Perhaps you have just treated yourself to a new bread maker or been gifted one as a birthday or Christmas present. Either way, provided you make use of it and maintain it properly, you are going to enjoy delicious bread that simply cannot be matched by bread bought in the store.
Additionally, you get to experience the unbeatable smell of homemade bread baking. But before you rush to start making bread, it is essential that you conduct some research.
The Key To Baking Bread
It will probably come as no surprise to you that the secret to baking the perfect loaf of bread lies in choosing the best ingredients. Remember that when it comes to bread, it is imperative that you select the most suitable flour for your bread of choice.
With white flour, plain flour, spelt flour and rye flour, sometimes picking the best flour can seem overwhelming to the new baker. At Nelstrops, we have supplied bakers countrywide with the best quality flour for over 200 years. If you want the best regardless of type, then buy flour from Nelstrops Family Millers.
What Is The Best Flour To Use For Bread?
Bread flour is what most bread machine manufacturers will recommend in the instruction book. Unfortunately, bread flour can be somewhat of a nondescript term that can confuse a prospective baker. For this article, bread flour means Strong White Flour or Strong Wholemeal Flour as it has more protein.
This means that during the baking process, it will rise better and hold its shape better than other flours. However, the first question you need to ask yourself is what type of bread do you want to bake. If, for example, you are trying to bake a denser type of bread, then wholemeal flours are an option. The higher the bread rises, the less dense a bread becomes. And don’t be scared to mix flours. How about mixing Strong White and Strong Wholemeal.
Or Strong White with say 20% of Rye flour. Or Strong White, Strong Wholemeal and Rye flour! Baking is an art as much as a science, so be creative and find out what suits you.
Wholemeal Flour Versus White Flour
There is still a lot of confusion amongst the general public about what or indeed why wholemeal flour is better for you than white flour. The wheat plant produces wheat kernels, and it is this part of the plant from which flour is made. The wheat kernel consists of three parts, the bran, the germ and the endosperm. White flour is made using only the endosperm, and as you may have worked out by the name, wholemeal (or whole wheat as it is known in America) flour is made by milling the entire wheat kernel.
This explains why whole wheat flour is a darker colour and why the taste of wholewheat bread varies dramatically from white bread. Whole wheat flour is healthier for you because it is higher in fibre, minerals, carbohydrates, and B Vitamins.
So What Is The Best Flour to Use In A Bread Making Machine?
Hopefully, now you have a better understanding of different types of bread flours, but that does not necessarily make you any closer to choosing the best flour for making good bread in your machine. The priority is to focus on the quality of the flour you choose.
Quality flour will consistently deliver the best bread, so never fall into the trap of buying the cheapest flour possible. The main characteristic of high-quality flour, which sets it apart, is the quantity and quality of protein contained within the flour.
A simple rule of bread baking is the more protein in your flour, the better the loaf. Low-quality flours can lead to frustration and disappointment, as the bread may taste inferior and it is likely not to rise as well. Decide which type of bread you want to make, and then use Google to conduct your research, as this is the quickest way to identify which type of flour you need.
We Recommend The Following Types of Flour For Your Bread Making Machine
Traditional Strong White FlourThis is one of our award-winning flours and is perfect for all of your home bread making machines. It is also our Number 1 Sourdough flour. This flour creates a strong and elastic dough that is easy to handle and benefits from excellent elasticity. It will rise well and provide good structure and taste. This flour also works perfectly for pizza bases. |
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Traditional Wholemeal FlourNelstrops traditional wholemeal flour is the perfect whole grain flour to use in your bread machine. Whether you are looking to bake good bread or rolls, by hand or in a bread machine, this is a perfect choice. |
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Multiseed and Flake FlourA Great Taste Gold award-winning flour, our Multiseed and Flake flour is perfect for home bread machine owners searching for a tastier, healthier alternative. This flour contains a high proportion of seeds and grains and is carefully milled and blended to produce a beautifully flavoured and textured loaf. |
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Maltflake FlourYet another of our award-winning flours, our Maltlake flour, is perfect for home bread machine owners searching for a tastier alternative. This is a finely milled bread-making flour containing toasted malt wheat flakes, Kibbled wheat and malted barley flour. Delicious, healthy and award-winning, it ticks all the boxes. |
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Self-Raising FlourOf course, the beauty of any bread making machine is that it can be used to make other delicious treats such as cakes. Our self-raising flour is finely milled and perfect for cakes, scones and more. In fact, the only limit to the delights that your bread making machine can produce is your imagination. Now you have the equipment; you should know the best flours to use, so stop reading and start baking! Your new bread-making machine will change you and your family's lives forever. |
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