An easy guide to choosing the right flour

With so many different kinds of flour, it can be difficult to determine which one to use in a particular recipe. Check out this easy guide to help you understand the nutritional value of flour and choose the right flour for all your favourite recipes.

People have been grinding various seeds, dried fish and other foods into flour for thousands of years.

• Initially, the seeds were roasted and ground between stones to make them easier to eat.
• As agricultural societies developed, they devised more sophisticated methods of grinding and sifting grains and seeds.
• Today, fully automated mills produce flour for breads, pasta, pastries and other baked goods, as well as thickening agents.

• Flour is generally a more concentrated calorie source than its source material because the moisture has been removed. For example, 450 grams (one pound) of potato flour contains 1,600 calories, compared with 350 in the same weight of raw potatoes; 250 millilitres (one cup) of cornmeal has about 400 calories, while the same amount of cooked corn only has 100. This is why food relief organizations often prefer to provide flour made from grains, legumes, tubers or fish rather than the raw products.
• On the other hand, milling and processing saps nutrients. Wheat flour is milled by using steel rollers to crack the grain. The bran and germ are then sifted out and the remaining part (the endosperm) is passed through rollers and sifters to make a fine powder.
• Removing the bran and germ from wheat reduces the fibre, vitamins and minerals found in the whole grain. Because of this, wheat flour is usually enriched with iron, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin and folic acid. Manufacturers may also add vitamin B6, calcium and magnesium; the label specifies whether or not the flour is enriched and what has been restored or added.
• Whole-grain flour, which is made by restoring the germ and bran at the end of the process, provides more fibre, protein, vitamin E and trace minerals than enriched white varieties do. Sometimes other ingredients are added; like salt and baking soda or baking powder to make self-raising flour, extra gluten for special baked products or bleaching agents for whiteness.

Almost any type of grain or seed can be ground into flour, although those with a high fat or moisture content must first be defatted and roasted or dehydrated. Because most grains lack gluten, which makes flour ideal for baking, they are usually mixed with wheat flour, which is high in gluten. Here are some common flours.

• Amaranth is higher in protein than most other flours.
• Arrowroot is one of the most digestible flours.
• Barley is used for unleavened baked goods.
• Buckwheat, made from the same seeds as kasha, is high in lysine.
• Cornmeal is not as nutritious as many other types of flour, but it provides a complete protein when combined with beans and other legumes.
• Cottonseed flour is made from hulled seeds after the oil is extracted, and contains very high levels of protein.
• Fish flour comes from dried fish and contains lots of calcium and protein.
• Oat, which is high in soluble fibre, is used mostly in cereals and breads.
• Potato, made from steamed and dried potatoes, is a common thickening agent, and is also used in baking.
• Rice is used for noodles, cookies and unleavened baked goods.
• Rye is high in fibre as long as the bran and germ have been retained. It is usually combined with wheat flour for bread.
• Soy, made from soybeans, is often combined with wheat flour to increase the protein content of baked goods.
• Triticale is a high-protein wheat/rye hybrid; it is often mixed with wheat flour to increase its nutritional content.

Flour can be an excellent source of many essential vitamins and minerals. Keep these tips in mind and start cooking and baking with nutritional flour today.