Volume 11, Issue 73 - October 11, 2006 |
Greetings Member,
Flour Differences and Whole Wheat Substitutions:
- White flour is the finely ground endosperm of the wheat
kernel.
- All-purpose flour is white flour milled from hard wheats or
a blend of hard and soft wheats. It gives the best results for many kinds of
products, including some yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, cookies, pastries
and noodles. All-purpose flour is usually enriched and may be bleached or
unbleached. Bleaching will not affect nutrient value. Different brands will
vary in performance. Protein varies from 8 to 11 percent.
- Bread flour is white flour that is a blend of hard,
high-protein wheats and has greater gluten strength and protein content than
all-purpose flour. Unbleached and in some cases conditioned with ascorbic
acid, bread flour is milled primarily for commercial bakers, but is available
at most grocery stores. Protein varies from 12 to 14 percent.
- Cake flour is fine-textured, silky flour milled from soft
wheats with low protein content. It is used to make cakes, cookies, crackers,
quick breads and some types of pastry. Cake flour has a greater percentage of
starch and less protein, which keeps cakes and pastries tender and delicate.
Protein varies from 7 to 9 percent.
- Self-rising flour, also referred to as phosphated flour, is
a convenience product made be adding salt and leavening to all-purpose flour.
It is commonly used in biscuits and quick breads, but is not recommended for
yeast breads. One cup of self-rising flour contains 1-1/2 teaspoons baking
powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Self-rising can be substituted for all-purpose
flour by reducing salt and baking powder according to these proportions.
- Pastry flour has properties intermediate between those of
all-purpose and cake flours. It is usually milled from soft wheat for
pastry-making, but can be used for cookies, cakes, crackers and similar
products. It differs from hard wheat flour in that it has a finer texture and
lighter consistency. Protein varies from 8 to 9 percent.
- Semolina is the coarsely ground endosperm of durum, a hard
spring wheat with a high-gluten content and golden color. It is hard, granular
and resembles sugar. Semolina is usually enriched and is used to make couscous
and pasta products such as spaghetti, vermicelli, macaroni and lasagna
noodles. Except for some specialty products, breads are seldom made with
semolina.
Source:
Wheat Foods Council
 Sun-Dried
Tomato and Walnuts Tossed with Penne Pasta
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
8 ounces penne pasta
2 cloves pressed garlic
1/3 cup lightly toasted, chopped walnuts
3/4 cup minced, bottled sun-dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon basil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu
salt, to taste
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the penne pasta and
cook according to package directions.
As the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Place the pressed garlic in a large bowl.
Add the walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, oil and basil. Mash in the tofu and mix
well with a spoon.
When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the mixture in large bowl. Toss all
ingredients until pasta is well-coated. Pour onto a platter and serve at room
temperature or chilled.
Source:
Wheat Foods Council
Additional Notes on Flour Differences and Whole Wheat Substitutions:
- Durum flour is finely ground semolina. It is usually
enriched and used to make noodles.
- Whole wheat, stone-ground and graham flour can be used
interchangeably; nutrient values differ minimally. Either grinding the
whole-wheat kernel or recombining the white flour, germ and bran that have
been separated during milling produces them. Their only differences may be in
coarseness and protein content. Insoluble fiber content is higher than in
white flours.
- Gluten flour is usually milled from spring wheat and has a
high protein (40 to 45 percent), low-starch content. It is used primarily for
diabetic breads, or mixed with other non-wheat or low-protein wheat flours to
produce a stronger dough structure. Gluten flour improves baking quality and
produces high-protein gluten bread.
Substituting:
- Any recipe calling for all-purpose flour may use 1/2
whole-wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour.
- If wanting the product to be 100 percent whole wheat,
substitute 1-cup whole-wheat flour minus 1-tablespoon for every cup of
all-purpose or bread flour.
- To create a lighter whole-wheat loaf, add 1-tablespoon
gluten flour and 1-tablespoon liquid for each cup of whole-wheat flour.
- Recipes calling for pasta can be substitute with
whole-wheat pasta.
Source:
Wheat Foods Council
 |
Mikey's Marinade A true GOURMET treat for the taste senses, turning
ordinary into EXTRAORDINARY! If you grill steaks, get Mikey's today! |
 Sesame
Shrimp Noodles with Asian Garlic Bread
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
8 ounces linguini
1/2 pound (2 cups) shitake mushrooms or button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, frozen
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 30 shrimp)
cooking spray
Sesame Noodle Sauce:
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated or 1/4 teaspoon dry
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, sprinkle over top of finished dish
Asian Garlic Bread:
1 loaf French style bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese chili sauce
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
3 teaspoons fresh chives, minced
Preparation:
Mix together all ingredients for sauce, crushed red pepper, parsley flakes, rice
vinegar, sesame oil, grated fresh ginger, honey and cornstarch. Set aside.
Cook linguini according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, spray a
sauté pan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, sauté 2 teaspoons sesame oil and
minced garlic for 30 seconds, add shrimp and sauté shrimp until they are pink,
about 6 minutes.
When pasta is 3 minutes from being finished, add mushrooms and sugar snap peas
to the pasta pot. Bring water to a second boil and finish cooking the pasta
until al a dente.
Add the sauce to the shrimp and heat until thickened. Drain pasta, mushrooms
and peas. Combine pasta and shrimp sauce. Top with sesame seeds before serving.
Asian Garlic Bread
Makes 16 servings
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix butter, Chinese chili sauce, garlic and chives. Slice bread and spread
butter on one side of each slice. Wrap entire loaf in foil and heat for 20
minutes. Serve warm.
Source:
Wheat Foods Council
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