Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/809226
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 APRIL 2017 35 EVEN before the wheel was invented – sometime around 6000BC, a revolutionary tech- nology had been discovered: the production of flour. The realisa- tion that indigestible seeds could be ground into nourishing dust steered the history and fate of man in a new direction. With- out the invention of the grinding stone there would be no bread or buns, no pasta or pizza, no cakes or couscous. Flour can be made by grinding grains or roots to produce a pow- der used in cooking. Today, there is such a huge range of flours out there it is difficult to tell them apart. Even if you restrict yourself to wheat flours, there are plenty of different kinds, and each kind is better for different recipes. So whether you're making a cake, a loaf of bread, fresh pasta or a pas- try, know your flours to get the best results. PLAIN FLOUR Made from the seed head's en- dosperm of softer wheat varie- ties, this makes this white flour much more shelf-stable, though its nutritional value is somewhat decreased. If you are only going to have one type of flour in your store cupboard, it should be this one. GOOD FOR: Cookies, bread and baked goods NOT GOOD FOR: This flour can be used for almost anything, though should be sifted for tender cakes. 00 FLOUR This is ground to extreme fine- ness making rolling the dough really thin possible. This is abso- lutely vital for things like pasta where getting a really thin dough is paramount. GOOD FOR: Pasta, very thin crusts NOT GOOD FOR: Bread BREAD FLOUR This flour has a higher protein content as it is made from hard wheat. It contains more gluten than plain flour which is devel- oped when kneading (or beat- ing with a dough hook in a stand mixer) resulting in much chewier baked goods. GOOD FOR: Bread, pretzels or anything chewy NOT GOOD FOR: Cakes and pastries CAKE FLOUR Made from soft wheat varieties, this fine texture flour is slightly bleached which damages the flour's starches allowing them to absorb more liquid and achieve a higher rise. GOOD FOR: Tender cakes like sponges NOT GOOD FOR: Bread ALTERNATIVE FLOURS There is a huge range of alter- native flours, many of which are gluten free. Some of these include spelt, rye, barley (all of which con- tain gluten) as well as oat, buck- wheat, rice and amaranth (which are gluten-free). Gluten contrib- utes to the chewy texture of bread, which is why baking gluten-free bread is so difficult. When us- ing any alternative flour for any baked goods, start by mixing it with wheat flour and then increas- ing the amount of alternative flour and reducing the amount of wheat flour once your confidence in han- dling grows. GOOD FOR: Cookies, tarts, dense cakes NOT GOOD FOR: Bread Fine food of the week Food Ingredients For the stock • 100g cranberries • 2 tbsp sugar • 375g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting • 250g sourdough starter • 5g yeast • 7g salt • 100-130ml tepid water • Olive oil, for kneading • 150g white chocolate chips • Fine semolina flour, for dusting Method 1. Place the cranberries in a saucepan with a splash of water and the sugar and cook until the cranberries are soft and the water has evaporated. 2. Combine the flour, starter and yeast in a large mixing bowl. 3. Add the water and mix with your hands until you have a soft dough. 4. Coat a chopping board with olive oil, then tip the dough onto it and knead the dough for 5 to10 minutes or un- til the dough forms a soft, smooth skin. 5. Tip the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for 5 hours, or until at least doubled in size. 6. Once risen, knead the dough until it is smooth, knocking the air out. 7. Add the white chocolate chips and cranberry mixture and continue to knead until the chocolate and cranber- ries are well mixed into the dough. 8. Roll into an elongated shape to fit into a long proofing bas- ket. 9. Flour the proofing basket and place the dough into it. 10. Leave to rise for 5 to 9 hours. 11. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 12. Liberally sprinkle semolina on to the exposed dough in the proofing basket; this will give it grip on the baking tray and stop it from spreading. 13. Place a baking tray over the proofing basket, and then quickly flip it over, remov- ing the basket and leaving the loaf shape on the baking tray. 14. Bake for 20 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes. 15. If the bread looks like it is colouring very quickly reduce the heat earlier and cover with foil. Recipe of the week White chocolate and Flour Power