Flours and Flour Mixtures

What is Flour?

It is a fine powder obtained by

grinding and sifting cereal grains,
root crops, starchy vegetable, and
other carbohydrates-rich foods.
Most flour is made from wheat but
may also prepare from rye, rice corn
and other grains.
Gluten
Is a gray, almost tasteless substance which has obtained from grains, especially wheat
and rye. It is sticky, tough and somewhat elastic. It gives cohesiveness to dough.
The protein portion of wheat flour with the elastic characteristics necessary for the
structure of most baked products.
How do gluten is formed?
Starch is one of the
compounds in flour
that strengthens the
baked item through
gelatinization, and is
one of the factors
that contributes to
crumb.
– Crumb: The
texture of a baked
product’s interior.
Types of Wheat Flour/
Market Forms of Wheat Flour
– Bread Flour
– All-Purpose Flour
– Cake Flour
– Self-rising Flour
– Whole Wheat Flour
– Pastry Flour
– Enriched Flour
– High Gluten Flour
– Bran Flour
– Instant or Quick Flour
Bread Flour
Used for baking breads, rolls and other yeast
bread.
Contains more gluten and less starch.
Makes loaves have good volume, textures and grain .
All-purpose Flour
Also known as family ficur, general purpose flour or pastry flour.
Good substitute for cake flour and bread flour.
Contains a moderate amount of gluten
Cake Flour
Also known as the weak flour and known as
the whitest among the flour family.
Comes from soft wheat and has a lower
gluten content than bread flour.
Self-rising Flour
Has leavening agents as sodium bicarbonate or
baking soda and salt that were added to it in
proportion desirable for home baking
Whole-wheat Flour
Contains the whole grain or graham.
It does not keep as well because of its fat
content which tends to get rancid during
storage
Pastry Flour
Made from soft wheat flour.
Has a lower percentage of protein and its used in pastries and
cookies
Enriched Flour
White flour with nutrients added to it.
High-gluten Flour
Flour with high protein content.
Used to baked hard crust breads and special products such as
pizza dough.
Bran Flour
Consists of bran flakes added to flour.
It has either fine or course texture.
Instant or Quick Flour
Processed by moistening and red ripping the flour.
Needs no sifting before use because it blends with liquid easily.
Types of Non-Wheat Flour

Treated Flours
– Rice Flour
– Rye Flour – Aged Flour
–
–
Cornmeal Flour
Soy Flour
– Bleached Flour
– Buckwheat Flour – Enriched Flour
– Triticale Flour
– Potato Flour
– Gluten-free Grains and
Flours for baking and br
ead.
Major Functions of Wheat Flour
Provides structure and frame work for baked
products because of its protein and starch
contents.
When mixed with water in correct proportion the
protein will form an elastic dough that is capable of
holding gas and which will set to spongy structure,
when heated in the oven.
Responsible in providing structure by the
gelatinization process which takes place in the oven
Contributes to the characteristics of the finished
product, crust color, texture, volume, crumb color,
grain and taste
 Flour Mixture Ingredients
Flour mixture ingredients may include:
– Liquid
– Sugar
– Eggs
– Shortening
– Leavening agents
– Minor Ingredients
*salt
*spices and seeds
*flavoring
*cocoa and chocolates
 Liquid
Basic ingredient and most indispensable for baking. It
may be in a form of water, milk or fruit juices.
Plays important role in baking.
Hydrate the flour
Gelatinize the starch.
Gluten formation
Solvent for the dry ingredients,
Activates the yeast,
Provides steam for leavening, and allows baking
powder or soda to react and produce carbon dioxide
gas.
 Water
Transforms the proteins in the flour into gluten.
Controls the consistency and temperature
(warming or cooling) of the dough.
Makes the starch swell to make it digestible.
Dissolves salt and suspends and distributes non-
flour ingredients evenly which facilitates the
baking process
Promotes yeast growth
Enhanced the keeping quality of some baking
products.
 Types of water
Soft water Hard Water
Relatively free from Contains minerals, classified as
follows based on its mineral
minerals and does not content.
produce gas. Softens Medium hard water – contains
the gluten in flour which average amounts of minerals and
salts. Produces and retains well
results in sticky dough makes it ideal for bread making.
that tends to flatten Very hard water – has too much
out. carbonates of calcium and
magnesium. Hard water makes the
gluten in the flour tough.
Alkaline Water – contains sodium
carbonate. It dissolves and
weakens the gluten in the flour.
 Milk
Greatly affect the quality of the baked goods
because of its following uses.
Increases the absorptive quality of the dough, acts as a
strengthening agent to flour proteins and promotes dough strength
Improves mixing tolerance of the dough
Contributes to the golden brown crust color of the baked products
because of its lactose, caseinogen, and wheat protein contents.
Promotes larger fermentation which reduces dough acidity.
Improves grain texture of baked products.
Improves nutrition flavor and eating quality of the product.
Milk has a large amount of lysine and is also a good source of
riboflavin, calcium, and phosphorous.
 Sugars
It is any of the large group of chemical compounds
that belongs to the carbohydrates family. Sugar is
chemically known as sucrose which is basically used
to sweeten foods.

Comes largely from sugarcane, a tall grassy plant

that grows in warm most regions in the world.
Another source of sugar is sugar beet, a root crop
cultivated in cool dry climates.
 Sugar
Functions of sugar in
flour mixtures include
the following: – Raises the temperature
at which gelatinization
and coagulation occur
– Sweetening – Increases moistness
– Protective coating and tenderness and also
– Increases the volume helps delay staling
– Contributes to volume – Helps to brown the
outer crust of baked
products
 Eggs
One of the most expensive ingredients in baked
ingredients in baked products. However, they are
very important and baking cannot be successful w/o
eggs because eggs represents 50% of the total cost
of the ingredients used in cake production.
Provide complete protein and is capable of supplying
all the essential amino acids needed to maintain
growth and good health.
Good source of calcium, phosphorous, iron and some
amounts of vitamin A, D, thiamin and riboflavin.
 Functions of egg in baking
Used as leavening agent, egg whites when beaten produce many small
air bubbles surrounded by a film of egg protein. This thus partly
coagulates and makes a stable foam as the egg white is beaten and the
thin protein film consistently come in contact with the air.
In the process of baking, the air bubbles expand with the heat and
the protein film stretches. As temperature increases, the protein
coagulates completely and sets to be firm structure.
Egg yolk provides a desirable yellow color which enhances the
appearance of many baked products.
They add richness, the fat and the other solids of eggs make the end
product richer and better tasting.
They enhance flavor, provides sweet aroma that makes the baked
product appetizing and desirable.
They increase freshness and nutritive value. The high moisture
content of eggs allows the baked products to stay fresh longer.
 Shortening
Refers to any fat used to increase
the tenderness of the baked
products. Shortening may be a
single fat or oil or a combination
of several fats and oils.
Hog fat or lard
A unique kind of unsaturated fat; liquid at room
temperature but definitely solid at room temperature
because of the hydrogenation process.
This is best for breads, biscuits, pie crusts, and few
types of cakes.
Butter
Mainly used for cakes and cookies. Its shortening values
inferior to that of lard. Butter does not cream well and
lacks uniformity.
Vegetable Shortening
This comes from purified deodorized oils such as
coconut, corn grains, soybeans, or cottonseeds.
Vegetable shortening does not contain moisture. It also
known as hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Vegetable Oil
Used in baking breads, it is not very efficient as a
shortening and is difficult to handle. As a result is not
popular as a shortening.
Butter Oil
Butter oil promotes better taste and flavor. However,
it is more expensive than vegetable oil.
Edible Tallow
This is derived mainly from cattle fats and is used
only in certain types of dry bread and thick-bodied
crackers. When unrefined, tallow is used for
manufacturing soaps.
 Uses of Shortening
For breads
- Increases tenderness and For cakes
improves flavor - Fats especially hydrogenated
- Helps retains gas by vegetable shortening, cream
making gluten more air- well and are very useful to the
tight, thus producing better sugar-butter method of
volume crust mixing. The use of shortening
results in a better leavened
- Lubricates gluten strands product.
which in turn results in
- The ability of butter to
better volume. spread throughput the
For cookies and pastries mixture and form a water in
- the plasticity of fat or fat emulsion enhances the
its ability to resist being tenderness of the baked
products.
squeezed out of place
enhances the quality of
cookies
 Leavening Agents

Leavening agent is a gas purposely

added during mixing or produced
when heating batter or though. It
makes the mixture rise and turn into
a light porous product.
 Types of Leavening Agents
Physical Leavening agents Biological Leavening Agent
Air is incorporated through Includes YEAST which
sifting, beating, mixing folding produces CARBON
and in creaming butter and DIOXIDE, this makes the
sugar together as in pound dough rise.
cakes or in cutting and folding
A single plant that
ingredients as in angel food
reproduces by budding.
and sponge cake.
WATER VAPOR or STEAM has Converts sugar to alcohol and
some leavening effect, though carbon dioxide in a process
minimal. However is also called fermentation.
contributes to the Essential in baking bread
improvement of the texture because it makes the product
and volume of the dough. light and porous.
 Types of Yeast
Dry or granulated yeast.
– Yeast is alive, rendered in active
or dormant through the process
of dehydration.
– Should be kept in tightly sealed
container and in a dry, cool place
when not in use to prevent
humidity which can active the dry
yeast.

Compressed or Fresh Yeast

- Is in active state when mixed with
water and starch. The presence of
moisture makes the yeast fresh
yeast perishable and thus, it
should be refrigerated.
The ability of yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which
are naturally found in air, water, and living organisms, to
produce carbon dioxide through fermentation.
 Chemical Leavening Agent
Baking soda: A white chemical leavening powder consisting of
sodium bicarbonate.
Baking powder: A chemical leavener consisting of a mixture of
baking soda, acid(s), and an inert filler such as cornstarch.
- Fast acting or tartrate type
consist of tartaric acid and cream of tartar or potassium acid tartrate. It
releases much of the gas during the mixing of the dough or batter .

- Inter mediate acting or Phosphate type

consist of calcium acid and phosphate or sodium acid pyrophosphate. With this
type gas is released partly during mixing and the rest during baking

- Double Acting or SAS

phosphate reacts during mixing while the sulfate releases carbon dioxide only
upon heating.
The two main types of baking powder are:
– Fast, or single-acting, powder
– Slow, or double-acting, powder
 Cream of tartar or baking cream
- is a slow acting powder produce by diluting baking powder with
cornstarch to lessen its action by 50 %
- this type is best to use when the batter or dough is not baked
immediately and left to stay for some time instead.
.

Ammonium carbonate and ammonium

bicarbonate
- usually for used as leavening agents for certain types of cookies and
cream puffs.
- this type of leavening agent decomposes into gases and does not
leave a solid residue. Excessive use may lead into disagreeable taste
and odor.
Leavening agent Source Flour mixture

air Beating egg white, beating Sponge cake, butter cakes,

mixture, rolling dough, enclosing cream puffs, puff pastries, butter
fat, creaming fat, sifting flour cookies, and all flour mixtures.

steam Heating liquid as flour mixture Cream puffs, all batter and soft
cooks dough

Carbon dioxide Fermentation due to yeast Yeast breads, rolls, raised

activity. doughnuts, muffins, and other
Fermentation due to bacterial flour mixtures in which yeast is
action used.
Chemical reaction from soda,
sour milk with or from baking Soft raisin breads, griddie cakes,
powder waffles and other quick breads.
Minor Ingredients
Salt/Flavoring
Small amounts of salt are
added to flour mixtures for:
– Flavoring
– Removes the flatness of
flavor in other ingredients
– Strengthens the gluten of
the dough
– Controls the actions of
yeast and or the
fermentation.
– Evenness of cell structure
– Shelf-life
– Modifies the color of
yeast-raised products.
Too much salt inhibits yeast activity, reducing the amount of
carbon dioxide gas produced and decreasing the volume of
the loaf.
 Spices and seeds
- are finely ground aromatic vegetable products used to
improve the quality of cooked food.
- usually come from the bark of trees, vegetables or fruit
seeds.
- common spices and seeds includes cinnamon, nutmeg, amise,
ginger, cloves, and mace
Flavoring
- flavor extracts are solutions of the flavors in ethyl alcohol or some
other solvent.
- base of these flavors comes from the fruits or beans.
- Some are extracted from the pulps, but some are further
supplemented by artificial flavor and coloring
Cocoa and Chocolate
- two flavors which is widely used for the finishing of cakes and
pastries, pies, and cookies. They provide variety to the products as
well as body and bulk to the mix or icing.
Preparation of Baked Goods
Substitution of Ingredients
Substitute
1 tbsp flour (used as thickening ½ tsp cornstarch, potato starch, rice
agent) starch, or arrowroot starch, or 1
tbsp quick cooking tapioca.
1 c sifted all-purpose flour 1 cup unsifted all- purpose flour
minus 2 tbsp.
1 cup sifted cake flour 7/8 c unsifted all-purpose flour or 1
c minus 2 tbsp sifted all purpose
flour
1 cup corn syrup 1 cup sugar plus ¼ c liquid
1 c honey 1 ¼ c of sugar plus ¼ c honey
1 ounce chocolate 3 tbsp cocoa powder plus 1 tbsp fat
1 c butter 1 cup margarine or 7/8 to 1 c
hydrogenated fat plus ½ tsp salt or
7/8 c lard plus ½ tsp salt.
1 c coffee cream (20%) 3 tbsp butter plus about 7/8 c of
milk
1 cup heavy cream (40%) 1/3 c butter plus ¾ c milk
Kneading is used extensively in bread-making and
briefly for biscuits and pastries.