Breville BEM410 Instruction Booklet page 25

THE vITAL INGREdIENTS
FOR BREAd MAKING
Flour is the most important ingredient used
for bread making. It provides food for the
yeast and gives structure to the loaf. When
mixed with liquid, the protein in the flour
starts to form gluten. Gluten is a network of
elastic strands that interlock to trap the gases
produced by yeast. This process increases as
the dough continues kneading and provides
the structure required to produce the weight
and shape of the baked bread.
White wheat flour sold as baker's, bread or
plain flour may be used. Plain flour is most
readily available, however, best results are
obtained with flour at least 11%-12% protein
content. For this reason, the recipes in this
book requiring bread flour have been made
with flour with 11% protein content. This is
normally indicated on the packaging. Do
not sift the flour or use self-raising flour for
bread making unless indicated in the recipe.
NOTE
When using a low-protein, plain, stone
ground or wholemeal flour the quality
of the bread can be improved by
adding gluten flour.
'dEFIANCE' BRANd BAKER'S FLOUR
This flour is available nationally at larger
supermarkets and was used for the
development of the recipes in this book that
required bread flour. It is a high protein,
white bread flour, with 11% protein.
New Zealand only:
'Elfin High Grade White Flour' or
'Champion High Grade Flour'. These are
high protein, white bread flours containing
12% protein.
Wholemeal wheat flour contains the bran,
germ and flour of the wheat grain. Although
breads baked with this type of flour will
be higher in fibre, the loaf may be heavier
in texture. Lighter textured bread can be
achieved by replacing 1 cup of wholemeal
flour with white bread flour.
Rye flour, popular for bread making, is low
in protein so it is essential to combine rye
flour with bread flour to make the bread rise
successfully. Rye flour is traditionally used
to make the heavy, dense Pumpernickel and
Black Breads.
Gluten flour is made by extracting the
gluten portion from the wheat grain. Adding
gluten flour can improve the structure and
quality of bread when using low-protein,
plain, stone ground and whole meal flour.
Bread mixes contain flour, sugar, milk,
salt, oil and other ingredients such as
bread improves. Usually only the addition
of water and yeast is required. Bread
mix brands such as 'Kitchen Collection',
'Defiance', and 'Lowan' are available
nationally from major supermarkets.
For recipe information on these and
other brands of bread mix contact the
manufacturer listed on the package.
New Zealand only:
Bread mix brands such as 'Elfin'
are available.
Bread improvers are available nationally in
supermarkets and health food stores. The
ingredients in a bread improver are usually
a food acid such as ascorbic acid (Vitamin
C) and other enzymes (amylases) extracted
from wheat flours.
Adding a bread improver will help
strengthen the dough resulting in a loaf that
is higher in volume, softer in texture, more
stable and has improved keeping qualities.
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