22 May, 2016
The Chemistry of Bread-Making
Bread baking involves quite some chemical reactions, and not only chemical, but biological as well.
I came across an article of bread baking chemistry I would like to share with you. They have a nice chart of what happens within the bread making process.
But not only the chemistry is important, the flour is important as well and flour is not just flour. There are many types of flour, not only the different grains, but also the method of milling makes a difference.
Here a table of different wheat flour types in the different countries. Similar charts you find on the internet fro rye and other grains.
| Ash | Protein | Wheat flour type | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | German | French | Italian | ||
| ~0.4% | ~9% | pastry flour | soft flour | 405 | 40 | 00 |
| ~0.55% | ~11% | all-purpose flour | plain flour | 550 | 55 | 0 |
| ~0.8% | ~14% | high gluten flour | strong or hard | 812 | 80 | 1 |
| ~1.1% | ~15% | first clear flour | very strong or hard | 1050 | 110 | 2 |
| >1.5% | ~13% | white whole wheat | wholemeal | 1600 | 150 | Farina integrale di grano tenero |