September 14, 2016 - 5:43am
Can Manitoba flour be used alone to make a sourdough?
Hello. I just ordered some manitoba flour. Can I just make my regular formula with it, adjusting the hydration as needed? Can it be used alone? Any recipe (didn't find any in a quick search)? Hints?
Thanks.
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It is described as very strong flour, which suggests it would be very good for bread, but it is also categorised by "type". Do you know which type it is?
Italian "Manitoba" flour is very strong bread flour. However it could also describe flour from the "Manitoba" province in Canada.
I would think the flour, whatever the case, will be strong. So what I would do for an all white "Manitoba" flour sourdough is start off at 65% hydration and keep to onside extra water to add as necessary. Incorporate a 30 - 40 minute autolyse without the salt or levain. Add the salt plus levain and incorporate. If at this stage the dough feels it needs more water then slowly add till the dough feels tacky. Just slightly sticky to the touch and has some extensibility. Take it from there.
Hi Lechem, the flour I got is this
Manitoba Italiana 00 Le 5 Stagioni
thanks
it is both italian and canadian :)
edit:
http://www.le5stagioni.it/en/Prodotti/Farina-Tipo-00-Manitoba
14,5 protein
This is bread flour. Ideal for long leavening according to the Italian website I've just had translated. Italians use the term "Manitoba" to mean ideal for bread baking. It is strong though (stronger than you're used to) so follow the idea above of starting off at 65% hydration for an all white loaf and keeping some to onside if the dough needs it. That's what I do. I find it ideal when the dough feels tacky. sticky to the touch but not overly so.
Thanks, I can't wait to get my hands on this.
Let's see how a real bread flour works..
happy baking
I look forward!
:)
The term Manitoba flour is used exclusively in Italy. It is hard red wheat that has been grown in Italy for its strong protein content. Often it will be mixed with a less strong flour. In North America hard red wheat is grown in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. In the US some of the northern states that "enjoy" a similar weather pattern to the Canadian prairies also grow hard red wheat. Some Italian districts refer to Manitoba flour as American flour.
Here in North America you will never see any flour labelled "Manitoba". The only time I have purchased 00 it was for pizza dough and I went to an Italian market. I cant really say that it made much difference. More research is needed. :).
You may find using 100% high protein content will produce a tougher crumb. it will depend on the actual protein content you have.
it's said to be grown in canda and usa at their website "obtained from the milling and sifting of North American and Canadian non-germinated soft wheat" Odd enough it's said to be made from soft wheat...?
You guys are so lucky to have easy access to so many cool flours.
:)
cheers
In some countries when they say soft they mean "not durum".
We grow wheat on the prairies in Canada. And Canada exports tonnes of grain each year. When I look at Canadian grain statistics (anybody can - just google) I see that we sent Canada West Amber Duram and Red spring wheat to Italy - several different grades of each.
Surprisingly (here comes my pet peeve!) I can't even buy in Manitoba some of the wheat that is exported to other countries. It just isn't available for whatever reason. Not packaged for home use I guess would be the biggest reason and I don't think I can use 2000 lbs.
Anyway you probably have great flour. Some time ago I think it was Dabrownman or Dragon (way more experience than me) suggested that I mix my high protein flour with AP and/or whole wheat etc. I have done that ever since. I always have a bread flour on hand similar to the protein content of the flour you have quoted. It bakes well on its own. It mixes with other flours very very well. By itself it is very good for sweet baking also (think eggs and sugar and butter in your mix). It has enough strength to handle the richer heavier dough.
Enjoy and good success to you!
Hi Jane. that's really annoying. I think a similar stuff happens in Brasil with coffee. The best is sold overseas.
Thanks for the tips using strong flour. I'll try pure and mixed to see. But so far I have only made non enriched dough. I still making lean bread, trying not to change much the recipes so I can learn better which variable causes what. That's an advice from the first site I reached when decided to make breads. Like 4 months ago, I think. At first I didn't really believed in it, but soon I realized it is a good advice. So I'll still working with flour, water, salt and sourdough for some while. But I can't deny I'm looking forward to try some different stuff.
Thanks once more.
happy baking and good success to you as well.
When I first started with natural leaven about 5 or 6 years ago I did have a somewhat grandiose idea of my capability. It wasn't long before I scaled back my expectation regarding my skill level and began doing exactly as you are doing. I baked 1-2-3 Bread again and again. I adjusted starter amounts and/or hydration to see the difference. That's how I finally gained some skill and confidence.
It's amazing what a bit of knowledge, experience and success do for you.
Have fun!
Flour terminology differs from country to country. Manitoba is a type of flour in Italy or is it wheat from Manitoba in Canada. Some countries use numbering to identify flour and others simply call the flour soft or strong. And then again, in one country AP flour, which is ok for a wide variety of bakes, will still be strong enough to make bread but have the same protein content as flours from other countries labelled as bread flour. It's not standardised and can be very confusing. That's before we get onto language barriers. Been having a look at the flour and i'm now leaning towards it being more ideal for pasta and other recipes which use soft wheat. Better you should find out now before you start baking with it.
Keep on searching for strong bread flour. No harm in giving this one a try though. You will get something out of it. It might not be the loftiest of loaves but can still be very tasty. Or try making cakes. If you do find strong flour you can always mix it to get an "AP" flour which some people like for bread.
Yep I've noticed this. Well when the flour arrives I'll try mixed and pure to see.
Thanks
cheers