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11
FLOUR
The main ingredient of bread is flour. There are a great many types of flour and flour mixes and the type
of grain used for the flour makes a lot of difference to the bread. Wheat flour, for instance, contains so
much gluten that it rises better than other denser flour and therefore needs less yeast. Glutens are protein
complexes which are present in grains such as wheat, oats, rye and barley. When bread rises this gluten
forms a network which prevents the carbon dioxide gas bubbles from escaping so that they remain inside
the dough and the bread will rise.
Plain or household flour
Most white flour is called plain or household flour and this contains almost no bran or wheatgerm but
does contain a lot of gluten. This flour is used to thicken soups and sauces but perfectly good bread can
be baked using it.
Wheat flour
Wheat flour is white flour formed from grains of wheat and it is slightly grey in colour because it
contains a small quantity of bran and wheatgerm as well as a lot of gluten.
Wholemeal flour
Wholemeal flour is ground from the complete, untreated grains of wheat so that all the bran and
wheatgerm are still in it.
Just like wheat flour it is rich in gluten but denser because of the bran and wheatgerm particles. If only
wholemeal flour is used the bread is more compact so that most home bakers also add some wheat flour.
In addition to these varieties of flour there are lots more for you to experiment with including oatmeal,
barley flour, buckwheat, spelt, cornflour and rye flour.
Mixing flour types
Most flour types can be mixed together easily. Common combinations are buckwheat/oats/wheat and
barley/wheat. Various mixes are available in the shops, such as waldkorn, six, nine or ten-grain
multi-flour. These mixes often already contain bread improver as well as the flour.
All-in mixes
These are mixes which contain all the necessary ingredients except water. They are easy and quick to use
but are also more expensive.
YEAST
Yeast is necessary if bread is to rise. Yeast is available either as fresh yeast (blocks) or dried yeast
(granules). There are various types of dried yeast which work slightly differently from each other so that
once more it is a question of personal preference.
Roughly speaking you will need about half as much dry yeast (also known as instant) as you would fresh.
Yeast may not work properly if it comes into contact with salt or fats. Salt can kill the yeast while fats
enclose the yeast cells preventing them from rising. Therefore, it is important that the yeast, salt and
butter are not too close to each other in the breadmaker.
SALT
Naturally salt adds to the taste of the bread but it is also important for making a crisp crust and for the
rising process (although salt can stop this if it comes into contact with the yeast). Salt strengthens the
gluten structure which gives the bread its form and also helps to prevent the bread from rising out of the
pan or collapsing before it is properly baked. It is quite possible to bake low-salt or even salt-free bread
but then the ingredients will need to be varied.
LIQUIDS
The commonest liquid used in baking bread is water but you can also try using fresh milk
or buttermilk. If you do this it will also affect the amount of rising and the structure of the
bread. Because of the amount of fat present full fat milk keeps the bread fresher for longer
and the milk sugars present (lactose) improve the rising. Buttermilk gives a lighter loaf that
stays fresh longer.