Flour Types

Those who followed my old blog already know that there are different kinds of flour. These are not only limited to the types of grain, but also to the so-called extraction rate. The extraction rate describes the percentage of the whole grain contained in the flour (weight percentage). At the same time, it is a measure of how well the separation of shell and flour body has been achieved in the grinding process.

The higher the extraction rate, the higher the flour type, and the more proportion of the surface layers of the grain is contained. When specifying the degree of grinding, it is always necessary to think from the outside to the inside of the grain. For example, a degree of grinding of 90% means that almost all grain components have been processed. A flour with a low degree of milling of 20% (e.g. type 405 wheat flour) no longer contains any outer layers but only the flour body. The higher the degree of milling (from flour type 1050), the lower the proportion of flour body and thus the starch content.

German flour types with the equivalents for the US and UK

 

In general, I sift the flour at least once before use, unless I have ground it fresh before. Sieving makes the flour looser and can absorb a little more liquid. Try it and you'll get better results.