Flours are obtained by grinding cereal
grains to powders of varying degrees of fine¬
ness. Meal is a coarsely ground flour. Flours
differ from starches in that they contain other
constituents of the grain along with the
starch. Flours and meals are produced for
use in making bread, pastry, and cakes.
Those grains which yield flours most useful
for these purposes are selected for milling.
Wheat is the preferred cereal for flour be¬
cause of the presence in it of the two proteins,
gliadin and glutenin, which unite in the
presence of water to form gluten. This
gluten is elastic, and allows the cells of batters
and doughs to stretch as gas is released from
the leavening agent. It hardens on heating
and forms a firm cell wall which retains the
shape of the inflated cell and helps to give
form and lightness to the baked product.
When the term "flour” is used without quali¬
fication, it means refined wheat flour.
Rye contains gliadin, the sticky portion of
the gluten, but not glutenin. Rye flour
doughs hold in the gas but lack the elasticity
found in doughs made from the gluten¬
forming wheat flours. Rye flour yields a
leavened but a heavier loaf than wheat flour.
Only small amounts of rye flour are pro¬
duced in this country. In northern Europe,
rye is the chief breadmaking cereal.
Corn also contains gliadin but no glutenin.
In the form of meal it is used extensively in
making bread of a special texture and flavor.
Buckwheat, oats, and rice, ground to flours
or meals, are sometimes used with wheat
flour in making breads and cakes of distinc¬
tive flavors and textures.
WHEAT FLOURS
Wheat flours vary in composition and
qualities with the part of the grain and the
kind of wheat or wheats used, and with the
blending of the flour streams obtained at the
different stages of the milling process.
Parts of Grain. In the discussion on cereal
foods, it was shown that any cereal product
varies in composition with the portion of
the grain used. A diagram on page 89
shows the three parts of a grain of wheat.
On the basis of the parts of the grain used,
flours are designated as whole wheat and
white flour. These are defined by the Food
and Drug Administration as follows:
Whole-wheat flour, entire-wheat flour,
graham flour, is the clean, sound product
made by grinding wheat, and contains, in
their natural proportions, all the constituents
of the cleaned grain.
Flour, wheat flour, white flour, is the
clean, sound, fine-ground product obtained
in the commercial milling of wheat, and
consists essentially of the starch and gluten
of the endosperm. It contains not more
than 15 per cent moisture, not less than 1
per cent nitrogen, not more than 1 per
cent ash and not more than 0.5 per cent
fiber.
The variations in the composition of these
flours are shown in Table LVI.
Both whole-wheat and white flour are
good sources of energy and protein. Whole¬
wheat flour contains slightly more protein and
a better quality protein, more fat, and more
ash than white flour. White flour has more
starch and more of the gluten-forming pro-
[280]
Table LVI •
Composition
of Wheat
Flours
Water
Protein
Fat
Carbo¬
hydrates
Fiber
Ash
Fuel Value
per Pound
Whole-wheat flour ....
Straight-grade white . . .
Per cent
11.30
12.80
Per cent
13.30
10.80
Per cent
2.30
1.10
Per cent
69.10
74.60
Per cent
1.9
.2
Per cent
1.8
.5
Calories
1,628
1,600
Page 253
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Flours are obtained by grinding cereal grains to powders of varying degrees of fineness. Meal is a coarsely ground flour. Flours differ from starches in that they contain other constituents of the grain along with the starch. Flours and meals are produced for use in making bread, pastry, and cakes. Those grains which yield flours most useful for these purposes are selected for milling.
Wheat is the preferred cereal for flour be¬ cause of the presence in it of the two proteins, gliadin and glutenin, which unite in the presence of water to form gluten. This gluten is elastic, and allows the cells of batters and doughs to stretch as gas is released from the leavening agent. It hardens on heating and forms a firm cell wall which retains the shape of the inflated cell and helps to give form and lightness to the baked product. When the term "flour” is used without quali¬ fication, it means refined wheat flour.
Rye contains gliadin, the sticky portion of the gluten, but not glutenin. Rye flour doughs hold in the gas but lack the elasticity found in doughs made from the gluten¬ forming wheat flours. Rye flour yields a leavened but a heavier loaf than wheat flour. Only small amounts of rye flour are pro¬ duced in this country. In northern Europe, rye is the chief breadmaking cereal.
Corn also contains gliadin but no glutenin. In the form of meal it is used extensively in making bread of a special texture and flavor. Buckwheat, oats, and rice, ground to flours or meals, are sometimes used with wheat flour in making breads and cakes of distinc¬ tive flavors and textures.
WHEAT FLOURS
Wheat flours vary in composition and qualities with the part of the grain and the kind of wheat or wheats used, and with the blending of the flour streams obtained at the different stages of the milling process.
Parts of Grain. In the discussion on cereal foods, it was shown that any cereal product varies in composition with the portion of the grain used. A diagram on page 89 shows the three parts of a grain of wheat. On the basis of the parts of the grain used, flours are designated as whole wheat and white flour. These are defined by the Food and Drug Administration as follows:
Whole-wheat flour, entire-wheat flour, graham flour, is the clean, sound product made by grinding wheat, and contains, in their natural proportions, all the constituents of the cleaned grain.
Flour, wheat flour, white flour, is the
clean, sound, fine-ground product obtained in the commercial milling of wheat, and consists essentially of the starch and gluten of the endosperm. It contains not more than 15 per cent moisture, not less than 1 per cent nitrogen, not more than 1 per cent ash and not more than 0.5 per cent fiber.
The variations in the composition of these flours are shown in Table LVI.
Both whole-wheat and white flour are good sources of energy and protein. Whole¬ wheat flour contains slightly more protein and a better quality protein, more fat, and more ash than white flour. White flour has more starch and more of the gluten-forming pro-
[280]
Table LVI •
Composition of Wheat
Flours
Water
Protein
Fat
Carbo¬
hydrates
Fiber
Ash
Fuel Value per Pound
Whole-wheat flour .... Straight-grade white . . .
Per cent
11.30
12.80
Per cent
13.30
10.80
Per cent
2.30
1.10
Per cent
69.10
74.60
Per cent
1.9
.2
Per cent
1.8
.5
Calories
1,628
1,600