Flour for baking and 0 flour might look identical to the eyes of an inexperienced baker. In reality, what is used for bread is made with a hard wheat rich in proteins; consequently, it has a high gluten content, resulting in a finished and cooked product with a denser and "stronger" consistency. Although it is not a common ingredient in all kitchens, you can make substitute mixes thanks to the flours you have available.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Using Flour 0
Step 1. Order or buy raw seitan
For this recipe you only need two ingredients: type 0 flour and seitan. The former is available in any grocery store; to get the latter you should go to an organic food retailer or a wholesaler of bakery products.
- Alternatively, if you can wait, you can order raw seitan online; in any case, this is not a very expensive ingredient, a small bag should not exceed 10 euros.
- You only need a few teaspoons of seitan for most baking recipes.
Step 2. Measure the amount of flour you need for the recipe
Read the list of ingredients to know how much you need to use and prepare it accordingly; pour the 0 flour into a separate bowl from the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3. Add a teaspoon of raw seitan for every 200 g of flour 0
In this way, you transform normal flour into one with a high protein content, useful for baked goods; measure the doses respecting this proportion.
For example, if the recipe calls for 500g of strong flour, you should add 2 and a half teaspoons of raw seitan to 500g of plain flour
Step 4. Add a small amount of whole wheat flour
This step is not mandatory, but this small dose acts as a binding agent that gives the bread a light "nutty" aroma. But be careful not to add more than half a teaspoon for every 200 g of flour 0, so as not to alter the proportions of the dry ingredients.
Step 5. Mix well
Sift the ingredients over a bowl; when they are well incorporated, you can use the mixture instead of strong flour.
The gluten present in the substitute makes the final product denser and more compact than what you would obtain with only 0 flour; don't worry if the bread you get has a slightly different texture than what you used to be
Method 2 of 2: Using Whole Wheat Flour
Step 1. Measure the amount of wholemeal flour for the recipe
The procedure you must follow for this preparation is basically identical to that described in the first part of the article. However, the slightly different characteristics of the integral product require minor changes to be made. To start, pour the flour into a bowl.
Also in this case, the replacement product respects the original doses of the recipe; if the instructions indicate that you need to use 600 g of strong flour, weigh 600 g of whole wheat flour (and so on)
Step 2. Add two teaspoons of raw seitan for every 200g of flour
Wholemeal flour contains bran which weakens the action of gluten; this means that you need to add more seitan than when using 0 flour.
Also this time you can vary the doses respecting the proportions; for example, if you need to use 600 g of whole wheat flour, add 6 teaspoons of raw seitan
Step 3. Mix well
Sift the ingredients into a bowl; when they are well incorporated, you have obtained the substitute for strong flour; however, to achieve the best possible results, other precautions are necessary. Read on to learn more.
Step 4. Add more water to the wet ingredient mix
The bran and protein content of wholemeal flour make it more absorbent. To compensate for this phenomenon, slightly increase the amount of water for the bread; 45 ml should be enough for every 200 g of flour.
To be clear, you need to pour the water into the bowl in which you mix the eggs, milk, oil, and so on; do not add it directly to the flour, otherwise it will not incorporate evenly
Step 5. Let the dough rise less than usual
When you make bread, you usually let the mixture double in volume; however, when using whole wheat flour, you only have to wait until it becomes one and a half times its original size. Wholemeal flour makes the dough less flexible and if it rises too much, the structure cannot keep its shape, with the risk that the bread will "deflate" during cooking.
Advice
- There are many types of flour, many more than those listed in this article. It is advisable to do some experiments; some products will perform better, others worse, but these tests are the fun part of cooking.
- It is not really possible to make a completely gluten-free baking flour. The high concentration of this protein is precisely what makes it so strong. For gluten-free recipes you have to use alternatives, such as buckwheat, but they don't give the bread the same texture.
