Bread Machine (38 page)

The Baker’s Glossary of Whole Wheat Flours and Other Milled Wheats

There are over thirty thousand different varieties of wheat, all belonging to fourteen basic wheat species, adapted to growing conditions from the Arctic to the tropics. Wheat was unknown to the pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas until the Spanish mariners brought some to Central and South America in the 1500s.

Wheat is made into a larger variety of differently milled whole grain flours than any other grain. Some-times the flours are stone-ground or ground from organically grown wheat; these flours are superior in flavor and breadmaking elasticity. Whole wheat flours, like all whole-grain flours, contain a high percentage of oil and should be stored in the refrigerator to protect them from rancidity.

Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flours are ground from the whole wheat berry, including the oil-rich bran and germ, giving them intensely nutty flavors. They are ground into a variety of fine to coarse textures that bake up into chewy, crusty breads. Whole wheat flours tend to be slightly lower in gluten than bread flour and make dense breads, so I add plenty of extra vital wheat gluten to make a high-rising, springy loaf in the bread machine, and a good dose of fat to keep the bread moist. There must also be plenty of liquid in whole wheat bread doughs, as whole wheat flours continue to absorb it slowly during the rises. A whole wheat dough that is sticky during kneading will be surprisingly springy and only tacky to the touch by the Rise 3 part of a cycle. If you do have trouble getting these doughs to bake into nice, springy loaves, you might want to try adding a dough enhancer (see
Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Dough Enhancers
).

Graham Flour

Named after whole grain proponent Sylvester Graham in the late nineteenth century, extra nutty and sweet graham flour is often confused with whole wheat flour, but it is very different. It makes a different tasting and a lighter bread because of the way it is ground; a coarse grind, it contains all of the germ but only a portion of the bran. It may be substituted one-to-one in whole wheat bread recipes. Graham flour breads are great favorites.

White Whole Wheat Flour

White whole wheat is a new strain of winter wheat that is especially sweet. Its hull is white instead of red, so the color of the whole grain flour it produces is light rather than ruddy. It has all the nutrition of whole wheat flour, but is more delicate in flavor because it lacks the phenolic compounds that are present in red-hulled varieties. It can be used as a substitute for all-purpose flour because of its light flavor, with no loss of light texture. Your bread will look like a light whole wheat bread. White whole wheat flour contains 12 to 13 percent protein. You can substitute 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon white whole wheat flour for each cup of regular whole wheat flour in a recipe.

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Whole wheat pastry flour is ground from soft wheat and is often used in bread doughs, such as for challahor sweet rolls, in combination with bread flour. It has just 9 to 10 percent protein, its low gluten making it best-suited for muffins and quick breads.

Wheat Bran and Wheat Germ

Unprocessed bran and wheat germ, which add color, nutrition, and fiber to breads, are by-products of milling white flours. Wheat germ and bran are separated from the endosperm, which gets ground into white flour, by the process known as bolting, likened to putting the ground grain through a fine sieve. Wheat bran is the indigestible outer coating of the wheat berry. It is pure fiber, and is used to add roughage and texture to a whole grain loaf. Wheat germ is the embryo seed section of a grain of wheat, which contains a great deal of nutrition in its natural oils, especially vitamins B and E. It must be refrigerated to prevent rancidity. Wheat germ can be used either raw or toasted; toasted it adds lots of nutty flavor to a bread. Don’t add too much, though; the sharp fibers of wheat bran and wheat germ cut the gluten and will weigh down the dough considerably. Many dietitians recommend some bran or wheat germ daily in a healthy diet.

Spelt Flour

Spelt wheat (an ancient wheat known as farro in Italy and dinkl in Germany) has less protein than regular whole wheats, but it has its own unique flavor. It is the wheat that was eaten most during the Middle Ages in Europe, but was used as long as five thousand years ago in the Middle East and Anatolia, which is part of Turkey. It has a tough outer husk that keeps the inner grain protected from oxidation and pollutants, so it is a favorite of organic bakers. Spelt is a fabulous bread flour with a strong wheaty aroma that is evocative of comfort. It rises high and has a soft texture. It is sometimes considered a non-wheat flour since it is low in gluten and suitable for some gluten-restricted diets. Spelt may be substituted for regular whole wheat flour: Add 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of spelt flour per cup of whole wheat flour or hold back on 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid, since spelt is soft and absorbs all the liquid it needs very quickly.

Semolina or Durum Flour

Cream-colored semolina flour, also called durum flour, is the finely ground endosperm of durum wheat used extensively in pasta making. It makes a delicious, high-protein addition to Italian-style breads and can be used interchangeably with flour made from kamut, a Montana wheat with a strong oat-sweet aroma. Semolina flour is not the same as semolina meal, which is a coarse-ground cereal like farina (the ground endosperm of spring or winter wheat) or Wheatena (the ground whole grain wheat), and used in a manner similar to coarse cornmeal.

Kamut

An ancient strain of wheat that is a relative of durum wheat, kamut, now grown in Montana, is gaining in popularity. The kernels are extra-large—three times the size of regular wheat—and are very hard. They absorb liquid very slowly and often need 1 tablespoon more water per cup of flour, but bake up into a nutty and buttery tasting bread. Kamut flour can be substituted in an equal amount for whole wheat flour in any of these recipes.

Wheat Berries

A wheat berry is a whole grain of wheat. Wheat berries are often used in bread doughs, but they must be cooked or sprouted first to be edible. Add them to the machine at the beep for Extras, or between Knead 1 and Knead 2, rather than at the beginning with the rest of the ingredients. If you knead wheat berries too much, they will break down, the gluten will become stringy, and the dough will be a real mess.

Cracked Wheat

Cracked wheat is the whole wheat berry that has been coarsely ground. It may be fine, medium, or coarse, and any of these grinds can be used in these breads. You can add a little bit of uncooked cracked wheat to a bread dough, but for the best texture it must be cooked or soaked first, or you will have hard little nuggets in your bread. You can also use bulgur wheat, which is cracked wheat that has been parboiled and dried for faster cooking.

Rolled Wheat Flakes

Rolled wheat flakes are steamed whole grain wheat that has been flattened between rollers, just like rolled oats. They will show up like flecks in the bread if added raw or, if cooked or soaked, will become part of the liquid ingredients for the dough.

BUTTER MILK WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

B
uttermilk was once drained off churned butter, but today it is cultured and incubated on skim milk for consistency, which is, of course, to the consumer’s benefit. It is a delicious liquid that is perfect for use in breads. The tangy, buttery flavor comes from lactose-fermenting bacteria that convert citric acid. Combined with yeast, there is a lot of fermenting going on, and the byproduct is a tender, flavorful bread. This bread is a delight in all its steps, from assembling the ingredients, through the baking cycle, to finally enjoying the bread itself.

1
¹
/
₂
-POUND LOAF

1
¹
/
₈
cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1
¹
/
₂
cups whole wheat flour

1
¹
/
₂
cups bread flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
¹
/
₂
teaspoons bread machine yeast

2-POUND LOAF

1
¹
/
₂
cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons canola oil

2
¹
/
₂
tablespoons maple syrup

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons gluten

2 teaspoons salt

2
¹
/
₄
teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
³
/
₄
teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic or Whole Wheat cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)

When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

SOFT WHOLE WHEAT DINNER ROLLS
           
Makes 16 dinner rolls

F
or lovers of sweet whole wheat breads, these are the best whole grain dinner rolls. You can make them in any shape you choose; see
Technique: How to Shape and Bake Soft Dinner Rolls
for instructions. The sour cream makes these rolls tender and moist. Be prepared for the bread basket to be emptied!