Flour
Pronounce it: fl-ow-er
Flour is a powdery ingredient made from grounding wheat, maize, rye, barley or rice. It is the key ingredient of bread, which makes it one of the most common and sought after ingredients in the world. There are many different types of flour which are dependent on the degree of processing processing and type of wheat used. Most flour readily bought from supermarkets is steel crushed, meaning it is ground with huge steel hammers that generate heat which strips away the wheat germ, and consequently, vitamins. Stone-ground flour is naturally more nutritious.
Wheat flour is the most popular and versatile flour and there are many different varieties:
White flour, otherwise known as plain flour, contains about 75 per cent of the wheat grain, with most of the bran and wheat germ taken out. It is commonly used for pastry-making, sauces and biscuits. Self-raising flour contains baking powder which raises cakes and scones. Unbleached flour is an off-white colour because it has not been whitened artificially.
Wholemeal or whole-wheat flour is made from the whole of the wheat grain. If the flour is steel crushed the wheat-germ is separated from the white part of the grain and returned to the white flour at the end of grounding.
Store it
In an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
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