How to Make Bread Flour

Bread rules hundreds of recipes in the world. What makes it so perfect, what gives it the taste, the phenomenon? The magic is in the ingredients that are used, to make this ancient and staple sovereign article of food. There are ways to bake bread with different types of flour, like self rising flour, string flour, malted wheat grain, etc. Most of us think of bread making as fussy and complicated. However, if you follow the recipe with perfect ingredients, it will definitely show on the taste, texture and quality of bread that you bake, also simplifying your task of making bread. We all may not be every day bread bakers, and all of us definitely don't keep bread flour stacked in the kitchen. Sure there is a variety of bread flour in the stores that you can use. But can anything beat the homemade tag? The healthy taste of a loaf of homemade bread, cannot be compared. If you love making bread at home, you would certainly love to add a warm and homely flavor to all its ingredients. Let us stroll down the baker's bay, and understand more on making bread flour from scratch!

Easy Steps to Make Bread Flour

Bread flour is a flour with high protein, specially made to prepare yeast breads. Following are the ingredients to make bread flour:

• 4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons of wheat gluten
• Mixing bowl and a spoon or fork.

After gathering all the above ingredients, follow the simple procedure below.

1. Measure the correct amount of all-purpose flour and put it in the mixing bowl.
2. For every one cup of flour, add one teaspoon of gluten, mixing it with the all-purpose flour.
3. Stir until the gluten and flour are thoroughly mixed.

You can buy wheat gluten from supermarkets, in the baking aisle. It is also available in natural foods stores. If you wish to make a specific amount of flour, make sure you add one teaspoon of gluten to each cup of flour you use.

Tips to Store Bread Flour

Some tips to store flour:

• Storage should be done in an air tight container, to prevent seeping of moisture in the flour. You can also store this flour in a canister or a plastic bag that is sealed.
• Do not store flour near food products with a strong odor, onions or even soap powder.
• Store the flour in cool and dry areas. In hot climates, you can store it in the refrigerator.
• It is also recommended not to store flour for more than six months.
• It is advisable not to mix old flour with new flour, if you don't use flour frequently.
• You can put a bay leaf in the container with the flour, it will help protect against infections from insects, as bay leaves are a natural insect repellents.
• Dispose the flour if it changes color or smells bad or is invested with weevils.
• The aim is to keep the flour dry. Also try labeling the flour container, as you don't want to confuse it with all-purpose flour.

There are many types of flour that you can use to make different varieties of bread. If you like different textures, tastes, and are health conscious, you can try baking with these flour types: Wheat flour; other wheat grains like wheat bran, wheat germ; non wheat flours like rye, rice and millet mixed with wheat flour. You can also use flour like self-raising flour, malted flour or strong flour.

Bread has always been a favorite of all, and there are many bread recipes that will help you enjoy your favorite bread. You know much more than how to make bread flour by now. Come on, most of us have shared those light and fluffy memories of baking, with our grandmothers, mothers, and even our siblings. Bake a few more, grab your chef's hat again... Happy baking!