Which flour is the most delicious? Which flour is healthier? Which yeast to choose for baking homemade bread

Choosing flour is not an easy task. Which one should you prefer? Finely ground, but without useful substances, or peeled, rough, but very useful. It turns out that it all depends on what you are going to bake: sweet buns 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 true. The fact is that high-grade flour, of course, is distinguished by the finest grinding, but in essence it is not at all useful, and even harmful, since it is made mainly from that part of the grain where there are very few vitamins and a lot of starch, from the endosperm.

This flour is good for baking sweet pastries: buns, pastries, cakes.

First. The grind is quite a bit coarser compared to the highest grade. First grade flour also contains a small amount of crushed grain shells, which already contain useful substances and vitamins.
This flour is used for savory baked goods, pies and pie.

Second. The grind is even coarser and even more grain shells are used. This flour is coarse, grayish or creamy. It makes best pancakes, pancakes, waffles, and dumplings. Buns and other similar baked goods usually cannot be made without adding higher grades of flour, since flour produces a rather rough dough that quickly becomes stale.

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 adding finer flour, baking will not work out of it; the buns will be too hard.

Shelf life

High-quality flour without preservatives lasts no more than six months. If the packaging indicates a longer period, this is a reason to be wary. Perhaps “chemicals” were added to the flour.

Appearance

Color. White with a cream tint. If, when adding a drop of water to a small amount of flour, the color does not change, it means you got a quality product; if it turns reddish, then bran has been added to the flour; if it turns bluish, the wheat was unripe.

To the touch. If you squeeze good flour, it should crunch slightly. If the lump does not crumble after compression, it means the flour is damp.

Smell. Flour should not smell rotten or musty. More bad sign: Sour dough aroma.

Taste. Good flour has a sweet and pleasant taste. The flour should not crunch on your teeth, this indicates the presence of impurities.

Marking

Look for the PCT and “Voluntary Certification” symbol on the packaging. This means that the manufacturer has been tested and the flour does not contain harmful impurities. There is also the inscription “ecological product” - this is the same voluntary and thorough check.

Package

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

How to store

• To prevent insects from growing 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 placed nearby.
• do not buy flour in stock and always check the expiration date.

Except wheat

Buckwheat. A very popular flour in Russian cuisine. But you must add wheat to it, otherwise all the 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; without it you won’t get mamaliga and polenta. Often flat cakes and bread are baked from it. Corn flour - good remedy against anemia, stimulates bile secretion and intestinal motility, helps normalize blood circulation, strengthen the cardiovascular system, and slow down the aging process. It removes fat accumulations from the body.

Chickpeas. Just like flaxseed flour, it has good adhesive 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 that our body needs for health.

Millet. Like buckwheat flour, there is little gluten. But there are many benefits: B vitamins 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.

If you are sure that flour dishes are harmful to your figure, it’s time to break stereotypes. Nowadays many types of flour are produced, and, knowing the characteristics of each, you can eat tasty, satisfying and without risks to slimness.

Wheat flour

The most common flour in everyday life is obtained from wheat grains. Thanks to the universal properties of wheat flour, its use in cooking is almost limitless. Flour is used to bake pastries, fry flatbreads and pies, add to sauces, and make breading for deep frying.

Wheat flour is produced in 6 grades: semolina, extra-class, premium, first, second grade and wallpaper. In dietary nutrition, it is better to use second-grade flour and wholemeal flour - they have the lowest calorie content and a high content of vitamins and microelements. At home, you can make whole grain flour and flour of the 1st and 2nd grades. Wheat bran is added to premium wheat flour in appropriate proportions. They must be ground in a coffee grinder and sifted into flour through a sieve. Whole grain flour, of course, will not give baked goods such airiness and aroma as the highest and first grades - the dough will be denser, but such baked goods are good for health and figure. Whole grain flour makes good dumplings and dumplings - the calorie content is much lower.

The calorie content of wheat flour is 334 kcal per 100 g of product.

Corn flour

It is obtained by grinding corn kernels. Corn flour comes in coarse and fine grinds. The first produces slightly grainy bread, more crumbly and dense, while the second produces bread that is more tender and rises better. Many national dishes are prepared from corn flour: hominy, polenta, ugali, banush, bulamik, traditional Mexican tortillas, etc. When baked, this flour gives the product a delicate texture without a specific taste, like, for example, chickpea flour, and does not change color. Therefore, you can add it to cheesecakes, cottage cheese casseroles– they turn out especially tender. Since corn flour is quickly absorbed by the body, promotes good digestion, and helps lower cholesterol, it is recommended for dietary baking. But the calorie content is still not the lowest. Therefore, you can use a small amount of corn flour as an alternative to wheat flour, but you should not get carried away with baking.

You can also grind corn using a home coffee maker, if there is a function for adjusting the degree of grinding.

Calorie content: 330–340 kcal per 100 g of product

Buckwheat flour

One of the few completely environmentally friendly crops - no chemicals are used during cultivation and is not subject to genetic modification.

In the industrial production method, buckwheat is first peeled and only then ground into flour. Buckwheat flour can be used to bake pies, pancakes, pancakes, pies and buns, dumplings and dumplings. But pay attention: the color of the dough will be grayish and the specific taste that buckwheat has will remain. But many people love buckwheat, and baking from such flour can provide a satisfying, low-calorie lunch.

You can make buckwheat flour yourself at home; it is not a complicated process at all. You will need to wash buckwheat, and then grind it in a food processor to a characteristic flour consistency.

Calorie content: 353 kcal per 100 g of product.

Rice flour

It is obtained by grinding white polished (sometimes brown) rice. For Asian cuisine, rice flour is one of the main products; a lot of dishes are prepared from it, from soups to sweets. In our country, it is not so common, although nutritionists recommend taking a closer look at this type of flour in the diet therapy of allergies, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases: it does not contain gluten (a fairly common allergen), a lot of vegetable protein, complete in amino acid composition, and B vitamins , lecithin.

Rice flour has a high starch content - up to 80%, which is easily digestible and digestible, and a low amount of fiber - 0.5%. Rice flour in baked goods can absorb toxins and cleanse the body of toxins. By the way, it is widely used in cosmetology. But this flour is a high-calorie product; the benefits for the body should not affect excess weight. Rice flour should be consumed in moderation.

On sale you can find rice flour in different degrees of grinding, but it is easy to prepare it at home using a coffee grinder.

Calorie content: 366 kcal per 100 g of product.

Almond flour

Perhaps the most high-calorie type of flour. Its main purpose is confectionery art: nut fillings, cream, sauces and soups. There are many dessert recipes that cannot be made without almond flour. Prepared from almonds, the flour has a delicate aroma and taste. Contains a lot of protein, vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids.

But the main advantage of almond flour is the absence of gluten - this is a good bonus for baking (the products turn out crumbly and airy), and is beneficial for allergy sufferers. It is suitable for those who adhere to a low-carbohydrate diet - in almond flour this indicator is 6, and in wheat flour - 24. It is also recommended for diabetics due to its low sugar content.

You can prepare it at home, but it is a rather long process.

Calorie content: 602 kcal per 100 g of product.

Chickpea flour

This type of flour is made from garbanzo beans. The biggest fans of chickpea flour are Italians and Indians. The list of dishes made from chickpea flour is huge: flatbreads, bread, hummus, cereals, soups, sweets. It is often used for breading because it does not absorb oil. Products made from chickpea flour have a delicate consistency and friability. But there is also a slight taste of bitterness. Therefore, if you want to get baked goods in the classic version, chickpea flour should be mixed with another flour - wheat, for example.

The composition of flour is rich in vitamins and minerals, complex carbohydrates (giving satiety), amino acids, and fiber. It has a low glycemic index and relatively low calorie content - recommended for those who follow a healthy lifestyle or want to lose weight. And one more important argument in its favor: chickpea flour contains vitamin B6, which is responsible for our immune system and helps with hormonal balance. If you introduce chickpea flour dishes into your diet, you can forget about bad mood and depression.

At home, the process of preparing chickpea flour is quite labor-intensive.

Calorie content: 337 kcal per 100 g of product.

Spelled flour

Spelled is a semi-wild variety of wheat from which all modern varieties have been developed. It is distinguished by an increased amount of protein, vegetable protein - up to 40 percent. Many nutritionists believe that spelled even has medicinal properties. But be that as it may, spelled flour contains 18 amino acids, magnesium, iron, vitamins, zinc, and fiber.

Currently, when preparing dough, spelled flour is mixed with wheat flour in a 1:1 ratio. Bread, pancakes, buns, muffins, and crackers are baked from it. The baked goods have a crispy crust, a dense crumb and an incredible aroma. And if you have certain skills, you can bake hearth bread from 100% spelled flour.

Calorie content: 376 kcal per 100 g of product.

Amaranth flour

It is obtained from the seeds of amaranth, an ancient grain crop. Amaranth is many times superior to all grain crops in terms of potassium content and valuable amino acids: 100 g contains 15 g of protein necessary for the body. Contains stearic, linolenic, linoleic, palmitic acids. And in terms of chemical composition it has many similarities with chemical composition buckwheat seeds. It is valued for its versatility - you can use it not only to make bread, but also add it to porridges and purees. True, due to the low gluten level, amaranth flour is mixed with wheat flour. The flour has a dark yellow tint, a pronounced aroma and high fat content. Therefore, products are not stored for a long time.

Amaranth flour does not contain gluten, so it is recommended for those who are allergic to this protein.

Another advantage is the substance squalene, a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from the development of cancer.

Calorie content: 344 kcal per 100 g of product.

Rye flour

Flour is made from rye grain. It must be said that in Rus' bread was baked only from rye flour. And you can list its useful qualities for a long time. Let's just say that this flour is well suited for dietary nutrition - the calorie content is lower than wheat, it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals (the composition includes calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins E, group B), and the composition is balanced in proteins, carbohydrates and fats . Nutrients are retained in the finished product. The disadvantages are the grayish taste and hardness of the dough.

Rye flour is used to bake bread, fry pancakes, add it to cottage cheese casseroles, make breading for meat and vegetable dishes, and make a starter for kvass.

It’s not difficult to buy flour in the store, but if you want, you can grind it at home. If you need to get finely ground flour that is fine in density, use an electric coffee grinder; if you need a coarse grind, use a hand grinder. Then you need to dry the flour by spreading it out thin layer on paper.

Calorie content: 298 kcal per 100 g of product.

Flaxseed flour

You cannot make such flour at home: it is made using special technology. Flax seeds are ground to flour and then degreased. Flaxseed flour also has medicinal properties: it has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, and prevents the development of atherosclerosis. It has a rich composition - fiber up to 30%, polyunsaturated acids, vegetable protein, B vitamins, folic acid, potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium.

Flax flour is suitable for baking yeast and unleavened dough. But it does not replace the volume completely, but only a certain part - approximately 10–20 percent. The rest is wheat flour. But this flour will combine perfectly in soups, minced meat, sauces, and casseroles.

By the way, flaxseed flour and ground flaxseed are different products. There is no flaxseed oil in the flour, unlike ground flax seeds. Therefore, flaxseed flour can be stored much longer than ground flaxseeds, in which, due to the increased content of flaxseed oil, oxidation quickly begins.

Calorie content: 270 kcal per 100 g of product

Oat flour

Flour is made from a cereal crop - oats. The technology is designed in such a way that the finished product retains all beneficial features. Oatmeal contains a lot of fiber, easily digestible proteins that provide the body with energy. And even with the high calorie content of oatmeal, this product does not threaten us with excess weight.

Oatmeal has long been used for making homemade baked goods. It makes wonderful pancakes and oat cookies. Oatmeal makes baked goods more crumbly and can replace wheat flour, but bakers usually advise mixing wheat and oat flour in proportions of 1 to 3 to improve the quality of baked goods. Oatmeal is low in gluten.

Oatmeal can be made from oat flakes - they are easily ground in a coffee grinder.

Calorie content: 369 kcal per 100 g of product.

The main raw material for making bread is flour. Various types of bread can be used for baking types of flour– wheat flour, rye, corn, barley, oatmeal and buckwheat. Almost every type of flour can be used to make bread individually. The combination is also widely used different types flour to obtain bread with new taste qualities. Most often for making bread and bakery products use wheat and rye flour of various varieties. Other types of flour are used less frequently. Mainly for the preparation of national types of bread or as an additive to dough made from wheat flour.

Flour is industrially produced by grinding the original grain on metal rollers. In this case, the grain is divided into components - the shell (bran rich in vitamins B1, B2, PP and E), the germ (the concentration of minerals, oil and proteins) and the endosperm, which contains starchy substances and proteins important for baking, which form an elastic structure upon contact with water. gluten and thereby are responsible for the quality of the dough and the future product. When the dough is moistened and kneaded, gluten forms a spatial network that traps gas bubbles released by yeast (other biological agents, or obtained by adding soda and other leavening agents), which gives the finished product airiness and tenderness.

What flour is used in baking

Flour is divided into different grades depending on the size of the particles (flour small And rude grinding) and the degree of purification from the shells and germ (for wheat - extra, flour of the highest, I, II varieties and wallpaper; for rye - seeded, peeling And wallpaper). Wallpaper flour is obtained by grinding grain without separating it into components and its composition is almost similar to the grain from which it is made. Previously, wallpaper flour was obtained by grinding flour on millstones. Rye wallpaper flour, ground more finely and containing less bran, belongs to the “peeled” variety. Wheat flour of the highest and first grade and rye flour practically do not contain bran and germ. Finely ground flour of higher grades produces fluffier products. Finely ground flour interacts better with water, and there is no bran, which weighs down the dough and therefore prevents it from rising well. Lower grades of wheat and rye flour contain larger particles. Coarse wheat flour, coarse, consists of fairly large particles. This kind of flour is not used to knead into unpalatable yeast dough, which, if kneaded with coarse grains, does not work well and the products turn out dense and quickly become stale.

Best suited for making bread white wheat flour(highest and first grade), obtained from durum wheat. What are its advantages? Durum wheat varieties are preferable as they are richer in gluten. The flour of these varieties is finely ground flour, it contains virtually no bran or germ, and is rich in gluten. This flour absorbs more moisture - the products do not go stale longer, the dough rises well and forms a soft crumb with uniform porosity. It is believed that wheat bread is more delicious. White durum wheat flour is called “baking flour”. Products made from wholemeal flour (grade II gray wheat flour), containing a certain amount of bran, have a nutty flavor, they contain vitamins, minerals, fats and fiber so necessary for the body. But such products are denser and not as tender and tasty. Products made from wallpaper flour are light brown in color and are even richer in nutrients.

Products from rye flour They have a special taste and are very dense, since the resinous substances contained in the flour interfere with the formation of gluten. Rye flour can be light or sifted (consists mainly of endosperm) and dark. Based on the bran and germ content in it, dark flour is divided into peeled flour (flour with a lower content) and wallpaper flour (with a higher content). To make rye products fluffy, wheat flour is added to the dough. Adding a small amount of rye flour to the wheat dough will give the baked goods a more interesting taste.

Although barley flour consists mainly of endosperm, it is depleted in gluten and barley bread comes out flat, dense and quickly stale. But a small amount of barley flour gives wheat bread an unusual, pleasant taste. Sweetish taste corn flour is made by grinding dried grains and does not contain proteins that form gluten. To make corn bread fluffy and soft, loosening is used with the help of chemical leavening agents or by adding tightly beaten egg whites. To loosen the dough with yeast, it is necessary to add a large amount of wheat flour. Oatmeal The flour also does not form gluten and is used mainly as an additive to bread dough, which gives the product a new taste and makes it crispier. Buckwheat Flour is also widely used in combination with wheat flour.

How to store flour?

Wheat (white) and rye (seeded) flours that do not contain germ can be stored for up to a year in a cool, dark, ventilated place. Low-grade flour contains fat, which goes rancid over time. This flour can be stored under the same conditions for 2-3 months. Do not keep flour uncovered when cooking; it becomes saturated with moisture, loses its properties, and bugs can easily grow in it.