2/1 Review Flour Questions

Self-test Questions (White Flours)


Question 1

What is the definition of flour?

An ingredient used in many foods, flour is a fine powder made from cereals or other starchy food sources. It is most commonly made from wheat, rye, barley, and rice, amongst many other grasses and non-grain plants. Flour is the key ingredient of bread, which is the staple food in many countries.
Simply Flour is the fine, clean and sound product obtained by the milling of sound, cleaned wheat. Flour shall not contain more than 150g of water.

Question 2

Explain how wheat flour is unique compared to other cereal flours.

The vast majority of today's flour consumption is wheat flour. It is an indispensable raw material or ingredient of many foods as well as bread. It is unique among the flours from cereal grains, as it contains two, proteins which, when hydrated, form a rubber-like elastic mass called gluten. It is this protein mixture present in wheat flour that enables gasses resulting from fermentation to be retained. This retention and the ability of the gluten protein to stretch give us the basic structure of well-aerated, soft-texture bread. Without wheat flour, bread as we know it would not be possible.

Question 3

List the five common white wheat flours used in bakeries.

High Protein Flour
Bakers Flour
Cake/Sponge Flour
Biscuit Flour
High Ratio Cake Flour

Question 4

What is the maximum allowed water content of flour?

12% is the composition of flour and content is no more than 150grams

Question 5

What is the minimum allowed protein content of high protein flour?

Protein increased flour is flour containing no-less than 27g of nitrogen, calculated on a water-free basis. The proportion of protein in starch-reduced flour shall be calculated by multiplying the proportion of nitrogen present by 5.7. Thus applying the method of 27g of nitrogen per kilogram multiplied by the factor 5.7 would have a protein of 15.39% on a moisture basis. Therefore the minimum allowed protein content is 15.39%.

Question 6

What is the approximate protein content of bakers flour?

The gluten protein content in bakers flour is 10-13%.

Question 7

List the reasons for variation in flour quality from season to season, stat to state, etc.

Flour that is milled in wet conditions will be rich in maltose a sugar which discolours the bread and if it is milled in dry conditions it will lack sufficient maltose levels.

Question 8

What three factors are closely related to the variations in flour characteristics?

Gluten quantity and quality
Maltose sugars
Ash and/or mineral content

Question 9

How does the gluten protein quality and quantity affect the flour quality?

The quality of the gluten protein has a profound influence on the quality of the bread produced. Some types of gluten protein are too tough and others too soft or extensible. The higher the protein of gluten determines the quality of flour. The best flour is well balanced, this means that it has both stability and extensibility. As a result, gas is produced and the gluten is able to withstand the stress of being stretched and to extend enough to produce bread of good volume.

Question 10

How does the maltose sugar content of flour affect its baking quality?

Excess malt sugar in flour results in increased yeast activity and an over-abundance of residual sugars at the time of baking, causing a sticky crumb and an excessive crust colour. Therefore too much maltose sugar results in poor quality product, low in volume, with pale cruct colour, dry crumb and poor keeping qualities.


Question 11

How does the ash content of the flour affect its baking quality?

Higher ash content of flours results in a reduced fermentation tolerance and reduced bread volume. The higher the ash content in flour results in the inferior of baking properties.

Question 12

Which part of the wheat grain does white flour come from?

White flour is obtained from the endosperm of the wheat grain. It can be seen as the white centre part of the wheat grain.

Question 13

What is the approximate starch content of bakers flour?

70%