Grain info and cooking chart 12-2

Yield: 1 info

Measure Ingredient
\N \N The Versatile Grain
\N \N and the
\N \N Elegant Bean
\N \N by Sheryl and Mel London
\N \N ISBN 0-671-76106-4

Wheat Flours:

White Flour: Basically white flour is the ground endosperm of the wheat without the bran and the germ. Because of its high gluten content, it is the perfect blend for use with other flours in baked goods.

* Bleached and Unbleached: Some white flour is bleached to make it even whiter than it is. Unbleached is preferable. * All-Purpose Flour: Available bleached or unbleached and is the everyday supermarket flour. It is a combination of high- and low-gluten flours. When sifted several times, it can be used as a substitute for pastry or cake flour. * Bread Flour: Milled from hard, high-gluten wheat, usually unbleached. * Pastry Flour: Milled from low-gluten soft wheat, it is of finer texture and is generally used for pastries and cakes. * Cake Flour: A feather-light flour that is bleached and used for baking cakes. When using it, add two extra tablespoons per cup of cake flour to equal one cup of all- purpose of unbleached flour. * Enriched: Some supermarket brands are sold as "enriched".

The milling and processing removes some of the natural ingredients, which are replaced by the manufacturer. * Self-Rising Flour: These brands contain baking powder and salt premixed for the consumer.

Whole Wheat Flour: This is hard wheat flour that retains the bran and germ of the whole wheat berry. Some supermarket brands remove some of the germ to increase the shelf life of the flour. Generally, the flour sold in health food stores is stone-ground and contains the nutrition of the whole berry. Whole-wheat flour turns rancid much more quickly than processed white flour; store it in the refrigerator if possible.

* Pastry Flour: Milled from soft whole wheat and used in the same way as white pastry flour. Sift the flour twice before measuring and then put the bran left in the strainer back into the flour. This will ensure a lighter product and will keep the flour from packing down. * Graham Flour: Named after its developer, who took whole wheat flour, ground the endosperm very finely and then returned the bran layers to the flour. It is coarser and flakier than whole-wheat flour. Some of the commercial brands have some of the germ removed to prolong shelf life.

Semolina Flour: Milled from the endosperm of hard durum wheat, it is not quite white, but more of a buttery-yellow color. Because it has a high protein content and hard starch granules, it is perfect for pasta products, allowing them to hold their shape in boiling water and yet be flexible enough to stretch during cooking.

Primarily used for pastas in the U.S. Used in India for pancakes called dosas, and vegetable pilafs. Also used for making couscous, the traditional North African and Middle Eastern dish. Couscous comes in two basic sizes in bulk, fine and medium. There are also prepackaged varieties; instant, requiring only soaking, and quick-cooking, taking about 5 minutes. Italians use semolina in baking bread and Middle East cooks use it for unusual and delicious desserts.

Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 03-16-95

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