What is wholemeal flour - why and how to eat it, and how is it different from whole grain flour?Increasingly, in various recipes, in health programs, one can hear about the need to use coarse flour or "whole grain flour" in the diet.
In order to have a sufficiently complete understanding of the essence of the issue, as well as for its further competent use in your own culinary practice, you need to at least briefly touch on its history.
Isn't it surprising that out of all the variety of earthly fruits, it was the seeds of cereals that were chosen as the basis of the food pyramid of almost every developed civilization. Be it ancient Rome, Egypt or the Mayan or Inca civilization.
Nondescript, absolutely unappetizing in appearance, incredibly laborious to cultivate, it was grain that took a dominant position in the diet of every cultured people. Common sense dictates that it is in the grain that there is everything necessary for human life. The reasons for this phenomenon are far from accidental. Why this happened is not a separate discussion within the framework of this article.
Grain grain composition A - the longitudinal layer of the fruit shell;
B - the transverse layer of the fruit shell;
B - tubular layer of the fruit shell;
D - waterproof and pigment layers of the seed coat;
D - swelling layer of the seed coat;
E - aleurone layer of the endosperm;
F - starch cells of the endosperm.
Explanations for the figures: Wheat grain is covered with a brownish shell, which gives, when milled, bran, which is richer than whole grain, protein, vitamins and especially cellulose (A, B, C, D, E).
There is an aleurone layer of small granules (E) under the shell.
The rest are thin-layer endosperm cells filled with starch grains and particles of gluten, which gives the dough its viscosity (G).
The germ at the base of the grain is rich in oil as well as protein and minerals.
What is wholemeal flour - why and how to eat it, and how is it different from whole grain flour?
Increasingly, in various recipes, in health programs, one can hear about the need to use coarse flour or "whole grain flour" in the diet.
In order to have a sufficiently complete understanding of the essence of the issue, as well as for its further competent use in your own culinary practice, you need to at least briefly touch on its history.
Isn't it surprising that out of all the variety of earthly fruits, it was the seeds of cereals that were chosen as the basis of the food pyramid of almost every developed civilization. Be it ancient Rome, Egypt or the Mayan or Inca civilization.
Nondescript, absolutely unappetizing in appearance, incredibly laborious to cultivate, it was grain that took a dominant position in the diet of every cultured people. Common sense dictates that it is in the grain that there is everything necessary for human life. The reasons for this phenomenon are far from accidental. Why this happened is not a separate discussion within the framework of this article.
Grain grain composition
A - the longitudinal layer of the fruit shell;
B - the transverse layer of the fruit shell;
B - tubular layer of the fruit shell;
D - waterproof and pigment layers of the seed coat;
D - swelling layer of the seed coat;
E - the aleurone layer of the endosperm;
F - starch cells of the endosperm.
Explanations for the figures: Wheat grain is covered with a brownish shell, which gives, when milled, bran, which is richer than whole grain, protein, vitamins and especially cellulose (A, B, C, D, E).
There is an aleurone layer of small granules (E) under the shell.
The rest are thin-layer endosperm cells filled with starch grains and particles of gluten, which gives the dough its viscosity (G).
The germ at the base of the grain is rich in oil as well as protein and minerals.
It is easy to guess that in order to increase the content of vitamins and microelements in flour, it is necessary to use for its production the embryo with a shield, the aleurone layer and part of the endosperm adjacent to the aleurone layer.
Perhaps one of the most common products made from grain is flour.
Flour - by definition - is a food product obtained by grinding grains of cereals and other crops used for the preparation of bread, pasta, confectionery and other things. Distinguish flour depending on the type of raw material: wheat, rye, oatmeal, etc., as well as by purpose, that is, grade. It is obtained with a one-time, wallpaper or varietal - repeated (stepwise) grinding. It is believed that initially grinding was carried out using a mortar or grain grinder, then millstones. At present, grinding on cast iron rollers is the most widespread throughout the world.
For the sake of completeness, a few words should be said about high-quality flour.
Chronicle indications indicate that at the end of the 14th century, “stepwise grinding” began to spread in Russia instead of the more primitive one-time grinding. Its essence is in obtaining parts of grain of various sizes and quality - grains, during the initial crushing, followed by their separate, fine grinding into flour. This method of grinding makes it possible to extract from the grain the maximum amount of endosperm free from the shells in the form of flour.
At the end of the 19th century, five varieties were distinguished, or as the “five hands” used to say only wheat flour:
coarse, candy, grains of the first hand;
the first pervach, krupchatka friend, the second hand;
second pervach, sleeveless;
Easter cake;
hooks, knockout.
Small bran - kneading, large - shapsha.
Modern technology for making flour means that the grain is first ground and then sieved through a sieve. The finer the grind, the more "ballast substances" can be weeded out. The "purest" flour in this sense is flour of the highest grades. Fine grinding allows you to filter out absolutely all "impurities", including the flower coat and grain germ (vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, etc.), including fiber, leaving only pure starch (carbohydrates). The nutritional value of such flour (the amount of kcal) is really very high. But from the point of view of the biological value of the product, it is a carbohydrate "dummy". In such flour, nothing useful and necessary for the body remains. He cannot create new cells from carbohydrates, for this he needs all the variety of macro- and microelements laid down in the whole grain by nature.
MODERN FLOUR VARIETIESToday, modern industry offers 4 varieties of wheat flour:
grains,
premium flour,
flour of the first grade,
flour of the second grade,
wallpaper
and two varieties of rye flour:
sown
peeled.
All these varieties, both in the past and in the present, differ from each other in the size of grinding and the ratio of the peripheral parts of the grain (shell and embryo) and flour grain (endosperm).
Wheat flour varieties differ from one another in yield (the amount of flour obtained from 100 kg of grain), color, ash content, varying degrees of grinding (particle size), the content of bran particles, and the amount of gluten.
According to the percentage yield of flour when grinding grain, flour varieties are divided into:
grit 10% (it is obtained only 10% of the total amount of grain in a volume of 100 kg.),
top grade (25-30%),
first grade (72%),
second grade (85%) and
wallpaper (about 93-96%).
The higher the flour yield, the lower the grade.
Krupchatka - consists of homogeneous small grains of light cream color, which are particles of endosperm (grains) with a size of 0.3-0.4 mm, does not contain shells and soft powdery particles.
There is almost no bran in it. It is rich in gluten and has high baking properties. Grit is produced from special varieties of wheat and is distinguished by the larger size of individual particles.
It is advisable to use this flour for yeast dough with a high sugar and fat content for such products as cakes, buns, etc. For unpalatable yeast dough, grit is of little use, since the dough from it is poorly suited, and the finished products have poor porosity and quickly stale.
Flour of the highest grade - consists of finely ground (0.1-0.2 mm) particles of endosperm, mainly inner layers.
It differs from grains in that grains are not felt between the fingers when rubbed. Its color is white with a slightly creamy shade. Premium flour contains a very low percentage of gluten. The best category of the highest grade is called "extra". It is often used as a thickener in sauces and is also suitable for baking.
This type of flour is most common in the manufacture of the highest grades of flour products. Wheat flour of the highest grade has good baking properties, products made from it have a good volume and fine developed porosity. This flour is best used for shortcrust, puff and yeast dough, sauces and flour dressings.
First grade flour - soft to the touch, finely ground, white with a slightly yellowish tinge. Flour of the first grade has a fairly high content of gluten, which makes the dough from it elastic, and the finished products are of good shape, large volume, pleasant taste and aroma.
Flour of the first grade is good for uncomfortable baking (rolls, pies, pancakes, pancakes, sautéing, national types of noodles, etc.), and for baking various bread products. Finished products from it stale more slowly. High-quality bakery and confectionery products are usually made from high-grade wheat flour.
Second grade flour - consists of particles of crushed endosperm and 8-12% of the mass of flour of crushed shells. Flour of the 2nd grade is larger than the flour of the 1st grade. Particle sizes 0.2-0.4 mm. The color is noticeably darker due to the high content of the peripheral parts of the grain - usually white with a yellowish or grayish tint. It is white in color with a noticeable yellowish or brown tint, contains up to 8% bran, it is much darker than the first-class. It is light and dark.
The latter is better in terms of baking qualities - baked goods from it are fluffy, with a porous crumb. It is mainly used for baking table varieties of white bread and non-flavored flour products. It is often mixed with rye flour. This flour is used in the manufacture of some confectionery products (gingerbread and cookies).
Wallpaper flour (wholemeal flour) - is obtained by grinding the whole grain. The flour yield is 96%. The flour is coarser, the particles are less uniform in size. It is produced from all types of soft wheat varieties, it contains 2 times more bran than flour of the 2nd grade, color with a brown tint. In wallpaper flour, the content of bran particles is the highest. According to its baking properties, it is inferior to varietal wheat flour, but it is characterized by a higher nutritional value. The shells of grain contain protein substances, vitamins of groups B and E, mineral salts of calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium. The kernel of the grain is rich in starch and contains significantly less protein and other nutrients than its peripheral layers. Therefore, flour made from whole grains or with the addition of finely ground bran in their nutritional value is significantly superior to high-grade flour. Wallpaper flour is used mainly for baking table breads and is rarely used in cooking.
Coarse wallpaper flour is the largest flour grinding.Accordingly, the wallpaper flour is sifted through a coarse sieve. During wallpaper grinding, absolutely all the components of the grain remain in the flour. This is the flower shell of the grain, and the aleurone layer, and the grain embryo. Accordingly, wallpaper flour retains all the biological value of whole grain, and all its healing qualities for the human body. Accordingly, the flour produced during wallpaper grinding can be called coarse flour, due to the content in it in a large number of coarse parts of grain shells. Although its correct name is still "wallpaper flour".
Flour is fine and coarse. Wholemeal flour - whole grain flour. With coarse grinding, almost all the grain is ground into flour, which consists of large particles, contains cell membranes, bran (2nd grade wheat, wallpaper).
Fine flour Is flour from the endosperm, i.e. the inner part of the grain. With fine grinding, white flour, tender, consists of small particles of grain, the outer layers of which are removed (wheat 1st grade, premium grade). Contains mainly starch and gluten and
practically does not contain fiber.
The finer the grinding and the higher the grade of flour, the less proteins and especially minerals, vitamins, and more starch in it.
As for the terminology, the coarsely ground grain is called meal, and the finer grain is called flour.
The flour obtained during a single grinding can be called "whole grain" (since all parts (100%) of the whole grain: fruit and seed coats, embryos, endosperm particles, etc. remain in the flour). However, until recently, it was better known under the names "fodder" or "fodder".
For the sake of truth,
It is worth noting that flour, ground in a mortar, in a coffee grinder or on the rollers of the grinding system at a mill, will be very different from each other, and their baking properties will also differ.Some 50 years ago, the bulk of all bread produced in Russia was baked from wallpaper varieties of flour. Its difference from whole grain flour is that the fruit shells are partially removed from the coarse flour (the yield is 96%, not 100%), a small amount of bran is selected and the embryo is partially removed. It is also more leveled in size, which is not unimportant for its baking properties.
Thus, coarse flour includes: wallpaper flour (96% of the flour yield of their raw materials)
whole grain flour. (100% flour yield
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