Just curious...
Besides protein, how does the other characteristics affects baking bread?
Physical/Chemical Properties
Moisture: max 15,5 %
Proteins: min 14,5 %
Ashes: type 00 max 0,55 Wet
Gluten: min 40 %
Rheological Properties
Chopin Alveograph:
W 410 - Tolerance: -10/+30 P/L 0,60 - Tolerance: +-0,10
Brabender Farinograph:
Absorption min 60 % Stability min 17’
Brabender Amylograph:
Amylogram 800/1200 u.a.
Ash: how refined the flour is. In this case very. No more than 0.55% remains when a sample of the the flour in burnt.
Wet Gluten: percentage of hydrated gluten remaining when a dough sample is washed of it's starch.
Rheological properties:
Various tests performed by different instruments that measure the doughs different abilities.
Chopin alveograph:
W = overall strength of the gluten. P = Gluten Resistance. L = Gluten Extensibility. P/L = ratio between the two. The greater the W the stronger the flour, and so the greater the potential volume one can achieve. In this case we talking some very strong flour.
Brabender farinograph:
A dough sample is mechanically worked continuously until it gives up it's resistance. In this case it took 17 minutes.
Amylograph: Determines amylase activity, the rate at which starch is converted to sugar.
This data helps to give a technological view of how the flour will perform and what's it's best for. You wouldn't use this one for pizza, but panettone yes.
That's a lot of good info. Thanks a lot mwilson!
Also I loved your site.
May I ask why this would be a bad flour for pizza and good for panettone.
Pizza is a dough that requires very good extensibility. A very strong flour will create a dough too resistant.
Pizza is a flat bread. Panettone is highly enriched, moulded and rises high. It also undergoes long fermentation.
Strong flour means, more height and more volume and it can undergo longer fermentation. A strong flour is required to lift all that sugar and butter to great heights.
Pizza however is flat, it doesn't require great strength.