Forum Thermomix
Questions Doubts and Requests => Recipe Requests => Topic started by: jworth on April 27, 2009, 11:11:11 am
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What is bakers flour and where do I buy it?? ???
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Hi Jworth. I bought my Defiance brand bakers flour from Foodland in a 5kg pack and it says it is ideal for breads, pizza doughs and focaccia. The term strong flour, bakers flour and breadmaking flour are interchangeable and refer to flour with a high protein content compared to ordinary plain flour which is crucial in breadmaking.
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I buy Wallaby brand at Coles, Woolies or Bilo (except not at my favourite Bilo because it closed down for good... waaaaaaahhhh)
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Hi jworth,
I also buy the Wallaby Unbleached Bakers Flour. Both Coles and Safeway stock it in the 5kg bags.
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Thankyou for all of your help. now I know what to buy and where from.
Cheers
jworth
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JWorth, what are you baking? Sometimes higher gluten flours aren't needed, even though the recipe may call for it. It's appropriate for really dense doughs like bagels and soft pretzels, but isn't necessary for a simple white bread. If you're making a mixed flour bread, it may be necessary to make up for the reduced gluten in some other flours, such as rye. When you're comfortable with the recipe, try it once with regular ap flour and observe the differences.
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I have just been researching this myself and I found this information on Google:
bakers flour is your standard all use wheat flour when producing bread products not to be confused with plain flour, bakers flour is a high protein flour and is also refered to as strong flour or bread flour you can buy it from your local supermaket or mixing a bit of cornflour with your plain flour will give you the same result as the cornflour is a wheat starch (gluten). I am a baker and when i make my bread at home i just add cornflour if i dont have any bakers flour,i use about a 10th of the amount of flour worth.
if you want to know more about bakers flour go to
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread#Flour
Also, another chef said the measurement of 1 tea spoon of cornflour to each cup of plain flour will make Bakers Flour which is probably a 10th but much easier to work out... for me anyway! lol
Hope this helps.
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Well Roses I never knew that. Thanks for the tip.
Gert
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Thanks Roses, that's very interesting and useful to know.
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Great tip. Thanks Roses. Now I've just got to remember it ;)
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what a great tip. Will have to remember that one to pass on. No good for me at home as I have changed over to using pure cornstarch now as that is what we need to use for demo's
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Just read this in a pizza book I borrowed from the library.
Flour:
There are two main types of wheat grown today, hard and soft, each with a characteristic kernel composition and each with its on particular culinary use. The wheat kernel will vary in "hardness", which is the measure of protein content and consequently determines the flour's gluten content. Hard flour forms a strong gluten when mixed with water and is commonly used in bread making. In comparison soft flours contain a higher starch content and consequently develop a weaker gluten. Soft flours are more commonly used for pasta and cakes where the texture is meant to be more tender and crumbly. Gluten works rather like chewing gum. It is both plastic and elastic, that is it will both change its shape under pressure and tend to reassume its original shape when pressure is removed. Gluten stretches when worked and allows air to be incorporated and trapped, resulting in air bubbles. Bread making requires a hard flour in order for the carbon dioxide, released by the yeasts, to be incorporated by the gluten, enabling the dough to rise. Pizza dough does not require the same level of rising action as a loaf of bread and many people claim that a softer flour is actually better. The following is a guide to the different flours available and their uses.
Semolina - a coarse grain produced from the hardest kind of wheat grown today. This is predominately used for very stiff doughs, particularly dried pastas. It is too hard for bread or pasta making but can be added to pizza doughs for texture and crunch.
Hard flour - grade 1 contains the highest gluten level and is generally used for bread making or pizzas.
Soft flour - grade 00 (doppio zero) is the finest grade and contains less gluten. Useful for pasta making and baking. Soft flour can be used for pizza making but make sure the packet states that it is "panifable".
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Thanks for that info Roses and Zan. I am about to receive a pasta maker for my birthday and I am really looking forward to experimenting with lots of different pasta, as I have been with bread.
What flour do people suggest for sweeter breads, like a raisin loaf?
Kerryn
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Have a look in ethnic shops for Bakers flour in bulk. I buy mine from a shop at Underwood in either a 10 or 12kg bag depending on the brand....I can't remember offhand how much I normally pay but it works out a LOT cheaper than buying the 5kg bags from Woolies. I normally bag about 1/2 of it up into "bread mixes" and the other half goes into a large decor container in the fridge. I have the bags ready to make bread quickly when I can't be bothered mucking around with measuring stuff out....I even have the yeast pre measured....it literally takes 3 minutes (plus the second knead for 2 minutes if I can be bothered) to make a loaf of bread.
For pasta you really can't go past the OOO flour from woolies/coles....every batch I have made has worked out perfectly.
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Stacelee, You must live very close to me. Are you talking about Global Convenience Store at Underwood ? I go there all the time and I look at their bulk bags of flour but am never quite sure which is bakers flour. They have so many different types of flours though, and I have asked them there before but they didn't understand me when I was asking if any are the same as baker's flour. I'd love to know which one you get. I'm at Eight Mile Plains.
Debbie
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Yup, it's global convenience store, I live just down the road at Springwood...up on top of the hill near the Enviromental park. I love the chutneys from there and you can normally get some good value fruit and vegetables from the Big Gun fruit shop...although I don't rate the butcher.
I can't remember which one I normally buy although I would recognize it if I saw it. I will try and call in on my way home from work on Monday and see which one it is.
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Hey I know exactly where Eight Mile Plains is-we stayed there last time we were up that way. 8) 8)
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So much good info . here. I buy Laucke flour in 10 k. bags for $20 from Safeways of Coles. Cost $1 to make 8 rolls or a large loaf. Yeast is included. I also use 1/2 and 1/2 bread flour and cake flour in biscuits.
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Cookie, next time you're up this way you'll have to let us know and you can come over to my mad house LOL. Thanks so much Stacelee, it would be great if you could find out the name of it, do they call it bread flour ? Like I've looked at other flours that are for chapatis etc and wondered if they were the same thing. I'm not in a huge hurry though, just next time you're in there would be great.
Debbie
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I thought I would post the flour that I use for making bread for the U.K. members.I love the Wessex Cobbler Flour, the Soft Grain Flour and the Whole Grain Bread flour.I can buy it locally and have great results with it.Useful that they do mail order if there isn't a stockest near you.
http://www.wessexmill.co.uk/acatalog/Bread_Flour.html
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Debbie, where do you live.?
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Chookie,
I'm at Eight Mile Plains, about 20 mins south of Brisbane city (in off peak traffic that is).
Debbie
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Ohhh Stacelee, was just reading over this thread again and just been filling my husband in about you buying a Kenwood as well, you crack me up ! I think my husband's sitting there thinking ohhhh no here we go she's not going to want a Kenwood next is she lol. Anyhow back to my reason for posting again in this thread. I go to the Big Gun fruit shop all the time (was there yesterday actually) and have to totally agree with you about Big Gun Butcher. We buy all our meat from Super Butcher at Yatala, you just can't go past them for quality and price. Have you been there ? One of our favourites from there is Spicy chicken breast tenderloins (they're the same as KFC use, but slightly mis-shaped). We buy them and have them on wraps for a quick dinner some nights or lunches here and there. They're mince is lovely too, we don't buy it anywhere else now. My husband's become fussy with his steak and only likes it from there too. Anyhow, I need to go to bed, enough from me.
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I'm off to Garden City this morning...............the one in Perth not near you Debbiebillg. Is it still there? We found it a useful shopping centre.
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I haven't made it to SuperButcher yet...keep saying I will go and never getting there. My daughter does cheerleading at Beenleigh and I should drop her there and keep going but there is always something else to do. Currently it is getting ready for a holiday :(, why is it always almost too much work to to on holidays?????......I'm currently flipping between working on accounts at the computer and high pressure cleaning our way too much concrete so that our pet sitters don't kill themselves when they feed the animals. Working from home today seemed like such a good idea!!!!! At least my 15 year old is being kind enough to cook lunch for me so I can keep working. I'm very fond of him today. Still haven't made it back to Global Trading, maybe tomorrow
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Yes I know what you mean about too much work to go on holidays. Such a lot to do hey. No worries about the Global Convenience store, no hurry at all. Super Butcher is definately worth the trip. There's one at Waterford now too. If you sign up on their website they email you their weekly specials, which is usually how I work out when to go (gotta love a bargain). Sometimes they do premium mince for $4 a kilo. Great value. I just got their xmas specials email, if you want me to send it on to you, send me your email address.
Cookie1, yes Garden City is definately still there, tis our favourite haunt ! My husband's a shopaholic so we're there quite a bit. Haven't been to the Perth one though. We're spoilt for choice with shopping centres now aren't we.
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Where would one find organic bakers flour?
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I use honest to goodness
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I've been very happy with Kialla flour - a list of stockists is here (http://www.kiallafoods.com.au/Distribution/stockists.aspx). It isn't called baker's flour on the packaging, but have been using it for 18 months for my bread (and everything else).
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Where would one find organic bakers flour?
Where abouts are you handson?
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Saw big pack of Bakers Flour in Costco. Not the brand I'm familiar with. I generally use Wallaby for making bread. Has anyone tried this Coscto Bakers Flour? Any recommendation? Thank you.