What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
flour? Are they interchangeable?

Also, has anyone used their cocoas, specifically the double-dutched
cocoa, and the Bensdorp dutch process cocoa? Thoughts?

I'm pretty sure I can get most of their more "mundane" flours locally at
stores with high turnover; by mundane, I mean AP, bread, and WW flours.
Doubting I'll have much luck with pumpernickel, rye and whole wheat
pastry flour, but I can buy those at the local natural foods co-op
(non-KA branded,though) which also has high product turnover.

I've become a bake-o-maniac! I need a 12-step program for bake-o-holics!

TammyM

"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
> flour? Are they interchangeable?
>
snip
> TammyM

Ask this question at alt.bread.recipes.There are a lot of knowledgeable and
friendly people there.
Janet

"TammyM" wrote:
>
>> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
>> flour? Are they interchangeable?
>>

Bread flour is high gluten flour. Now it depends on how high is high
and of what function. Which flour to use is determined by what you
desire to bake. For most everything folks bake at home ordinary AP
flour works fine and so do the various brands. Flour is not an exact
product (they're actually blends to obtain a particular gluten value),
every wheat harvest is different... it's very easy to convince oneself
psychologically that one brand of flour is better than another... it
never ceases to amaze me how people can be made to believe that a
basic staple foodstuff is better because it costs more, is in a
fancier package, it's more difficult to locate... this is all called
"marketing".

brooklyn1 wrote:
> "TammyM" wrote:
>>> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
>>> flour? Are they interchangeable?
>>>
>
> Bread flour is high gluten flour. Now it depends on how high is high
> and of what function. Which flour to use is determined by what you
> desire to bake. For most everything folks bake at home ordinary AP
> flour works fine and so do the various brands. Flour is not an exact
> product (they're actually blends to obtain a particular gluten value),
> every wheat harvest is different... it's very easy to convince oneself
> psychologically that one brand of flour is better than another... it
> never ceases to amaze me how people can be made to believe that a
> basic staple foodstuff is better because it costs more, is in a
> fancier package, it's more difficult to locate... this is all called
> "marketing".

But if you look at the nutrition label of various brands of bread flour,
protein content varies. Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of The Bread Bible)
only recommends King Arthur, Gold Medal and Pillsbury flours, and
advises always to check nutrition label on any brand of flour one buys
for bread making purposes. She asserts that 4g of protein per 1/4 cup
of flour is the benchmark. I know I'm forgetting part of her advice on
this, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll look it up.

Thank you for your response, Sheldon. I'm still trying to perfect my
bread making skills, and my family and friends hope I never achieve
perfection because they love my failures :-)

I have the artisan bread book that Barb has mentioned on request at my
local library. Most of my bread making over the past couple of months
has been using the machine - my chronic tendonitis makes kneading
difficult. I'll be using the Kitchen Aid to knead my "by hand" efforts

TammyM

brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> "TammyM" wrote:
> >
> >> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
> >> flour? Are they interchangeable?
>
> Bread flour is high gluten flour. Now it depends on how high is high
> and of what function. Which flour to use is determined by what you
> desire to bake. For most everything folks bake at home ordinary AP
> flour works fine and so do the various brands. Flour is not an exact
> product (they're actually blends to obtain a particular gluten value),

It's a little bit more complicated than that. A large flour
mill will also have a test kitchen where they actually bake
loaves of bread to evaluate rising qualities and crumb.
Flour has perhaps the most complex production process of
any commodity. The flow sheet for a large flour mill is
comparable in complexity to a petroleum refinery. Many
intermediate products are obtained and blended to make
the various grades of flour.

> every wheat harvest is different... it's very easy to convince oneself
> psychologically that one brand of flour is better than another... it
> never ceases to amaze me how people can be made to believe that a
> basic staple foodstuff is better because it costs more, is in a
> fancier package, it's more difficult to locate... this is all called
> "marketing".

It's also expertise developed over many years. I can
believe that some brands may be better formulated than
others. They may also use different equipment, and
a different number of rollers in the breakdown of the
wheat berry. Flour is made by passing the wheat between
grinding rollers that have progressively finer teeth.
The final rollers are called scratch rollers because
the grooves between the teeth are more like scratches
in the surface of the roller.

"TammyM" wrote
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>>>> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
>>>> flour? Are they interchangeable?

Both are 'high gluten' which means the same this time as a high protein
flour.

>> Bread flour is high gluten flour. Now it depends on how high is high
>> and of what function. Which flour to use is determined by what you
>> desire to bake. For most everything folks bake at home ordinary AP
>> flour works fine and so do the various brands. Flour is not an exact

Depends on method there as far as 'AP' goes.

> But if you look at the nutrition label of various brands of bread flour,
> protein content varies. Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of The Bread Bible)
> only recommends King Arthur, Gold Medal and Pillsbury flours, and advises
> always to check nutrition label on any brand of flour one buys for bread
> making purposes. She asserts that 4g of protein per 1/4 cup of flour is
> the benchmark. I know I'm forgetting part of her advice on this, so if
> anyone is interested, let me know and I'll look it up.

Not to worry, alt.bread.recipes can help there.

> Thank you for your response, Sheldon. I'm still trying to perfect my
> bread making skills, and my family and friends hope I never achieve
> perfection because they love my failures :-)

Hehe you will be perfect in the 'other' group'

> I have the artisan bread book that Barb has mentioned on request at my
> local library. Most of my bread making over the past couple of months has
> been using the machine - my chronic tendonitis makes kneading difficult.
> I'll be using the Kitchen Aid to knead my "by hand" efforts

We even have an artisan expert there. Oh, and we use many different tools
and dont worry about it. I use a bread machine due to medical issues and
some of the folks use a KA as well for same reason. Last note, top posting
there is common and allowed because several are blind and thats how the
screen reader software works (not all, just some of them).

"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>> "TammyM" wrote:
>>>> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
>>>> flour? Are they interchangeable?
>>>>
>>
>> Bread flour is high gluten flour. Now it depends on how high is high
>> and of what function. Which flour to use is determined by what you
>> desire to bake. For most everything folks bake at home ordinary AP
>> flour works fine and so do the various brands. Flour is not an exact
>> product (they're actually blends to obtain a particular gluten value),
>> every wheat harvest is different... it's very easy to convince oneself
>> psychologically that one brand of flour is better than another... it
>> never ceases to amaze me how people can be made to believe that a
>> basic staple foodstuff is better because it costs more, is in a
>> fancier package, it's more difficult to locate... this is all called
>> "marketing".
>
> But if you look at the nutrition label of various brands of bread flour,
> protein content varies. Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of The Bread Bible)
> only recommends King Arthur, Gold Medal and Pillsbury flours, and advises
> always to check nutrition label on any brand of flour one buys for bread
> making purposes. She asserts that 4g of protein per 1/4 cup of flour is
> the benchmark. I know I'm forgetting part of her advice on this, so if
> anyone is interested, let me know and I'll look it up.
>
> Thank you for your response, Sheldon. I'm still trying to perfect my
> bread making skills, and my family and friends hope I never achieve
> perfection because they love my failures :-)
>
> I have the artisan bread book that Barb has mentioned on request at my
> local library. Most of my bread making over the past couple of months has
> been using the machine - my chronic tendonitis makes kneading difficult.
> I'll be using the Kitchen Aid to knead my "by hand" efforts
>

When you are over at alt.bread.recipes ask about the stretch and fold
technique in lieu of kneading. Check out the faq for the group. There is a
wealth of information in it.

Debbie

"Debbie" wrote:
>"TammyM" > wrote:
>> brooklyn1 wrote:
>>> "TammyM" wrote:
>>>>> What is the functional difference between high gluten flour and bread
>>>>> flour? Are they interchangeable?
>>>>>
>>>
>>> Bread flour is high gluten flour. Now it depends on how high is high
>>> and of what function. Which flour to use is determined by what you
>>> desire to bake. For most everything folks bake at home ordinary AP
>>> flour works fine and so do the various brands. Flour is not an exact
>>> product (they're actually blends to obtain a particular gluten value),
>>> every wheat harvest is different... it's very easy to convince oneself
>>> psychologically that one brand of flour is better than another... it
>>> never ceases to amaze me how people can be made to believe that a
>>> basic staple foodstuff is better because it costs more, is in a
>>> fancier package, it's more difficult to locate... this is all called
>>> "marketing".
>>
>> But if you look at the nutrition label of various brands of bread flour,
>> protein content varies. Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of The Bread Bible)
>> only recommends King Arthur, Gold Medal and Pillsbury flours, and advises
>> always to check nutrition label on any brand of flour one buys for bread
>> making purposes. She asserts that 4g of protein per 1/4 cup of flour is
>> the benchmark. I know I'm forgetting part of her advice on this, so if
>> anyone is interested, let me know and I'll look it up.
>>
>> Thank you for your response, Sheldon. I'm still trying to perfect my
>> bread making skills, and my family and friends hope I never achieve
>> perfection because they love my failures :-)
>>
>> I have the artisan bread book that Barb has mentioned on request at my
>> local library. Most of my bread making over the past couple of months has
>> been using the machine - my chronic tendonitis makes kneading difficult.
>> I'll be using the Kitchen Aid to knead my "by hand" efforts
>>
>
>When you are over at alt.bread.recipes ask about the stretch and fold
>technique in lieu of kneading.

Buncha sadistic masochists... yoose ain't gettin' near my peepee.

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
news
> "Debbie" wrote:
snip
>>When you are over at alt.bread.recipes ask about the stretch and fold
>>technique in lieu of kneading.
>
> Buncha sadistic masochists... yoose ain't gettin' near my peepee.

Snork!!! You made me laugh! I'm still chuckling. . .thanks.
Janet

On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:40:19 -0400, brooklyn1 wrote:

> "Debbie" wrote:
>>
>>When you are over at alt.bread.recipes ask about the stretch and fold
>>technique in lieu of kneading.
>
> Buncha sadistic masochists... yoose ain't gettin' near my peepee.

i'm sure your dick is soft enough to fold. if only it was long enough.

blake