December 8, 2017 - 11:52am
Cricket Bread?
I've been looking into making bread with cricket flour. This article made reference to its popularity in Finland. However, I don't have an instinct for how much to use and how it would affect dough development. If possible, I'd like to add the cricket flour to a Russian-style sourdough rye bread with a high percentage of rye flour, at least 50% (Borodinsky, most likely). How much cricket flour can I safely use? How does it affect the flavor? Would it be best to add it at the initial stage, or should I add it into the scald or the preferment?
Have any of you baked with cricket flour? There aren't too many resources on yeast breads that use it, unfortunately.
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Well, good luck. As far as the impact on dough development goes it would seem at first glance to be problematic. You'll probably get absolutely no gluten from the crickets and almost none from the rye if I remember it's characteristics. As to flavor, it will depend on what the crickets were fed prior to slaughter. Were they free range crickets or pen raised? = just kidding.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. “Free range or pen raised!”
You could alway try what some folks do to add a different flavor to basic white bread. Add a cup of it to replace a cup of flour. The more cricket flour you add the less gluten your dough will have. Keep an eye on the hydration. The cricket flour will have a different absorption rate than regular flour.
I've heard of people baking their own dog biscuits. Baking your own fish bait? Awesome! : )
I'm an omnivore, but the nearest I get to eating insects is bee honey.
Generally. But a publication I write for is offering to reimburse me for the ingredients. If I get to try some unique baked goods without paying for some relatively expensive ingredients, I'm sold. Besides, crickets are being touted a possible new food trend, so I figured I'd get in on the action early. Not a lot of resources are available at the moment, so I hoped to do some experimenting and come up with several solid recipes for future bakers to use.
Generally. But a publication I write for is offering to reimburse me for the ingredients. If I get to try some unique baked goods without paying for some relatively expensive ingredients, I'm sold. Besides, crickets are being touted a possible new food trend, so I figured I'd get in on the action early. Not a lot of resources are available at the moment, so I hoped to do some experimenting and come up with several solid recipes for future bakers to use.
just don't look up: cricket parasites. :P
I once deliberately ate a bug and no bar bet was involved. I was fly fishing and there was a significant hatch of Sulphur mayflies. The trout were chowing down on 'em and I was overcome with curiosity so I snatched up a newly emerged bug and swallowed it with some mild preliminary crushing. Not much in the way of taste-I'd have to describe it as 'waxy'. It was live and I have no idea how toasting and grinding would affect the taste.
Just some preliminary googlin' brought up quite a bit of somewhat contradictory info. One source hails them as a solution to an 'inevitable' future crisis and another pointed out that they are less efficient than chickens at turning food into protein. The cricket involved in some efforts is an Asian species. Because there's already plenty of protein and minerals in wheat I am curious as to why there's any need to substitute an 'animal' protein source for a vegetable protein source?
Good luck with your article and experiments.