I have a dinner roll recipe that calls for about 2 cups of all purpose flour. I've made the recipe and like it. I want to try it using bread flour instead of all purpose to see if it will be heartier/chewier. First question: is this a correct assumption? Second question: if I do the substitution, will I need to adjust anything else to compensate, like the amount of water or yeast?
Thanks, Chris
Hi Chris,
(At least in the US) flour is not subject to strict grading that defines the characteristics associated with labels such as "bread flour" or " all purpose." As a result, (for example) King Arthur All Purpose is higher in protein than the Bread flour of other millers.
That said, increasing the protein level of the flour you use for the rolls will make them chewier, but, at the expense of some flavor. Unless you were doing serious production, it would probably not be worth making any other changes. You might find that it takes a bit more water to get the same feel in the dough.
Have fun,
It is somewhat hard to say. Some AP flour is rather high in gluten. If you have AP made from Canadian wheat, it may be at least as high as bread flour made by some US mills. That aside, if you use higher gluten wheat, the product should be chewier. I'm not sure what hearty means. To some that might mean more dense. High gluten flour produces dough that rises well. The product might have a chewy crust, but the crumb might be lighter. Steam also influences the texture of the crust. High gluten flour binds more water than low gluten flour. You will have to compensate for that by feel. Flour is cheap. I would recommend that you make a batch with each type of flour and compare the two.
I would prefer you opting in for a recipe for hearty rolls instead. The purpose of dinner rolls are as an accompaniment to dinner.
If you think about a baguette in the AM, you get an idea of what a hearty bread can be. In this case, it is the center, soul, of the meal. You can try what I do. I take a favorite baguette recipe and shape the dough into 2.5oz balls. This will work well, and achieve what you want.
Hi: The main change is that ;with bread flour, you cannot do an adequate job of kneading by hand. You must use a mixer (Kitchen Aid) or a bread making machine.
Howdy,
I offer (respectfully) that your comment is simply not true.
In fact, fine bread can be made with bread flour with no kneading at all. The gluten can be formed by kneading, chemical additions and also by hydration alone. That last means, by mixing the wet and dry ingredients just enough to be sure that there are no dry pockets... then waiting.
All the best,
BREAD FLOUR is milled from either hard red spring or hard red winter wheat. It is high in protein (typically 11.5 to 13.5% protein) that forms good-quality gluten, essential for high volume and fine crumb in yeast-raised baked goods. Bread flour can be purchsed bleached or unbleached. Sometimes it contains added malted barley flour to provide for better yeast fermentation, dough handling, and shelf life. Bread flour is typically used for pan breads, rolls, croissants, and sweet yeast doughs.
ALL PURPOSE (AP) FLOUR is not always used by professional pastry chefs. However, it is sold in the foodservice industry as H&R Flour, which stands for Hotel and Restaurant Flour. AP typically has between 9.5 to 11.5% protein, but this can vary with the brand. While AP flour is often made from a blend of hard and soft wheat, this is not always the case. Some brands, like King Arthur flour, are made entirely from hard wheat. Other brands, like White Lily flour, are made entirely from soft wheat. AP flour comes bleached or unbleached, and may contain added malted barley flour.
Not all professional bakeshops stock AP flour. What should be done if a formula calls for AP and none is available? For yeast-raised products, use bread flour instead. Additional water will be needed to develop the gluten. The dough will handle more easily (won't tear or break as easy), the bread flour will be higher than if it was mde from AP, and will have a finer crumb (smaller air cells). The crust will brown more readily and the crumb will likely be less white. The bread will not stale as fast and expect a slightly different flavour.
Charles Baker (that is my real last name).
As you may have seen in a recent thread, I have been trying to find good traditional bread recipes I can adapt to using White Spelt flour. The main problem I have seems to be a weak gluten, and presumably, low protein level. I checked the flour analysis for the VitaSpelt product I use, and the total protein seems quite reasonable, 13.3% for white, and 14.3% for whole grain. (
Dave
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