Make a quick trip to the supermarket and discover how to make your bread flour right at home! Why should you waste area when you could create all the things you need with good classic all-purpose flour?
Although I am a huge fan of baking, I’m stuck in an extremely small kitchen that is extremely bare of storage space. I need to be careful about the things I purchase.
I use up a lot of all-purpose flour and sugar, so I buy them in bulk bags of 25 pounds.
Food items that are optional, like bread, cake, or self-rising flour, aren’t a good idea for me, even as I’d like an additional storage room.
The best part is you can make the ingredients you need from an old-fashioned all-purpose mix!
This post will look closer at bread (high protein) flour. If you’re a frequent visitor to this blog, many of the bread-related recipes I share utilize all-purpose flour.
WHAT IS BREAD FLOUR?
We all know about all-purpose flour and use it for everything from cakes to cookies with excellent results.
There are a variety of kinds of flour that differ according to their protein content. Each type is suitable for specific food items to provide the best texture.
The main difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour is that it contains an amount of protein that ranges between 13 percent and 16%, while AP flour comes with a protein ratio of 9 to 13 percent.
This means this flour will be more durable, and the bread flour dough is more elastic than dough made with AP flour.
Due to its higher protein ratio, this flour contains a higher amount of gluten. The higher gluten content produces chewy and light bread with a soft and stretchy texture.
How to Substitute All-Purpose Flour for Bread Flour
When your recipe calls for bread flour, but you only have all-purpose flour, don’t fret. It is possible to substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour in a one-to-one ratio, but your loaf of yeast bread may have a less chewy texture and may not rise as high as a loaf made from high-gluten flour. A different option would be to develop a bread flour replacement by mixing all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten. This is which is an isolated form of flour protein. Take a cup of flour, then remove about a teaspoon of the food, replacing it with one teaspoon of wheat gluten.
HOW DO I CONVERT ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR TO BREAD FLOUR?
It’s easy to convert all-purpose flour to bread flour using the essential wheat gluten. All you’ll need is
A Bowl: We would prefer a glass bowl, but just about any bowl is fine! Be sure the opening is large enough to allow for the sifting process of your flour. That’s why I choose a medium-sized bowl or even a bigger one.
Fine Mesh Strainer: also known as a flour sifter. I prefer using Fine Mesh Strainer since it has a larger surface area. This speeds up the process of filtering the flour. I utilize the set to do everything from washing the quinoa to filtering milk Kefir. If you need to be equipped with something to use to separate your flour, then don’t fret. It’s just a matter of stirring or whisking it thoroughly to mix it.
STEP ONE: SET YOUR STRAINER OVER A WIDE BOWL AND ADD YOUR FLOUR TO THE STRAINER.
THEN, ADD THE GLUTEN FLOUR ON TOP OF THE FLOUR.
STEP THREE: USE A WOODEN SPOON TO GENTLY MOVE THE FLOUR AND GLUTEN THROUGH THE STRAINER HOLES INTO THE BOWL BELOW.
FINALLY, STORE YOUR SIFTED FLOUR, OR USE IT IMMEDIATELY IN PLACE OF BREAD FLOUR.
STORAGE TIPS
After you’ve created bread flour from scratch, you’re ready to keep it in a storage container. If you intend to use the flour later in your recipe, put the flour in an air-tight container (like the OXO container). Put your bread flour that you make yourself in a dry, cool space, such as a dark cupboard or in the pantry.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Self-Raising Flour for Bread
Self-raising flour could be a wonderful alternative for baking good bread.
Self-raising flour, as stated by the name, assists baked goods in rising, and your bread needs to grow or is more of a cracker than bread. Sure, it’s a match by heaven, but there’s no way! This isn’t.
This horrible combination is because self-raising flour can put the proving process into hyper-speed, speeding up the process so that the yeast has no time to react inside the dough.
So, the choices become…
1. Allow the yeast to perform its work, and at that point, the dough will have been so massively over-proved that it will be flat in a pancake form when baked.
2. Do not use yeast as well as cook it at a rapid speed, which results in the most tasteless brick, as yeast makes bread has that ….bready taste.
Substitutes for Other Specialty Flours
Here are some alternative options for special flours you may find in your cupboard (or which you may not be able to buy in your home country):
Cake Flour Substitute
Pastry Flour Substitute
Semolina Flour Substitute
How to Make Self-Rising Flour
Don’t think you must endure the effort and expense of stocking ten different types of flour simply because you love baking. If a recipe requires an ingredient that isn’t at hand, chances are there’s an alternative. Professionals and bakers are likely to tell you there’s any substitute for the specific kind of flour needed in the recipe; however, in actuality what’s the distinction between one kind of flour and the other is so subtle that many people don’t know the difference. Thus, you can use whatever you have available and enjoy delicious results. You’ll be able to save some space in your pantry, and you’ll avoid the hassle of trying to utilize all those bags of flour before they turn rancid or attract bugs.
How do you check the bread for proofing?
In the process, the yeast can perform its job and assist in the development of the dough. To proof bread, put your bread into a bowl with grease and let it rest in a warm and humid atmosphere until it has doubled in size. If you need help getting the dough to prove, you can try these techniques for proofing.
What is the best way to store your homemade bread?
It is possible to store bread made from scratch in bags made of plastic or in a bread box to ensure maximum freshness. If you are still determining if you’ll be able to make it all in a few days, You can also put it in the freezer. Wrap it in plastic, then place it into the freezer. It’s good for a few months. If your bread is somewhat old-fashioned, you can make homemade Croutons, French toast, or bread pudding.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to select the correct type of flour. You would not want to eat toast that’s as soft as cake or crumbly pizza crust like cookies.
Each flour is unique. Flour with a strong texture is an excellent ingredient in your pantry for those looking to experiment with texture and baking results.
Please visit our flour store online here to view our entire selection of flour-based products.