the final temperature of 3 – 4 ° C / 37 – 39 ° F degrees less you can try to recover waiting 20 – 30 minutes and giving a fold to the dough, in this way you stimulate the yeasts to work again.

To bake bread at home it is advisable to use a refractory stone with a thickness of 1/1.5 cm to be placed inside the oven, preheated 30 – 45 minutes before.

For home ovens that have the ability to regulate humidity you can bake for the first 5 minutes with 80 – 90% humidity, while the rest of the cooking must be done dry. It is advisable, in the last two minutes of cooking, to slightly open the oven door to facilitate the escape of steam.

The bread once cooked and cooled can be kept for the day at room temperature covered with a cotton cloth or in a classic paper bag for bread.

For those who, at home, want to freeze the bread, once cooled, can put it in tightly closed plastic food bags, taking care to remove the air.

To regenerate the bread, let it rest for about 20 minutes out of the freezer, then bake at 200 – 210° C / 390 – 410° F, the time necessary to regain its crunchiness. The only advice is to always put salt (even in sweet products) after about two minutes from the formation of the dough and as the last ingredient of your homemade bread, when gluten begins to form.

Bread baked in a pot

A bread baked in a pot?

In the homemade oven to bake bread should be sprinkled with water before baking the loaf. This is to increase the humidity in the cooking compartment and thus allow the bread to further develop its leavening avoiding that the crust hardens.

In the pot, on the other hand, the humidity that forms inside the small space is sufficient. Thus begins the baking of bread with the pot closed and then uncover it in the last 10/15 minutes and thus give the possibility to the crust to become crispy and the color of honey.

Depending on the flours you have in your pantry, you can experiment with different combinations.

Do not forget to equip yourself with a pot with a lid preferably made of cast iron with a diameter of 22 – 24 cm. It is good that it is also made of earthenware, steel, aluminum, as long as it has the lid and all the finishes suitable for the oven, without plastic parts.

I place an aluminum plate at the base of the pan to prevent the bottom of the bread from burning further.

If you use parchment paper for bread, flour the part in contact well, to ensure that the dough does not stick to the paper, preventing it from reducing the volume of the bread.