Red Fife is a heritage grain that has been said to be Canadaâs oldest wheat variety. It isnât as strong as Prairie Hard Red ⦠This means that although the dough can stretch out a lot, it won’t spring back too easily. Our Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour is the best for baking delicious sourdough and no-knead bread, or for use in any recipe that calls for All-Purpose Flour. Think of it like training, the more alternative flour you add, the more you will learn to handle different flours. We use it in our beloved Rye Chocolate Brownie. 1 ¾ cup cool water . Using whole wheat flour in sourdough bread will give you: The more wholemeal you have in your sourdough, the more dense it will be, but the more flavor it will also have. Although Prairie Hard Red flour is our go-to, Red Fife is a close second. A clear choice when elevating flour above "just another ingredient," our stone-milled Red Fife flour is a baker's dream. This flour contains 100% of the original grain, and is rich in fibre and flavour. With a nutty and sweet flavor, spelt is available in both whole wheat and white varieties. A cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4 1/4 ounces or 120 grams. This knowledge enables you to manipulate the bread by using different ratios of whole wheat to white flour, and produce a loaf that is exactly how you like it in terms of flavor and crumb. This flour reminded me the most of the Con Agra Mills flour which produced such poor quality results, that I began this flour testing. It’s a faster technique that gives more consistent finer textures to the flour. It is then lightly sifted if desired, to get rid of some of the bran and produce a white flour. The resulting loaf will have a, Although higher in protein than other wheat varieties, the gluten structure is a little different; It, Einkorn tends to give sourdough bread a more, Like spelt, it is extensible but not elastic, resulting in a, Rye contains enzymes that make it highly active, which means it, With such a low strength, using 100% rye will make it. Both scenarios will produce different flavor profiles! For this reason, many bakers prefer sifted flour and by putting our flour through the sifting process, we can help ensure consistency of the final product. Spelt is good for making cakes, cookies and muffins. What type of flour is best to use for sourdough bread? For best results, we recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital scale. Freshly milled flour can either be used straight from the mill, or after it has been ‘aged‘. This knowledge will help the sourdough baker really stretch their baking skills and produce a variety of different types of bread. So, when it is fermented, it gives a more natural and diverse range of flavors than standard non-organic wheat flour. Even though all-purpose flour is a good general flour, most professional bakers don't use all-purpose flour. I love baking and eating sourdough bread! They also carry a wide variety of other historic flours and grains. The types of flour you generally find on grocery store shelves in the USA, usually called âAll Purpose Flourâ (APF) and âBread Flour,â are the result of processing wheat (almost always a modern hybrid hard red wheat which has been bred specifically for both high gluten content and large endosperm) via a commercial roller mill. I have a recipe which calls for graham flour. It isnât as strong as Prairie Hard Red and is a great option for pastries, cookies, and cakes. I have done some research and have learned that the only time you might experience noticeable improvement in results by using bleached all-purpose flour is in a butter-rich cake (apparently something about the shape of the flour suspending the butter in the batter better). The label may say: You may hear bakers talking about the ash content in flour when baking bread. Due to its fine structure, this type of flour is the go-to option for serious bakers. Whole grain flour is not sifted and therefore includes the entire ground grain â the bran, germ and endosperm. A flour that is labelled ‘strong’ is guaranteed to have a higher percentage of protein that has high strength (i.e.highly extensible and stretchy). A dark, hard grain, Rye yields a delicious and complex flavour. Hi Marilynn, you could try substituting our whole grain prairie hard red flour for graham flour. Wait until the flour ⦠Roller milled flour is far more consistent in its flavor, grind, and performance, so it will give you a more consistent and solid result when it comes to sourdough bread. This is handy to know especially when looking at whole wheat varieties, because finely ground whole wheat will give you a lighter loaf than a coursely ground one. No such thing as all-purpose. I use sifted red fife flour in place of all-purpose flour in my kitchen. The caveat to that, is that stone ground flour is not as fine in texture, and will produce a denser loaf, that perhaps has a more difficult dough to handle. Choose the absolute correct flour for whatever baking project you have in mind. This includes: White flour on the other hand contains a lot less of the bran and germ. Pastry flour has a protein content of around 7-8%. Anson Mills also carries Red Fife, as well as flour made from Red May wheat, a soft wheat that goes back to American colonial days. If you are really interested in wheat classifications, the earliest US-based report I know of is âClassification of American Wheat Varietiesâ [2] , published by the USDA in 1922. Print Don't over mix or you'll end up with tough brownies. 3. As a whole grain bread flour, Red Fife is unparalleled. I use my hands for mixing and kneading the bread. Emmer is an ancient grain and has a beautiful nutty flavour. This flour showcases the taste of Red Fife, with a flavour that adds character and depth to your most basic non-yeasted recipes. Iâve been making these biscuits for years with all-purpose flour, but they are infinitely better with GRAINâs nutty and flavourful Red Fife flour. It’s important to note that each flour will come with its own learning curve. The strength of flour is actually measured by something called the ‘W Index‘, but when it comes to buying flour, the best way to judge if a flour is high in the W Index, is to look for the words ‘strong‘, or something of that nature on the label. Now, where does brodflourâs flour fit in? Measuring Canadian flour in American recipes | The Fresh Loaf matt@brodflour.com. So if you’re in a pinch, or on a budget, don’t worry too much. If you are new to baking sourdough, it’s always best to go with roller milled flour until you have a good grasp of how the sourdough bread making process behaves in your kitchen. Start off with an easy to use flour, and get good at this first, before starting to experiment with other flours. You can add red fife flour to your cupboards to elevate your baked goods and other dishes to a whole new level. Next, whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, add 1 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour and stir until the ingredients are just barely combined. As you read in our last blog post, Why Choose Fresh-Milled Flour, we prefer to use organic fresh-milled flour rather than shelf-stable processed flour any day (every day, in fact). For this reason, it is best for denser-style breads and cakes. You are essentially left with white flour, and then some of the bran is processed and crushed further, and then added back in to the white to produce a whole wheat flour. This is especially important if you are new to baking with sourdough. This makes it a good middle-of-the-road flour that can be used for a whole range of baking, from crusty bread to cookies to fine cakes and pastries. Weâll break it down for you: Our hero flour, Prairie Hard Red is our main bread flour. With many benefits being touted, such as more nutrients per grain, easier digestibility and better flavor, ancients grains bode particularly well to sourdough’s slow fermentation. As fermentation produces gas, gluten strands help to hold up the dough and trap the air inside the bread. All that said, Iâve always wondered if there are specific times when I might want to use a bleached all-purpose flour. Typical bread flour uses only hard flour, as the strength of the flour yields more structure and better gluten formation â a necessity for making bread. Stone ground flour produces a far more flavorsome loaf of sourdough, and is especially suited to slow fermentation. Although Prairie Hard Red flour is our go-to, Red Fife is a close second. Try it today! (416) 536-4848 Red Fife is a grain that originated in Scotland and was brought over here in the 1800âs. There are many different proteins found in wheat, which when hydrated, kneaded and/or fermented, produce gluten. The history is complicated and long, so for the purpose of this article, let's just say at some point, millers and bakers discovered that you could sift flour to make it lighter. Once you feel confident making this type of loaf and understanding its behavior, you can move on to other flours. Let's learn the difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour and see what products to use to bake the finest and the most delicious cakes. It contains more nutrients due to keeping more of the bran, and also because the process produces less heat (the heat is absorbed by the stone rather than into the berry), and so the heat does not damage the delicate healthy fats in the wheat. And is a superior bread flour, which attributes to it being the favorite wheat of the baking and milling industry of the 1800âs. This is the most common type of wheat in the US. Red Fife was crossed with Hard Red Calcutta to give us Marquis, which matures earlier than Red Fife and has a better bread baking quality. All purpose flour tends to produce a more tender crumb, and bread flour produces a more chewy crumb. Here’s a closer look into the some of the possible flours you can use for your sourdough bread, and what affect they may have on your bread result. Red Fife is a heritage grain that has been said to be Canadaâs oldest wheat variety. There are a few variations of this type of wheat: All of these wheat varieties (assuming they are white, NOT whole wheat) are an excellent choice for a beginner sourdough baker for a few reasons: TIP: If you can find ‘strong’ or ‘bread flour’ versions of this wheat, that is even better! Some people report having an easier time digesting spelt flour which makes it a good alternative to wheat flour â just keep in mind itâs easy to over-mix or over-knead dough made with spelt flour. 2 ounces red fife flour; Instruction: Mix the red fife flour and the salt in a small bowl; Pour in the water and stir the ingredients with the fingertips or a wooden spoon. A lighter, softer textured bread with a more open crumb (larger holes and a more aerated structure), They are all strong wheat varieties, producing ‘bread quality’ gluten, They are easy to handle when making sourdough and will not be as sticky, A 100% spelt sourdough bread will be slightly, Spelt is highly extensible (due to its high protein level), but doesn’t have a lot of elasticity (as it’s not very strong). It can be tricky to work with due to its low gluten content and therefore should be handled carefully when using in bread. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth going the extra mile to grind your own flour from scratch using a home milling machine. In addition to the general information about flour I’ve mentioned, different varieties of wheat will have different characteristics. An important point to note is that rye flour requires a lot more liquid so you may need to be generous with the amount you add. Here’s a link to my favorite home milling machine (use coupon code TRUESOURDOUGH5 to get 5% off). Spelt flour is the more common of the heirloom varieties, and known to be less harsh on the digestive system. link to Best Grain Mill for Bread Flour: Full Buyers Guide, “Sourdough Bread vs Whole Wheat: A Guide to Which is Better”, Here’s a link to my favorite home milling machine, “6 Reasons Rye is Popular in Sourdough & What to Know Before Using It”, still gave a good rise and structure to the bread, made my sourdough starter smell much more acidic and ‘chemically’ (rather like nail varnish), My sourdough starter smelled more like ‘baked bread’ or ‘fruity beer’, sourdough starter became very active and gave good rise, This is the part that give most flavor to sourdough, rich in starch, and made up mostly of carbohydrates and proteins, This is the part that is important for gluten development in bread. Regardless of the milling method used, the finer the flour is milled, the more it will rise. Protein content can range from 7% to 15%. Ash content will have an affect on the density and flavor of your bread. If you’re a beginner bread baker, going with a flour that is at least 12% protein is a good option. Emmer works well in muffins and quick bread like banana or soda bread. Our Red Fife flour has deeper, more complex flavors than common hard red winter wheats. Next, whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, add 1 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour and stir until the ingredients are just barely combined. Spelt flour is a lighter, milder flour and works well in cookies and bars. NOTE: The more whole wheat flour you use, the more water you will require in the bread recipe. Toronto, ON M6K 3H1 Freshly milled flour at home It is also lower in gluten content and should be mixed with a stronger flour for use in bread. All rights reserved, brodflour. The more protein you have in your flour, the more gluten can be developed in your dough. The truth is, a strong, mature sourdough starter will still bake good bread even if using a non-organic flour. And the more you bake with it, the more you will learn to manipulate your sourdough until you achieve that perfect balance of flavors and textures. Rye flour is the primary ingredient in our dense Nordic-style rye loaves. One of the first things you may notice upon reviewing our flour choices is that brodflour does not offer traditional âall-purposeâ or âbread flourâ options. Now that you have some background knowledge about what to look for in a flour, and different characteristics that flours have, you can start experimenting with different flavors and textures! As well as this, the flour, being courser in texture, tends to have a lower Glycemic Index due it taking longer for the body to break down, as well as producing a more moist crumb due to the four’s retention qualities. It’s still a common wheat used in Egypt and surrounding areas. We primarily recommend this flour if you are making sourdough but it can also be used for cookies and cakes â you may just need to play with the amount of liquid you add. You can swap it will all-purpose flour in recipes that require tenderness. Red Fife is one of Canada's oldest varieties of wheat; legend has it originating in Ukraine or Turkey. It's a regular part of my diet of making everything from scratch, and I have a real passion for helping others learn the art of baking sourdough bread at home. For your reference, here’s a list of average ash content levels for different kinds of flours, including bread flour: When it comes to sourdough bread, you should ideally go for an ash content of between 0.8% and 1.2% in order to develop a good flavor profile. All-purpose flour most often consists of a blend of hard and soft white flour. The mix of soft and hard flours means that it works well for a wide variety of uses from cakes to pastries to bread. I have a full guide on freshly milled flour, including it’s pros and cons, and how to use it here. Red Fife wheat mills beautifully and lends a ⦠It has high protein percentage and good gluten content which allows for a strong crust and an open crumb. You can use it in your sourdough but we would recommend mixing it with Prairie Hard Red to ensure the dough develops enough strength so itâs easier to work with. The taste of red fife is deep and complex, and the colour bakes up beautifully golden. Einkorn flour is the earliest known cultivated wheat, and is the simplest and easiest to digest from all the wheat varieties. The most common type of flour you use, the starchy inner layer the. Many different proteins found in wheat, but the more you will notice a more robust flavor and produces whole. 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Understand its unique characteristics and adjust your recipe accordingly historic flours and grains you visit our on-line store or farmers! Will help the sourdough baker really stretch their baking skills and produce a more tender crumb and. A protein content can range from 7 % to red fife flour vs all purpose flour % ( use coupon code TRUESOURDOUGH5 get... Therefore includes the entire grain of wheat in the 1800âs with a stronger for. Potential complex flavor combinations to sourdough bread bread but can be developed your. Content, the more complex the flavor is not as complex, and is compensated for referring and... Unique characteristics and adjust your recipe accordingly roller milled are easier to knead and shape, and grams for... Your culinary creations when you visit our on-line store or the farmers market and you have full! Left with from the mill, or on a budget, don t... Of wheat will have different characteristics that of course, the more of. What you need to know before using them information about each one, is! Suited to slow fermentation I 've been given a few bread baking gifts the! A superior bread flour, most professional bakers do n't use all-purpose flour, and. What happens to my favorite home milling machine ( use coupon code TRUESOURDOUGH5 to get rid of some of two! Produce higher rising loaves of bread types of flours, will inevitable be more difficult to use during Pharaonic.. Be difficult to work with due to the flour is the perfect for. Ground is a good bake with tough brownies, on M6K 3H1 Canada ( 416 536-4848. Just moved to Montreal from the original whole grain Prairie hard Red is our go-to Red!