(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best wheat flours & meals

That loaf looks beautiful from the top! As to your questions:

1. This is likely to be the layout of your oven. Ovens vary a lot, depending on the position of the heating elements and the presence (or not) of a fan. Fairly basic electric ovens often have the main element in the bottom, which means that the base of the dutch oven is taking the direct radiant heat and getting too hot. To fix it, put a (preferably shiny metal, like steel or aluminium, though anything will help) sheet tray on a rack below your dutch oven - this will act as a diffuser and block that radiant heat.
   
   
2. What other people have said.
   
   
3. There are lots of ways of getting a starter going, and lots of weird info out there. Here's my method, and the thinking behind it:
   
   

• Take a couple of tablespoons of organic whole grain 'berries' (like this - the type isn't super important, but you want something with the husk on,
  
• roughly chop or squish them in a mortar and pestle
  
• put them in a clean jar with a four tablespoons each of flour and warm water.
  
• stir well, put the lid on and put them in a dark cupboard.
  
  Each day, check and then swirl the jar to re-distribute everything. After 4-5 days you should see some activity - bubbles, clear scum, gentle sour smell. You might get alcohol or nail-polish remover smells early on - they're good. Really stinky cheesy smells are not a good sign, nor are coloured patches (orange, blue, pink). If you get them, it's easiest to ditch them and start again.
  
  Once you see definite activity, add a teaspoon of flour and water each time you swirl. After perhaps two weeks, you should have something very active, and you can strain the 'flour' mix from the berries, transfer to a clean jar and feed as normal.
  
  I've done this maybe a dozen times and never had it go wrong. My thinking is that yeasts generally live on the surface of the things they eat. The 'bloom' you see on grapes or blueberries is their yeast population. Yeasts are somewhat specialised in the mix of things they like to eat, so to find yeast that likes grains, it makes sense to start with the skin of grains! A lot of people say that the yeast floats around in the air, and it probably does, but that could be any kind of yeast, as well as any other type of bacteria, so you're more likely to get something undesirable than starting with something that you know wants to eat flour.
  
  I haven't found it necessary to discard and re-feed early on, as the population of yeast is still quite small - there's more than enough food in the initial flour and grains to get them going.
  
  I'm not sure if organic makes a difference, but in this case I figure grains that haven't been sprayed are more likely to have a strong population of yeast on their skins.
  
  The only time I've had bad starters is when I've ignored them too long. They can go a while in the fridge without feeding, just remember that they can take a few days to come back if they've been on a diet for a while. You will get the best results if you feed on a regular daily schedule though.
  
  I hope that helps - good luck!

Could you check the measurement for the steel? It's kind of important.

Puffiness comes from three areas- a fast bake, properly proofed dough and a quality flour.

Steel accelerates the rate at which the bottom of the pizza bakes, but it's only as good as it's thickness. 1/2" will generally give you the fastest possible bake time, 3/8" is still pretty solid. 1/4" adds about a minute- which is very far from ideal is your goal is oven spring/air pockets.

If you're preheated your steel for an hour and have taken infrared thermometer readings of the surface that show 280C, then, maybe 1/4 inch might give you a relatively fast bake. But it has to reach 280C and it has to reach 1/4" if it's less on either count, you're going to have a problem.

No more 00, no more strong bread flour. The 00 will take forever to brown, and the strong bread flour is too weak for pizza. The only flour that will give you the results that you're looking for with your home oven (or a clamshell should you go that route) is very strong Canadian white flour.

https://www.amazon.com/Marriages-Strong-Canadian-White-Marriage/dp/B01LZ7IXZ5/

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Marriages-Very-Strong-Canadian-White-Flour/46885011

Marriage's has the most proven track record, but is also the costliest. If you want a less expensive option. Sainbury's and Waitrose carry very strong Canadian white flour and may match the Marriage's quality.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/sainsburys-very-strong-canadian-bread-flour--taste-the-difference-1kg

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-canadian-very-strong-white-bread-flour/006224-2744-2745

Tesco sells it as well, although I don't trust their lower protein quantity.

These flours will all need to be combined with diastatic malt so they'll perform like American flours and brown well at your home oven temperature.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Organic-Diastatic-Barley-Malt-Powder/dp/B00T6BSPJW/

https://www.bakerybits.co.uk/diax-diastatic-malt-flour.html

This is enzymatically active malt. Regular non diastatic malt is used for beer and for sweetening baked goods and is very common. You don't want that. Under very rare occasions brewers sometimes will use the diastatic variety, so if you call a few homebrew shops, you might get lucky. Or just order it online.

My family has been baking gluten free for 18 years, and the following recipe is easily adapted for an amazing gluten free cake. All you need is a good premixed gluten free all purpose flour. I recommend Pamela's Artisan Blend


http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4754

 

A couple of notes:

 

-Don’t pre-sift the flour, but measure the flour, cocoa, leavening, salt and xanthan gum into a sifter to mix it together.

-I use 3 or 4 teaspoons of Folgers instant with one cup of coffee.  It makes the cake a little richer. 

-For a super rich cake, try using the Special Dark cocoa.

-Raspberry or strawberry fillings that have been made with amaretto are awesome with this cake

 

It depends on what I'm doing. This sandwich bread recipe uses a combination of oat fiber, gluten, and flaxmeal. It's pretty good, and can be used as a pizza crust.

I've been experimenting with Lupin flour as well, subbing it in for some of the ingredients in the recipe above and a few other things. So far I'm enjoying it.

For breading, either powdered pork rinds mixed with grated parmesan is delicious, but I am excited to try whey protein isolate (not regular whey protein) as well. I'm planning to experiment with chicken and waffles this weekend.

But if you want biscuits, pancakes, etc. then Carbquick isn't bad. I don't think it's all that great, but Mr. moose_tassels loves it.

Almond flour in the right recipe is great, though, IMO, and provides some well-appreciated moisture.

Another version of OP's recipe: 98 calories at 16 slices

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)

4 tbsp coconut or any granulated sugar

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice(see below for dairy free)

1 large egg(see below for egg substitute)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour(see below for Gluten free substitute)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the parchment overhangs two opposite sides like handles. Lightly coat with nonstick spray and set aside.

Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl. Double check the measurement to ensure you have 1 cup (less will make the bars dry; more and they may not bake all the way through). Stir in the coconut sugar, butter, milk, egg, and vanilla until well blended.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. With a wooden spoon or spatula, stir to combine, stopping as soon as the flour disappears. Fold in 4 tbsp chocolate chips.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips on top. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place the pan a wire rack to cool completely, then using the parchment handles, lift the bars onto a cutting board. Slice into 16 squares and enjoy!

Store bars at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.

To make dairy free: Use almond milk or coconut milk and replace the butter with the same amount of a vegan butter substitute or coconut oil.

To make vegan: Follow the dairy-free directions in the note above; For the egg, you can experiment with a flaxegg, or garbanzo bean juice

(https://www.glueandglitter.com/2015/04/14/aquafaba-magical-egg-replacer-for-vegan-meringue-recipes-and-beyond/

but I haven’t tried this yet. If you do decide to play around, I’d love to hear how it goes!

To make gluten free: Replace the wheat flour with the same amount of a 1:1 all purpose baking flour blend, such as Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Gluten-Free-Baking/dp/B06XDW7CDB/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1531364578&sr=1-1&keywords=Bobs+Red+Mill+Gluten-Free+1-to-1+Baking+Flour&linkCode=sl1&tag=thlastswi-20&linkId=a14424b49cd44c5f1438850589c0d640

NUTRITION INFORMATION Serving Size: 1 (of 16)

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98 Calories Total Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 18mg Carbohydrates: 14g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 8g Protein: 1g

Yes you are correct! I've tried three flour mixes so far. I would rank them as follows:

1. Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF
   
2. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 GF
   
3. Premium Gold Ancient Grain GF All Purpose (Amazon)
   
   The third would be a far third. It's the most grainy and bitter of them all. However, I did use about a fourth cup of #3 in yesterday's bread, when it looked like the mixture was a bit too wet. I reflected this in my recipe above (3 cups flour vs 2 3/4 cups).
   
   The soda/beer does help to create air pockets. It definitely still holds together, thanks to the Xanthan Gum and perhaps the chia seeds as well. What I noticed with Flour #2 and #3 was that the bread was pretty dense and took up only a half of the bread pan. I was pleasantly surprised with Flour #1 that the finished outcome filled the entire length of the bread pan.

Here's the product. It works REALLY well in the cutlets, but I haven't tried making seitan or anything with it (though I've heard you can). Unfortunately, Amazon isn't carrying it right now, which seems silly since they've really upped their stock of gluten-free products in the past few years. I asked a small health food store in my area to start carrying it and now they do, so maybe a health food store would be the best place to look.

Yeah, gluten-free and vegan can be tricky! I met a girl recently who, upon learning I was vegan, said "I could never be vegan, I can't eat gluten so all that's left is meat and dairy!". I didn't say anything at the time, but as long as you're not depending entirely on restaurants and pre-packaged foods, it's very doable. Gluten-free vegan baking seems challenging, but with some flax eggs and a mix of rice and millet flour, it usually comes out perfect. I have way too much fun trying out different flours and products in cooking and baking.

I never liked fish, but I think I'd try that suggestion. Mostly because I can't imagine anything topped with veganaise and relish NOT tasting good.

Original recipe here

Instead of leftover oat porridge, I used leftover hot cereal that I make. It has equal parts barley, oat groats, farro, corn grits, rye berries, & red wheat berries all coarsely ground and cooked 4:1 with water & milk.

Also, I used walnuts instead of almonds and omitted the oil.

For the 85% extraction flour, I used this and am very happy with it.

Instead of 500g of 'medium strong wheat flour' I used 150 g of AP and 350 g of bread flour.

I wasn't too happy with the oven spring, but the final loaf had a great crumb. It made a surprisingly good french toast this morning too.

I am also on this quest. Not allergic to peanuts, but I like variety. I tried sesame flour which I liked, but isn't quite like peanut flour (PB2 sans the sugar): a little coarser, not as potent (more like flour than peanut flour is?). That said, it could satisfy, especially ground a bit finer.

I posted this link a couple of days ago - wondering which one to try: https://nuts.com/nuts/nut-powders/

Like I said, you're not going to replicate it perfectly. You're right about getting them thin though, that part is certainly going to be significantly tougher. Maybe something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Gluten-Flour-Pure-Ounce/dp/B001EO685M

might actually help. I haven't experimented with it myself yet but you might be able to use it as an additive to give flax seed or almond flour dough a little more strength and elasticity.

My starter is made of water and this flour: https://www.amazon.com/Conagra-Purpose-Hotel-Restaurant-Flour/dp/B0095FDIOQ

Bleached, Enriched, Bulk Flour. My breads use the same flour as well.

They didn't have whole wheat or any better flour at costco and, as you can see in my first attempt with the commercial yeast, I wanted to get going on making something to start up.

Do I need a better flour composition to get the lovely crumb structure?

Do you make seitan? When I'm bulking I make a ton of seitan and freeze it using this stuff. Pretty easy to add 50+ grams of protein a day from 50 cents worth of wheat gluten and 50 cents worth of other ingredients. And you can consume it in a single meal if you are hungry. Two servings (according to the recipe) of this is a common dinner for me with rice and a vegetable side as well.

Do you have access to an oven or grill that can get to 700 degrees? If so you need to get Caputo Fiore Glut pizza flour. I’m sure they sell it in America. People have a hard time telling that it’s gluten free. https://www.amazon.com/Antico-Caputo-Fiore-Glut-Gluten-Flour/dp/B00FXH8QFQ use fresh yeast and let it rise and rest for at least 12 hours. You’ll shock yourself. Even in a regular oven at 500 degrees it still is great.

This is a tripled recipe of Roberta's that yields 6 rounds.

Ingredient | Weight | Notes
---|---|----
Antimo Caputo flour | 459 grams | 10-pack, Amazon
All-purpose flour | 459 grams | King Arthur
Water (65%) | 600 grams | 110°F?
Fine sea salt | 24 grams |
Yeast | 6 grams | Saf Instant Yeast
Olive Oil | 12 grams | extra virgin? maybe doesn't matter


I believe that all adds up to 65% hydration. Roughly? I haven't gotten into what all we should counting. Let sit

I cut it up into halves, and then those halves into thirds, for a total of 6 rounds. I put 'em in plastic baggies and then the fridge.

I let it slow ferment for 24-72 hours (the rounds I use last are always the best) in the fridge. Get it out anywhere from an hour to 4 hours before you plan to put it in the oven, remove it from the bag, and reform it into a ball. Cover with saran or something, and re-rise.

It's VERY easy to get it stretched out enough, and VERY easy to get it too thin. This is something I'm still struggling with.

I'm unsure how common this is, maybe very common, but I had a great pizza in Austin and the pizza man brushed olive oil around their entire round and the edges — for my oven, that's necessary to have a decent crust. Anxious to see what happens with something that goes higher with and without oil.

That looks PERFECT! Thank you so much

Do you think that this flour would work, or should I make up some of yours? I have a decent amount of it around from making pasta last month

I got the flour from amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010CB5OQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aOPwDb87HZJBQ

It tasted different than usual, but still really good. The flour had a little bit of a chocolatey smell and that kind of comes through in the taste too, but if you had just told me its regular wheat read I wouldn't think anything weird about it.

Italy makes a GF pizza flour that produces results like this. It's available on Amazon and probably elsewhere: https://www.amazon.com/Antico-Caputo-Fiore-Glut-Gluten-Flour/dp/B00FXH8QFQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=gluten+free+pizza+flour&qid=1567799323&s=gateway&sr=8-3

You can also buy powder that you just add water to if you don't have access to some of the ingrediants or are feeling lazy. Here's an example if you're way up north in canada I'm guessing there's not any ethnic grocery stores around, so the more expensive stuff online might be your only option.

If you're still interested in making Ghanaian food you could try making red red which is a stewed black eyed peas dish that goes really well with fried plantains.

+azcalg:

You can also buy powder that you just add water to if you don't have access to some of the ingrediants or are feeling lazy. Here's an example if you're way up north in canada I'm guessing there's not any ethnic grocery stores around, so the more expensive stuff online might be your only option.

If you're still interested in making Ghanaian food you could try making red red which is a stewed black eyed peas dish that goes really well with fried plantains.

I get it from amazon, usually in bulk. But I also make a ton of fresh pasta. It can be too expensive to buy individual bags https://www.amazon.com/Antimo-Caputo-Chefs-Flour-Pound/dp/B0045RE69A/ref=sr_1_9_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1495388736&sr=1-9&keywords=00+flour

Food source of the future, easy to breed, minimal environmental impact. Pure protein. You can also buy "flour" made of ground up crickets to bake with.

https://www.amazon.com/Cricket-Flour-Portland-Cookbook-Included/dp/B010CB5OQG

I would suggest psyllium husk powder and play around with test batches, it can be tough finding replacements. There is also this all purpose keto flour you can buy on amazon found here. it has wheat, eggs, soy, and dairy as allergens.

You can buy flour made with crickets, and swap it with regular flour in baked goods. Here's an example:
https://www.amazon.com/Cricket-Flour-Portland-Cookbook-Included/dp/B010CB5OQG

I'm soo going to buy some of this flour!

https://www.amazon.com/Antico-Caputo-Fiore-Glut-Gluten-Flour/dp/B00FXH8QFQ

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002YLG6I8/

Heck with that, I pure pure gluten pancakes myself.