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Showing posts from May 26, 2009

PANICKING OVER FLOUR

I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD PANIC OVER THE FLOUR I USE IN CLASS. IT PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE MATTERED THAT MUCH IF I ONLY BAKE BREADS FOR EATING, BUT WHEN YOU SELL AND USE A PARTICULAR TYPE OF FLOUR THAT YOU HAVE TESTED FOR YEARS, IT DOES MATTER. BIG TIME. LAST WEEK'S CLASS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THE DISPARITY BETWEEN TYPES OF FLOUR IN THE MARKET. I HAVE BEEN USING THE SAME FLOUR FOR YEARS AFTER MY SHORT STINT AT PUREFOOD'S AND WHEN THIS BRAND RAN OUT FROM MY USUAL SUPPLIER, I MADE DO WITH THE AVAILABLE BRAND. MY FIRST IMPULSE WAS TO TEST THE FLOUR BEFORE USING IT IN CLASS. IT TURNED OUT WELL, I TESTED IT USING A HIGH RATIO FORMULA AND THE FLOUR'S ONLY NOTICEABLE CHARACTERISTIC IS THAT THE WATER ABSORPTION IS QUITE LOW, IN FACT WAY TOO LOW FROM THE ONE I REGULARLY USE. I MADE SEVERAL RECIPES USING THE FLOUR AND AGAIN, THE BREADS LOOKED FINE IN TERMS OF THE VOLUME AND CONSISTENCY. BUT WHEN I GOT TO THE CINNAMON ROLLS, THE FLOUR BECAME A DIFFERENT ENTITY. BOY, IT REMINDED ME OF T