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Question About Using Stone Ground Flour

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Ninibini	Posted - Jul 27 2011 : 8:21:35 PM Hi girls! I have a silly question, but I'm pretty sure you'll have the answer! :) <Mary Beth - I'm counting on you, especially! LOL!) I recently started buying local stone ground flour (whole wheat, unbleached white, etc.) and cornmeal from the monks at St. Vincent's College Grist Mill. I LOVE IT, of course! But I'm having a heck of a time using it - something about it is very different. My bread dough, although it looks right when I mix it, always turns out "lazy" and wet (weepy?), and spreads out flat as it rises. My bread isn't nearly as nice as it used to be - usable, but not the same; my pizza dough isn't right anymore at all; and the other day I tried baking brownies (yes in this heat... I was insanely in need of some chocolatey baked goodness, what can I say?), and found I had to add more flour to get the batter to look right... When they were done baking, they were almost like a powdery consistency, not the usual ooey-gooey-chewy we enjoy. Whis is this happening, and what can I do/how do I adjust my recipes? I've never had any problem like this whatsoever prior to using this stone ground flour... Please help? I really, really don't want to go back to the store bought stuff... Thanks so much! Nini Farmgirl Sister #1974 God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others! www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Okie Farm Girl	Posted - Jul 28 2011 : 12:51:18 PM I would just add as needed. King Arthur bread flour is pretty high gluten, I'm pretty sure. You can also buy gluten to add, but I like adding the flour because it is finely ground and just seems to add body. Mary Beth www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19
Ninibini	Posted - Jul 28 2011 : 06:52:52 AM I knew I could count on my farmgirl sisters!!! Thank you!!! I do KIND OF sift it, shaking it through a fine wire strainer, but when I did that, my doughs actually seemed worse (more wet). And when I did it with the whole wheat, all the bran (?) remained in the sieve, so I had to mix it back in. Maybe just using a regular sifter would be better??? Is the King Arthur bread flour the same as gluten flour? Or am I to look for two different flours for two different purposes? I'm sorry - such a newb! LOL! And I keep these huge 10 lb. bags of the stone ground flours in large, sealed storage jars... do you think I should mix the gluten/bread flour in before storing, or just add it as needed? Thanks so much, girls! Hugs - Nini Farmgirl Sister #1974 God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others! www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
Okie Farm Girl	Posted - Jul 28 2011 : 04:47:44 AM I agree with Aunt Penny. It sounds like it is low gluten flour. I have a stone grinder and do my own and it is not as finely milled as that which I grind in my nutramill. That makes doughs and batters more liquidy. What I do is usually add a couple of cups of King Arthur bread flour to 4 cups of the stone ground. For your brownies, it would seem that it would work better because you don't want a high gluten flour for baked goods that don't use yeast. But if it is not as finely ground, that may be the problem too. You could try adding King Arthur to it too. Also, I am assuming that you are sifting it several times before use? If it isn't pre-sifted, you have to do the sifting at home. And don't use one of those awful sifters at Walmart that has a fan shaped thing in the bottom. Get one with the turning handle and the paddles that go around vertically. Mary Beth www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19
Aunt Jenny	Posted - Jul 28 2011 : 12:12:02 AM When I make my bread with freshly ground flour I add about 1/4 cup of gluten flour to the recipe (available at most grocery stores) it really helps it rise up better and be softer. Not sure how that would work in other baked goods (I would use it in pizza dough as well..I like it thick and puffy) I don't have that problem usually with brownies and stuff..but worth a try. Jenny in Utah Proud Farmgirl sister #24 Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com

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