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FLOUR is, by weight, the primary ingredient in yeast bread.
Flour provides food for the yeast and
structure to the loaf. When bread ingredients
are mixed together, the flour protein comes in contact
with the liquids and starts to form gluten.
Gluten is an interlocking
network of elastic strands which
traps the gases produced by the yeast.
As the dough is kneaded, the gluten network increases and
strengthens,
giving the dough the structure needed to support the weight and shape of the loaf.
High grade Flour is made from hard wheat and is high in gluten-forming
proteins, making it the
choice flour for yeast breads.
When the bread dough is mixed and kneaded, the extra gluten in this
flour yields a tall, well-formed
loaf with good structure.
All-Purpose
Flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat, and does not contain as much gluten as high
grade flour. This flour is suitable for quick bread and pasta recipes.
Whole Wheat Flour contains all three components
of the wheat kernel:
the bran, the germ, and
the endosperm.
Breads baked from whole wheat flour have a distinctive
nutty flavor derived from
the bran and germ.
Breads baked with this flour will be higher in fiber, and will produce a loaf lower
in height and heavier in texture.
To enhance the volume of these loaves for the bread maker it is
suggested that whole wheat flour is combine with high grade flour for improved results.
Rye Flour is high in protein but low in gluten, and must be combined with wheat flour to produce an
acceptable
loaf in the bread maker.
Rye flour may be referred to as light/medium
or
dark / pumpernickel
in color.
Light/medium
rye flour is made from the endosperm
of the rye grain,
and produces breads with a hearty, old-world country flavor.
Dark/pumpernickel
rye flour is ground
from the whole rye grain, and contains the bran, germ, and endosperm.
The texture of this flour is
courser and bakes up into a darker loaf. It is best suited for the dark pumpernickel
and rustic black
breads,
Semolina Flour is made by grinding durum wheat flour, and removing the bran and wheat germ to
form a rough grain flour.
It is highly prized as a pasta flour.
SALT acts as a yeast inhibitor.
It "chaperones"
the multiplying yeast cells and helps prevent
"overproofing".
It also strengthens
the gluten structure and enhances the flavor of other ingredients
in the recipe.
SWEETENERS
have numerous functions in the bread baking process.
They provide food for the
yeast and make the bread more moist and more tender.
Also, they add flavor to the bread and give
the crust a golden color when baked.
YEAST is a heat-sensitive,
living organism that becomes active when mixed with water and sugar.
Too much heat will kill the yeast.
When activated, the yeast gives off carbon dioxide.
A well-
formed gluten structure will trap the gas between its network of strands, allowing the dough to
stretch and rise. Rising is halted during the baking process when the heat kills the yeast.
Remember, always store yeast in a cool dry place, tightly sealed.
Use yeast before the expiration
date on the yeast package label.
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