Here at Taylors of Bruton, we bake a large variety of artisan bread on a daily basis and by hand for the wholesale market and for farmers markets in Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire in the UK. Our bakers are passionate about bread and certainly know everything about the different flours they use.
Need a reminder on the different flours?
Most of us have a favourite bread but do we really know the difference between the flours that are used to make them? You may have a vague memory of learning about it in an elementary science class but for some of us, that was a long time ago! Here’s a simple refresher to the main flour types that we use here in the bakery here in Bruton in Somerset.
Before we go into what the flours are made of – remember this diagram, ring any bells? This shows the anatomy of the Wheat Grain.
Germ – contains some B and E vitamins, protein, minerals and healthy fats
Endosperm – rich in carbohydrates, small amounts of B vitamins, protein and minerals
Bran – rich in fibre and B vitamins and minerals
Wholemeal
Wholemeal bread flour (also known as ‘whole-wheat’) is, as the name suggests, made from the crushing of the whole grain, therefore includes the bran, germ and endosperm so has a nutty taste that white flour. It’s often thought that ‘Brown’ bread is made from wholemeal flour. This is not the case as it is simply white flour bread with additives to make it look brown, such as caramel.
See our wholemeal breads here.
White
White flour is a more processed product where the bran and the germ are removed (by a sieving process), so is made up of the endosperm only. It produces a softer bread with a sweeter flavour but with less nutrients. See our white breads here.
Malted Wheat
Many of us have heard of ‘Granary’ bread, which is the brand name of a malted wheat flour bread, owned by Hovis. The common misconception is that malted wheat bread uses the whole grain but actually it is made of a white flour with malted wheat flakes added and other flavourings such as barley and caramel. See our malted wheat breads here
So here concludes your refresher on the common breads and flours used! We do hope it’s cleared a few things up so you can now get back to simply enjoying the delicious flavours of the bread.
To find out where we sell our bread, slices and buns check out ‘where we sell’ here.