What kind of flour is better

Choosing flour is not easy. Which one to prefer? Finely ground, but without nutrients or peeled, coarse, but very useful. It turns out that it all depends on what you are going to bake: sweet rolls or pancakes.

Which variety is better?

Higher. It would seem that this variety should be the best. However, for those who think about the nutritional value of flour, and about the taste, too, this is not at all the case. The fact is that the premium flour, of course, is distinguished by the finest grinding, but in fact it is absolutely not useful, and even harmful, since it is made mainly from that part of the grain where there are very few vitamins, and there is a lot of starch, from endosperm.

This flour is good for rich sweet pastries: rolls, pastries, cakes.

First. The grind is slightly coarser than the premium grade. The flour of the first grade also contains a small amount of crushed grain shells, which already contain useful substances and vitamins.
This flour is used for savory pastries, pies and kulebyak.

Second. The grind is even coarser and more hulls are used. This flour is rough, grayish or creamy. Best of all, pancakes, pancakes, waffles, dumplings are obtained from it. Buns and other similar baked goods usually do not work without the addition of higher grade flour, since flour gives a rather coarse, quickly stale dough.

Wallpaper. This is what we call whole grain flour. It contains both the germ and the shell of the grain - the most useful parts. But its disadvantage is that without the addition of finer flour, baking will not work out of it, the buns will be too tough.

Shelf life

High-quality flour without preservatives - no more than six months. If a longer period is indicated on the package, this is a reason to be wary. Perhaps "chemistry" was added to the flour.

Appearance

Colour. White with a cream shade. If, when a drop of water is added to a small amount of flour, the color does not change, then you have come across a high-quality product, if it turns reddish, then bran was added to the flour, bluish - the wheat was unripe.

To the touch. If you squeeze good flour, it should crunch a little. If the lump after compression did not crumble, it means that the flour is damp.

Smell. Flour should not smell like rotten and musty. Another bad sign: the aroma of sour dough.

Taste. Good flour tastes sweet and pleasant. Also, the flour should not crunch on the teeth, this indicates the presence of impurities.

Marking

Look for the PCT badge and "Voluntary Certification" on the packaging. This means that the manufacturer has passed the test, and the flour does not contain harmful impurities. There is also an inscription "ecological product" - this is the same voluntary and thorough check.

Package

Only a paper bag. The point is that paper allows flour to breathe, and free, breathable flour will live much longer. Plastic packaging is death to flour.

How to store

so that insects do not start in the flour, you need to put two cloves of garlic in the bag.
a few bay leaves will protect the flour from moisture, they will absorb excess water if you put them next to it.
do not buy flour in stock and always check the shelf life.

In addition to wheat

Buckwheat. A very popular flour in Russian cuisine. But it is imperative to add wheat to it, otherwise all products will fall apart: there is absolutely no stickiness in buckwheat flour.But it contains vitamins of group B and a lot of vitamin PP, as well as fluorine, copper and potassium.

Corn. It is used in many national dishes; without it, hominy and polenta cannot be obtained. Often cakes and bread are baked from it. Corn flour is a good remedy for anemia, stimulates bile secretion and intestinal motility, helps to normalize blood circulation, strengthen the cardiovascular system, and slow down the aging process. It removes fat accumulations from the body.

Chickpea. Just like flaxseed flour, it has good sticky properties, so it is ideal for baking without eggs. Chickpea flour is a good source of potassium, calcium, zinc and protein. It contains a lot of soluble dietary fiber, the so-called complex carbohydrates, which our body needs for health.

Millet. As in buckwheat flour, there is little gluten. But there are many benefits: vitamins of group B and vitamin PP strengthen the nervous system, stimulate memory, and fluoride, magnesium, iron, calcium strengthen bones and teeth, make hair shiny and restore normal metabolism.

MODERN FLOUR VARIETIES

Today, modern industry offers 5 varieties of wheat flour:

grains,
premium flour,
flour of the first grade,
flour of the second grade,
wallpaper

and two varieties of rye flour:

sown
peeled.

All these varieties, both in the past and in the present, differ from each other in the size of grinding and the ratio of the peripheral parts of the grain (shell and embryo) and flour grain (endosperm).

Wheat flour varieties differ from one another in yield (the amount of flour obtained from 100 kg of grain), color, ash content, varying degrees of grinding (particle size), the content of bran particles, and the amount of gluten.

According to the percentage yield of flour when grinding grain, flour varieties are divided into:

grit 10% (it is obtained only 10% of the total amount of grain in a volume of 100 kg.),
top grade (25-30%),
first grade (72%),
second grade (85%) and
wallpaper (about 93-96%).

The higher the flour yield, the lower the grade.

Krupchatka - consists of uniform small grains of light cream color, which are particles of endosperm (grains) with a size of 0.3-0.4 mm, does not contain shells and soft powdery particles.

There is almost no bran in it. It is rich in gluten and has high baking properties. Grit is produced from special varieties of wheat and is distinguished by the larger size of individual particles.

It is advisable to use this flour for such products as cakes, pastries, etc. For unsuitable yeast dough, grit is of little use, since the dough from it is poorly suited, and the finished products have poor porosity and quickly stale.

Flour of the highest grade - consists of finely ground (0.1-0.2 mm) particles of endosperm, mainly internal layers.

It differs from grains in that grains are not felt between the fingers when rubbed.

Its color is white with a slightly creamy shade.Premium flour contains a very low percentage of gluten. The best category of the highest grade is called "extra". Often used as a thickener in sauces and also suitable for baking.

This type of flour is most common in the manufacture of the highest grades of flour products. Wheat flour of the highest grade has good baking properties, products made from it have a good volume and fine developed porosity.

First grade flour - soft to the touch, finely ground, white with a slightly yellowish tinge. Flour of the first grade has a fairly high content of gluten, which makes the dough from it elastic, and the finished products are of good shape, large volume, pleasant taste and aroma.

First grade flour is good for uncooked baked goods. (rolls, pies, pancakes, pancakes, sautéing, national types of noodles, etc.), and for baking various bread products... Finished products from it stale more slowly.

Second grade flour - consists of particles of crushed endosperm and 8-12% of the mass of flour of crushed shells. Flour of the 2nd grade is larger than the flour of the 1st grade. Particle sizes 0.2-0.4 mm. The color is noticeably darker due to the high content of the peripheral parts of the grain - usually white with a yellowish or grayish tint. It is white in color with a noticeable yellowish or brown tint, contains up to 8% bran, it is much darker than the first-class. It is light and dark.

Such flour is better in terms of baking quality - baking from it turns out to be fluffy, with a porous crumb. It is mainly used for baking table varieties of white bread and non-flavored flour products. It is often mixed with rye flour. This flour is used in the manufacture of some confectionery products (gingerbread and cookies).

Wallpaper flour (wholemeal flour) - is obtained by grinding the whole grain.

The flour yield is 96%. The flour is coarser, the particles are less uniform in size.

It is produced from all types of soft wheat varieties, it contains 2 times more bran than flour of the 2nd grade, color with a brown tint. In wallpaper flour, the content of bran particles is the highest.

In terms of its baking properties, it is inferior to varietal wheat flour, but has a higher nutritional value.

The shells of grain contain protein substances, vitamins of groups B and E, mineral salts of calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium. The kernel of the grain is rich in starch and contains significantly less protein and other nutrients than its peripheral layers. therefore flour made from whole grain or with the addition of finely ground bran in their nutritional value is significantly superior to high-grade flour.

Wallpaper flour used mainly for baking table breads, and rarely used in cooking.

Coarse wallpaper flour is the largest flour grinding. Accordingly, the wallpaper flour is sifted through a coarse sieve.

During wallpaper grinding, absolutely all components of the grain remain in the flour. This is the flower shell of the grain, and the aleurone layer, and the grain embryo. Accordingly, all the biological value of whole grain and all its healing qualities for the human body are preserved in wallpaper flour.

Flour is fine and coarse.

Wholemeal flour - whole grain flour. With coarse grinding, almost all the grain is ground into flour, which consists of large particles, contains cell membranes, bran (2nd grade wheat, wallpaper).

Fine flour Is flour from the endosperm, i.e. the inner part of the grain. With fine grinding, white flour, tender, consists of small particles of grain, the outer layers of which are removed (wheat 1st grade, premium grade). Contains mostly starch and gluten, and virtually no fiber.

The finer the grinding and the higher the grade of flour, the less proteins and especially minerals, vitamins, and more starch in it. As for the terminology, the coarsely ground grain is called meal, and the finer grain is called flour.

Flour obtained from a single grinding can be called "whole grain" (since all parts (100%) of the whole grain: fruit and seed coats, embryo, endosperm particles, etc. remain in the flour). However, until recently, it was better known under the names "fodder" or "fodder".

It is worth noting that flour, ground in a mortar, in a coffee grinder or on the rollers of the grinding system at a mill, will be very different from each other, and their baking properties will also differ.

Of course, you can carefully read the composition (if specified). Study the expiration date: Experienced housewives say that the best flour is the one that was made a week or at least a month ago. But by and large, these two parameters do not guarantee successful pies. Flour from the same manufacturer, with the same name, can be different. At the exit, the quality will depend on how the flour was ground, and on what it was transported in, where it was stored. In one store, the batch will lie in a dry room on wooden pallets, in another - on the floor in a damp basement, and now someone will get airy flour, crumbly, and someone - with lumps. To figure out whether you were lucky this time or not, it will only work at home. After…

✓ Open the package and carefully look at its contents. Flour of the highest grade (this is what our today's expertise is devoted to) - snow-white or with a cream shade, there are no lumps or impurities in it.

✓ Smell the flour. The right flour smells like endless fields, free wind and bottomless sky with cloud feathers. And the wrong one - a musty basement ...
In general, if it has deteriorated, you will definitely feel it. Flour, by the way, easily absorbs odors. Therefore, if it was stored or transported with something wrong, you will also unmistakably determine that.

✓ Touch. The good-quality flour is dry and silky to the touch. It sticks to your hands, and if you squeeze it with your fingers, it crunches melodiously.

✓ Try it. To taste, the correct flour is almost bland or slightly sweet, without a bitter or sour aftertaste. If it crunches on the teeth, there is sand or other mineral impurities in the flour - they come from poorly refined grains, which, of course, is unacceptable.

Important indicators

In laboratories, in order to determine the quality of flour, it is not only sniffed and touched, but also passed through devices and sifted. As a result, such parameters are added to taste and smell as ...

1. Moisture content. If this figure is too high, the flour can quickly deteriorate. Ideally, humidity should not exceed 15%.

2. Coarseness of grinding. Fine flour absorbs moisture faster, which means that the dough kneads and fits faster.

3. Falling number (NP). Knowing it, you can predict how the bread crumb will turn out. With an emergency of less than 250 seconds, the crumb will stick together, and the bun itself will turn out to be low. In case of emergency for about 250 seconds, the crumb, if you press on it with your finger, will quickly restore its shape. But with an emergency of about 400 seconds, it will be dense, and the bun will be firm and, moreover, with an unimportant taste.

4. Mass fraction of gluten. The higher the grade of flour, the more gluten it contains and the more magnificent the baked goods are. In premium flour, gluten is 28% or more, in general-purpose flour - about 23%, and buns made from it are not so airy (however, this flour is healthier).

Five varieties of wheat flour

Krupchatka. It is produced from special varieties of wheat and has a large particle size. Rich in gluten, suitable for baking cakes and pastries. But the uncooked yeast dough made from such flour does not suit well, besides, the bread quickly becomes stale.

Flour of the highest grade. It has the finest grind and the whitest color. It has a very low percentage of gluten. It is used as a thickener in sauces and is also suitable for puff pastry, shortcrust pastry and yeast dough. Ideal for baking bread.

First grade flour. Compared to premium flour, it contains more sugars and fiber. Suitable for uncooked pastries - rolls, pies, pancakes.Products from it do not stale longer.

Flour of the second grade. Contains up to 10% of grain shell particles. Suitable for baking table types of bread and uncomfortable flour products. It is often mixed with rye flour.

Wallpaper flour. It has the coarsest grind and is made up of all parts of the grain, which is why it is commonly referred to as whole grain. For obesity, diabetes and heart disease, doctors advise eating bread from this flour.

How it all began

The very first device for making flour was a grain grater - a primitive mechanism of two stones, between which grains were ground. The first mills appeared 3-4 thousand years ago. At first, they were rotated by slaves and pets, then they began to use the energy of water and wind. In the 18th century, Scottish mechanic James Watt "crossed" the mill with the steam engine he invented. In 1822, Mark Miller from Warsaw made a fundamentally new flour mill, replacing stone millstones with light rollers - hollow metal drums, between which the grains were ground into flour. This technology is still used today.

A word to an expert

Tatyana ANOKHINA, head of the test center of the SEAC "SOEKS" of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

Wheat flour of the highest grade is the “poorest” one. It is extremely low in protein, vitamins and minerals. But it is the most popular, and only from it lush biscuits and mouth-watering buns are obtained. Six samples of such flour have been tested in our laboratory. In terms of safety indicators, all of them comply with the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 021/2011 "On food safety", all comply with the requirements of GOST R 52189-2003 "Wheat flour. General technical conditions ". We did not find any foreign impurities or GMOs of plant origin in them. It was extremely difficult to choose the winners: the subjects were very worthy. We were able to determine the first, second and third places only when we summed up the best indicators. As a result, the gold went to Makfa flour, silver to Sokolnicheskaya, and bronze to Nordic, largely due to the fact that this flour is made from organic grain.

Text by Evgeny Danilov

Test: wheat flour *

JSC "Melkombinat in Sokolniki", Moscow	JSC "MAKFA", Chelyabinsk region	OJSC "Lukhovitsky flour mill", Moscow region	ZLAK Combine of Bread Products, Chelyabinsk Region	JSC "Petersburg Mill Plant", St. Petersburg	Finland
12 months	12 months	6 months	12 months	12 months	12 months
Not detected	Not detected	Not detected	Not detected	Not detected	Not detected
55	58	56	54	54	55
10,6	11,3	11,6	10,9	14	11
30	33	28	28	30	28
318	524	413	397	394	396
1	0,5	0,9	1,5	3,5	2,2
Sokolnicheskaya will be stored longer than competitors - it contains very little moisture. Add to this the excellent grind and the best falling number (it affects the quality of the future crumb), and it turns out that this contestant is one of the best today.	This flour is the leader of today's competition. Moreover, it is the leader in several indicators at once: whiteness, grinding coarseness, gluten content. Baking from it will turn out soft and fluffy. Congratulations to the winner!	The shorter the shelf life, the better. This rule does not apply to flour. It is usually stored for a year. Lukhovitskaya is slightly inferior in terms of indicators to most of the competitors - perhaps that is why the manufacturer has reduced its shelf life.	The grinding coarseness and moisture content of this flour are at a height, but the rest of the indicators are average. Before us is such a classic middle peasant. For such a price - quite a satisfactory result.	This flour has the largest grind, which means that the dough from it will ripen longer. The moisture content is also quite high. But this does not mean at all that this flour is of poor quality. All her indicators are within the normal range.	It's nice that this flour is organic (hence such a high price). You can eat homemade buns and think that they are healthier than those that Aunt Klava's neighbor has. Perhaps, this contestant is no different from the others. All indicators are average.

* Thank you for your help in conducting the SEAC "SOEKS" test

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Which variety is better?

This flour is good for rich sweet pastries: rolls, pastries, cakes.

Shelf life

High-quality flour without preservatives - no more than six months. If a longer period is indicated on the package, this is a reason to be wary. Perhaps "chemistry" was added to the flour.

Appearance

To the touch. If you squeeze good flour, it should crunch a little. If the lump after compression did not crumble, it means that the flour is damp.

Smell. Flour should not smell like rotten and musty. Another bad sign: the aroma of sour dough.

Taste. Good flour tastes sweet and pleasant. Also, the flour should not crunch on the teeth, this indicates the presence of impurities.

Marking

Package

Only a paper bag. The point is that paper allows flour to breathe, and free, breathable flour will live much longer. Plastic packaging is death to flour.

How to store

so that insects do not start in the flour, you need to put two cloves of garlic in the bag.
a few bay leaves will protect the flour from moisture, they will absorb excess water if you put them next to it.
do not buy flour in stock and always check the shelf life.

In addition to wheat

Buckwheat. A very popular flour in Russian cuisine. But it is imperative to add wheat to it, otherwise all products will fall apart: there is absolutely no stickiness in buckwheat flour. But it contains B vitamins and a lot of vitamin PP, as well as fluorine, copper and potassium.

Corn. It is used in many national dishes; hominy and polenta cannot be produced without it. Often cakes and bread are baked from it. Corn flour is a good remedy for anemia, stimulates bile secretion and intestinal peristalsis, helps to normalize blood circulation, strengthen the cardiovascular system, and slow down the aging process. It removes fat accumulations from the body.

MODERN FLOUR VARIETIES

Today, modern industry offers 5 varieties of wheat flour:

grains,
premium flour,
flour of the first grade,
flour of the second grade,
wallpaper

and two varieties of rye flour:

sown
peeled.

According to the percentage yield of flour when grinding grain, flour varieties are divided into:

grit 10% (it is obtained only 10% of the total amount of grain in a volume of 100 kg.),
top grade (25-30%),
first grade (72%),
second grade (85%) and
wallpaper (about 93-96%).

The higher the flour yield, the lower the grade.

Krupchatka - consists of homogeneous small grains of light cream color, which are particles of endosperm (grains) with a size of 0.3-0.4 mm, does not contain shells and soft powdery particles.

There is almost no bran in it. It is rich in gluten and has high baking properties. Grit is produced from special varieties of wheat and is distinguished by the larger size of individual particles.

It is advisable to use this flour for products such as cakes, pastries, etc. For unsuitable yeast dough, grit is of little use, since the dough from it is poorly suited, and the finished products have poor porosity and quickly become stale.

Flour of the highest grade - consists of finely ground (0.1-0.2 mm) particles of endosperm, mainly internal layers.

It differs from grains in that grains are not felt between the fingers when rubbed.

Its color is white with a slightly creamy shade. Premium flour contains a very low percentage of gluten. The best category of the highest grade is called "extra". Often used as a thickener in sauces and also suitable for baking.

This type of flour is most common in the manufacture of the highest grades of flour products. Wheat flour of the highest grade has good baking properties, products from it have a good volume and fine developed porosity.

First grade flour - soft to the touch, finely ground, white with a slightly yellowish tinge.Flour of the first grade has a fairly high content of gluten, which makes the dough from it elastic, and the finished products are of good shape, large volume, pleasant taste and aroma.

Second grade flour - consists of particles of crushed endosperm and 8-12% of the mass of flour crushed shells. Flour of the 2nd grade is larger than the flour of the 1st grade. Particle sizes 0.2-0.4 mm. The color is noticeably darker due to the high content of the peripheral parts of the grain - usually white with a yellowish or grayish tint. It is white in color with a noticeable yellowish or brown tint, contains up to 8% bran, it is much darker than the first-class. It is light and dark.

Such flour is better in terms of baking qualities - baking from it turns out to be fluffy, with a porous crumb. It is mainly used for baking table varieties of white bread and non-flavored flour products. It is often mixed with rye flour. This flour is used in the manufacture of some confectionery products (gingerbread and cookies).

Wallpaper flour (wholemeal flour) - is obtained by grinding the whole grain.

The flour yield is 96%. The flour is coarser, the particles are less uniform in size.

In terms of its baking properties, it is inferior to high-quality wheat flour, but has a higher nutritional value.

Wallpaper flour used mainly for baking table breads, and rarely used in cooking.

Coarse wallpaper flour is the largest flour grinding. Accordingly, the wallpaper flour is sifted through a coarse sieve.

During wallpaper grinding, absolutely all the components of the grain remain in the flour. This is the flower shell of the grain, and the aleurone layer, and the grain embryo. Accordingly, in wallpaper flour, all the biological value of whole grain is preserved, and all its healing qualities for the human body.

Flour is fine and coarse.

Flour obtained from a single grinding can be called "whole grain" (since all parts (100%) of whole grain: fruit and seed coats, embryo, endosperm particles, etc. remain in the flour). However, until recently, it was better known under the names "fodder" or "fodder".

It is worth noting that flour, ground in a mortar, in a coffee grinder or on the rollers of the grinding system at a mill, will differ greatly from each other, and their baking properties will also differ.

Of course, you can carefully read the composition (if specified).Study the expiration date: Experienced housewives say that the best flour is the one that was made a week or at least a month ago. But by and large, these two parameters do not guarantee successful pies. Flour from the same manufacturer, with the same name, can be different. At the exit, the quality will depend on how the flour was ground, and on what it was transported in, where it was stored. In one store, the batch will lie in a dry room on wooden pallets, in another - on the floor in a damp basement, and now someone will get airy flour, crumbly, and someone - with lumps. To figure out whether it was lucky this time or not, it will turn out only at home. After…

✓ Open the package and carefully look at its contents. Flour of the highest grade (this is what our today's examination is devoted to) - snow-white or with a cream shade, there are no lumps or impurities in it.

✓ Touch. The good-quality flour is dry and silky to the touch. It sticks to your hands, and if you squeeze it with your fingers, it crunches melodiously.

✓ Try it. To taste, the correct flour is almost bland or slightly sweetish, without a bitter or sour aftertaste. If it crunches on the teeth, there is sand or other mineral impurities in the flour - they come from poorly refined grains, which, of course, is unacceptable.