Post by barney on Aug 25, 2013 21:08:13 GMT
OK. I know this is going to sound like amateur hour, but I have just become a good-flour convert.
I've been baking for many years and struggled to get the sort of crumb I like in a loaf. I've tried everything and nothing seemed to work. Well, not quite everything.
I always scoffed at those who spent a fortune on flour when you could get a decent strong bread flour from your local supermarket without breaking the bank. Surely it's all the same stuff, right?
Now I have seen the light. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 16kg sack of Marriage's Manitoba flour from a local wholesaler and the difference in my dough is literally unbelievable. This stuff is just so elastic, holds so much air and is resistant to handling in a way I have seen in videos but had almost given up on recreating myself. The results speak for themselves.
I made some of my usual rolls the other day too, and I was struggling to knock them back because the dough just wouldn't give up its air. It isn't even expensive flour, the whole sack cost just £18!
Like I said, I've been baking for ages and I now find myself feeling like a fool. Things I struggled with before are now a simple delight and the whole of baking is opening up before me anew. Am I laying it on too thick?
If you aren't already using a really strong Canadian flour (I think Caputo is also Manitoba, the Italians love it and with good reason; you can't make ciabatta without it), then get out there and find some, you won't regret it.
I've been baking for many years and struggled to get the sort of crumb I like in a loaf. I've tried everything and nothing seemed to work. Well, not quite everything.
I always scoffed at those who spent a fortune on flour when you could get a decent strong bread flour from your local supermarket without breaking the bank. Surely it's all the same stuff, right?
Now I have seen the light. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 16kg sack of Marriage's Manitoba flour from a local wholesaler and the difference in my dough is literally unbelievable. This stuff is just so elastic, holds so much air and is resistant to handling in a way I have seen in videos but had almost given up on recreating myself. The results speak for themselves.
I made some of my usual rolls the other day too, and I was struggling to knock them back because the dough just wouldn't give up its air. It isn't even expensive flour, the whole sack cost just £18!
Like I said, I've been baking for ages and I now find myself feeling like a fool. Things I struggled with before are now a simple delight and the whole of baking is opening up before me anew. Am I laying it on too thick?
If you aren't already using a really strong Canadian flour (I think Caputo is also Manitoba, the Italians love it and with good reason; you can't make ciabatta without it), then get out there and find some, you won't regret it.
