Many people love flavored pastries, sweet cakes and soft bread, but few think about the main ingredient for all these products. It is, of course, about flour. So what is flour made of? Previously, such a question could seriously surprise, because many people knew mainly two types of this product, namely rye flour and wheat. However, now on the shelves you can find a huge number of varieties, for example, rice, barley, or even a spade. The benefit of each variety depends on the processing method. It is noteworthy, but wheat flour can be prepared even at home.
Wheat flour. One of the most common
One of the most famous types of flour is wheat. Answering the question of what flour bread is made of, one can clearly answer - from wheat. Of course, you can find whole-grain options, but even wheat flour is put in rye bread so that the loaf of bread is beautiful and shaped.
Flour is divided into grades. So, wheat can be found in the first, second grade, as well as other varieties. What does it depend on? Directly from the processing method and the variety of grain.
What is bread flour made of? Mostly soft wheat , so that in the end there is a lot of gluten in the flour. From the hard varieties of this plant, pasta is produced that are healthy, do not boil and retain their shape during cooking. A mixture of two varieties of flour is also sometimes used.
How to cook flour at home?
What is flour made of? In this case, it is worth preparing wheat grains. They are sorted, laying rotten grains, dried, if necessary. It is best to use ready-made, polished grain. It is washed, but not soaked, with cold water. Then laid out on fabric or paper towels so that all moisture is absorbed.
Where is flour made at home? For example, they are made using a home mill, but this is an expensive option. The coffee grinder is great. If the grinding ultimately turns out to be too large, then you can further grind the remaining flour in the mortar or scroll again in the coffee grinder.
Ready homemade flour should also be dried. This is done by unfolding the finished flour on white clean paper. Air the product for about three days. Ready flour should be stored in a sealed paper bag.
Rye flour. Types and application
If earlier rye flour was used only for making bread, now it is actively used in home cooking, for example, prepare pancakes or rye cookies. However, it is not allowed to use only this kind of flour in the dough. What to do? Add wheat.
What is flour of this kind made of? The main ingredient is rye. There are several varieties of the product, they look different.
Wallpaper flour is coarse, with the largest number of shells of grain. It is also the most useful, since the product was least processed. It is gray in color.
Peeling contains fewer grain shells, but also includes them. But the seeded flour is more tender, refined.
Barley flour: application
What flour make the most magnificent bread? From barley. At one time, this type of flour was popular, since it did not require a lot of production costs. However, despite the splendor of the finished product, it became callous too quickly, so they began to refuse to use it. However, mixing barley flour with other varieties is acceptable.
If you use a mixture of two types of flour, you can get healthy pastries. It is proved that barley flour contains substances that help the heart muscle, support the tone of blood vessels.
And what is pancake flour?
Many have seen on the shelves of the store the so-called pancake flour. What is she like? In fact, it is a mixture of wheat flour and a number of preservatives or additives that allow you to quickly cook thin pancakes.
It is worth paying attention to the composition of the product. It is in pancake flour that soya is often added, which is cheap, but does not have much benefit. It is also worth abandoning products with preservatives and dyes in the composition. It’s best to completely abandon ready-made mixtures and make delicious pancakes yourself, using only healthy ingredients.
Benefits of Whole Grain Flour
First, it is worth determining whether there is harm in the flour. Yes, with excessive processing, many of the beneficial properties of grain come to naught. However, such a product cannot be harmful. It is dangerous only for people with diseases of the stomach or obesity.
And the benefits of whole grain flour, in particular wheat, have been proven by experts. Whole grain contains a lot of useful things, for example, vitamin E. It has long been recognized as a beauty vitamin. Without it, it is difficult to imagine strong nails and thick hair. It is also essential for the female body to establish a menstrual cycle. Also, one should not forget about the vitamins of group B. That is, the use of wholemeal flour helps fight depression, increases the body's resistance, supports the human nervous system in good shape. Also, one should not forget that the use of flour, and cereals, in particular, helps the proper functioning of the intestines.
Flour is the main component of many favorite foods. First of all, we are talking about bread. But few people know what flour is made of. Also, one should not forget about the presence of varieties of flour, which depend on the type of grain used, and on the method of processing it. The most useful type of flour is with the least processing. A whole grain product is good for the nervous system, strengthens the immune system and is indicated for people with heart problems.