In some recipes, traditional wheat flour is sometimes partially or completely replaced with semolina. Few know what it is. Therefore, it is difficult to guess how this ingredient with an unusual name can be replaced in dishes. This article will help to deal with semolina and its analogues.
Semolina - what is it: flour or cereal?
The word "semolina" came to us from Italy. At this edge of pasta and pizza semolino means semolina. Indeed, the grinding semolina is very reminiscent of the well-known semolina. It is made exclusively from durum wheat. The protein content in this grits is at least 12%.
Very often, due to its field of application, semolina is considered flour. A traditional Italian pasta is prepared from it, often mixed with wheat flour. By the way, there are also corn and rice semolina. What is it, few know. In fact, this is semolina obtained after grinding rice and corn. It is often used in baby food for the first feeding of babies.
Italian semolina: how to replace?
Often in recipes of Italian cuisine there is such an ingredient as semolina. But few people know how to replace it. Semoline is also produced in Russia. What it is? This is the well-known semolina from durum wheat, which is marked with the letter "T". The usual semolina, which is used to make traditional milk porridge, is indicated by the letter "M" on the package. And this is not semolina, since it is not made only from hard varieties.
On sale there is also decoy with the marking "TM". This is a mixture of semolina from hard and soft varieties of wheat. Therefore, if in recipes there is such an ingredient as semolin flour, then do not be scared. It is quite possible to replace semolina, but only hard grinding, the taste of the dish from this will not change much.
Where is semolina used?
In Italy, pasta is prepared from semolina, Italian cakes or ciabatta bread, gnocchi dumplings are added to the dough for pizza, desserts and pastries. She has a low glycemic index, which means that even diabetics can afford it.
Used for making milk porridge, puddings and casseroles such flour. Semolina can replace breadcrumbs when cooking meat and fish dishes, it is sprinkled with a baking dish.
Ciabatta bread with semolina
Ciabatta is a rustic bread native to Italy. Translated from Italian, the word ciabatta translates as “slippers”. This is due to the fact that on a baking sheet, as a rule, two flat cakes are baked at once, which are very reminiscent of home slippers.
A feature of this bread is crisp and porous flesh with large holes, like Swiss cheese. Real Italian ciabatta is baked from semolina. The bread recipes in different regions of Italy are different, but in most of them
rustic bread is baked from the following ingredients:
- Opara: 3 g of fresh yeast, 125 wheat flour, 125 g of semolina flour, 125 g of water.
- Dough: 1 g of fresh yeast, 25 g of semolina flour, 125 g of water, 1 tsp of rye malt, 1 tsp of honey, 2 tsp of salt, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil.
Step-by-step preparation consists of several stages:
- Make a dough of prepared ingredients. Mix thoroughly and cover with cling film. Leave at room temperature for 12-14 hours.
- Combine the ingredients for the dough: water, malt, yeast and honey. To stir thoroughly. Add salt and semolina.
- Knead sticky dough. Put it in a bowl with olive oil (so that the dough does not stick to the walls), cover with a film and leave for 1 hour to fit.
- Dust the table with semolina (about 100 g). Divide the dough into two parts, form loaves from it. Put on baking paper for 40 minutes to fit.
- At this time, heat the oven to 220 degrees. Put a pan with water down.
- Send the formed loaves into the oven for 30 minutes. Ciabatta is ready!
Is it possible to cook porridge from semolina?
In Russia, semolina is produced by the Mistral trademark. It is semolina from durum wheat. It is rich in proteins, vitamins, macro- and microelements of semolin. The recipes in which it is used are quite diverse.
People leading a healthy lifestyle prepare semolina porridge from such cereals. There will be much more benefit from such a dish. Semolina turns out to be much tastier, and when cooking it never forms lumps. In addition, a special taste is distinguished by porridge made from cereals with the name semolina. What it is? This is a very finely ground cereal from hard varieties, which gives milk porridge a creamy shade and a sweet taste.
To prepare semolina semolina, you must:
- pour the prepared cereal into boiling milk in a ratio of 1: 7;
- boil it, like regular semolina, on low heat for 3-5 minutes, until it thickens, not forgetting to stir constantly;
- add salt, sugar, jam, honey or butter to taste.
Bon Appetit! Semolina porridge can be served. This is not only tasty, but also a healthy dish.