Flour:
If you walk into your local Safeway or other supermarket and head over to the aisle for baking, you may come upon six, seven, maybe even eight different types of flour. With so many options, which one do you choose?
Do you purchase the flour with the prettiest design on the box or the cheapest per-pound value? Is the brand of the flour important?
The answer lies in what is your baked good destination. Most supermarkets in the United States carry at least three types of flour on stock: all-purpose flour, bread flour, and cake flour.
The all-purpose (as its name would hint) is by far the most popular and versatile of the three major varieties. If I were to choose one type of flour to store in my pantry, I would always keep all-purpose (AP) flour on hand.
At its most basic, what differentiates the flours is protein content.
Approximately seventy-five percent of the wheat grown in the United States is hard wheat (that is, wheat that is high in protein). Most flours composed of hard wheat are marketed as bread flour. The high protein is needed to form the plastic and elastic structure demanded by crusty baguettes and chew sourdough breads.
On the contrary, soft wheat is that which yields lower levels of protein. Flours composed mostly of milled soft wheat are sold as cake flour. The lower protein content reduces the amount of elastic framework formed by hardier bread flours. This reduced protein is best suited to delicate baked goods such as light, airy biscuits, pastries, and (as the name suggests) cakes.
All-purpose (AP) flour is usually a mixture of soft and hard flours, which is why it is apt and versatile in the kitchen.
Less common flour includes self-rising flour. For the most part, self-rising flour is AP flour that has been laced with chemical leavening. This additional lift is best when working with dough that requires chemical leavening (usually baking powder) so that there is already carbon dioxide gas bubbles at work before the dough is completely formed.
Bleached or Unbleached:
You may also see several different variations of unbleached flours. They are identical to the flour of its original counterpart; except unbleached flour is void of the additional flour bleaching agents added to flour in order to make it appear whiter. Initially, when flour is processed at the mill it is slightly yellow in color. Most of the time flour is treated with calcium peroxide (CaO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), chlorine (Cl2), or chlorine dioxide (ClO2). Albeit this chemical nomenclature appears complex and dangerous, do not be frightened. These chemicals are added in small proportions and only used to whiten the flour.
So why not purchased unbleached flour to avoid the chemicals in its entirety? It would probably be safer to consume products made by them. I see no reason the flour needs to appear white.
Ehh, it may not be the best approach to purchase unbleached flour solely for the absence of chemicals. Consider the final aesthetics of the baked good. Using the unbleached yellow-tinted flour can make yellow-tinted “white” bread. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have strict regulations that govern the addition and application of chemicals to food products intended for human consumption. These laws permit only certain bleaching agents are used in precise quantitative amounts.
In the end, the choice of flour to use in your products greatly depends on the qualities sought to yield the proper processes needed to arrive at your final destination.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Genocide
Prompt 03: Human Nature – Who participates in genocide, and why? What does the commonality of genocide lead you to believe about humanity?
The expression genocide did not exist in type prior to 1944. It was not until Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the word to describe Nazi policies of systematic murder. However, genocide describes more than killing of Jews during the Holocaust and it has occurred throughout all periods of human history – far before 1944 and even today in the twenty-first century. Whether it is religious, political, racial, or cultural, genocide is a deliberate and systematic killing of a group associated by some common link. Some of the earliest genocides were recorded around 150 bce during the Third Punic War. And in recent news, the situations of Darfur, Sudan are genocide.
At some point in history, all societies have connection to genocide. What event is usually associated with genocide? Most often the holocaust is linked with genocide. The holocaust was during World War II, where Nazi Germany sponsored the systematic murder of over 11 million people, including 6 million European Jews. Much other genocide has occurred throughout history. In Asia during the thirteenth century, Mongolian Empire founder Genghis Khan had genocidal killings against the territories he conquered. Khan expanded his empire through his violence and killing of his enemies.
The Americas experienced an extensive genocide – most of which is disguised in thousands of social studies textbooks. When Columbus and the other explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries set foot on America, the natives welcomed these conquistadors with honor – as the Native Americans thought the explorers were gods returning to their sacred lands. However, these explorers were in for a different motive – power. Back then, for a country to be powerful, it had at least one of three mechanisms: land, spices, or money. With the Spanish in Central America, Hernán Cortés found the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan with plenty of gold. Eventually, he brought down the capital to take the gold –and did so by killing millions of Aztecs.
With the Spanish in Central America, the Aztec capital Tenōchtitlan was taken and overthrown in 1521 by Hernán Cortés. A similar set of events happened north of Tenōchtitlan in present-day Eastern United States. After Columbus set foot in the Americas in 1492, explorers from many countries in Europe traveled to the East Coast. Soon, they began to colonize and claim territory for their motherland – and started to force Native American tribes out of the region. More people arrived in the Americas and colonies were densely populated. Seeking more land, and more adventurous opportunity, individuals headed to the Wild West (American Old West) to see what the earth had to offer. To no surprise, the English pushed out, and in the process they had to ‘inconvenience’ thousands of Native American tribes. Some wars amongst the indigenous people and the colonizing English broke out because the Native Americans wished not to be forced into small reserves while watching the ‘foreigners’ take over their land, resources, and homes. Records of Indian wars are available from the mid-1500s to the early 1900s – and the summation of all these mini-war battles result in the Indian massacre.
Genocidal killings murder millions of people – and millions of homicides need people to participate. During the holocaust, Adolf Hitler was able to control the information outputted by media and use propaganda to persuade the common people of Germany to enlist in the military and kill off the European Jewish population. On the contrary, in the Rwandan genocide, two divisions – Hutu and Tutsi - did not choose to kill. Neighbors and friends were sometimes told to kill each other. People of all ages participated in genocide. Children as young as 12 years of age were able to pursue direct combat – whether voluntarily or involuntarily, depending on the situation. However, International Human Rights law mandates that the military use of children no younger than 18 years of age take part in direct hostilities - and those of who are between the ages of 15 to 18 years may be enrolled in the military.
What does this mean about humanity?
People will always find ways to differentiate themselves from other people. As mentioned in the Race Video, humans have always divided themselves into groups which they see have a commonality. This relates to a more primitive tribal society and is the basis of genocide-based killings. The killing of others may be just another sign of our primitive past. So have humans, the “most evolved” and sophisticated animals truly surpassed our chimp ancestors? And are our civilizations actually “civil”…?
The expression genocide did not exist in type prior to 1944. It was not until Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the word to describe Nazi policies of systematic murder. However, genocide describes more than killing of Jews during the Holocaust and it has occurred throughout all periods of human history – far before 1944 and even today in the twenty-first century. Whether it is religious, political, racial, or cultural, genocide is a deliberate and systematic killing of a group associated by some common link. Some of the earliest genocides were recorded around 150 bce during the Third Punic War. And in recent news, the situations of Darfur, Sudan are genocide.
At some point in history, all societies have connection to genocide. What event is usually associated with genocide? Most often the holocaust is linked with genocide. The holocaust was during World War II, where Nazi Germany sponsored the systematic murder of over 11 million people, including 6 million European Jews. Much other genocide has occurred throughout history. In Asia during the thirteenth century, Mongolian Empire founder Genghis Khan had genocidal killings against the territories he conquered. Khan expanded his empire through his violence and killing of his enemies.
The Americas experienced an extensive genocide – most of which is disguised in thousands of social studies textbooks. When Columbus and the other explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries set foot on America, the natives welcomed these conquistadors with honor – as the Native Americans thought the explorers were gods returning to their sacred lands. However, these explorers were in for a different motive – power. Back then, for a country to be powerful, it had at least one of three mechanisms: land, spices, or money. With the Spanish in Central America, Hernán Cortés found the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan with plenty of gold. Eventually, he brought down the capital to take the gold –and did so by killing millions of Aztecs.
With the Spanish in Central America, the Aztec capital Tenōchtitlan was taken and overthrown in 1521 by Hernán Cortés. A similar set of events happened north of Tenōchtitlan in present-day Eastern United States. After Columbus set foot in the Americas in 1492, explorers from many countries in Europe traveled to the East Coast. Soon, they began to colonize and claim territory for their motherland – and started to force Native American tribes out of the region. More people arrived in the Americas and colonies were densely populated. Seeking more land, and more adventurous opportunity, individuals headed to the Wild West (American Old West) to see what the earth had to offer. To no surprise, the English pushed out, and in the process they had to ‘inconvenience’ thousands of Native American tribes. Some wars amongst the indigenous people and the colonizing English broke out because the Native Americans wished not to be forced into small reserves while watching the ‘foreigners’ take over their land, resources, and homes. Records of Indian wars are available from the mid-1500s to the early 1900s – and the summation of all these mini-war battles result in the Indian massacre.
Genocidal killings murder millions of people – and millions of homicides need people to participate. During the holocaust, Adolf Hitler was able to control the information outputted by media and use propaganda to persuade the common people of Germany to enlist in the military and kill off the European Jewish population. On the contrary, in the Rwandan genocide, two divisions – Hutu and Tutsi - did not choose to kill. Neighbors and friends were sometimes told to kill each other. People of all ages participated in genocide. Children as young as 12 years of age were able to pursue direct combat – whether voluntarily or involuntarily, depending on the situation. However, International Human Rights law mandates that the military use of children no younger than 18 years of age take part in direct hostilities - and those of who are between the ages of 15 to 18 years may be enrolled in the military.
What does this mean about humanity?
People will always find ways to differentiate themselves from other people. As mentioned in the Race Video, humans have always divided themselves into groups which they see have a commonality. This relates to a more primitive tribal society and is the basis of genocide-based killings. The killing of others may be just another sign of our primitive past. So have humans, the “most evolved” and sophisticated animals truly surpassed our chimp ancestors? And are our civilizations actually “civil”…?
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Chewy
This is the final installation in this three-blog series on cookies. I have taken the chocolate chip cookie further past the ingredients, past the procedure and technique, and into the science! Again I propose the question “How do variations in the proportions of ingredients affect a final product?”
The chewy cookie variation is my favorite. It provides the best characteristics of the Thin and the Puffy – a flat, dense consistency from the Thin, yet a moist interior from the Puffy.
For the chewy, the Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe must be modified to support more moisture. If you have become a dedicated reader to this series, you will remember the most important factor in cookie baking – the fat. Chewy cookies require something in order for it to have a slight chew. If you look at the ingredients list, none of them are chewy. Flour, salt, baking soda, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, butter, and chocolate are all powdered or soft solids. Vanilla extract and eggs are liquids. So where does the chew come from and why do the other cookies (which follow similar ingredient lists) not have such a defined chewy texture?
The answer lies in the flour. The starch in the flour is contains of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. When water is added to the flour and agitation is applied, the two proteins cross-link to form this water-insoluble network of proteins called gluten. This gluten is responsible for the chew in baguettes, sourdoughs, bagels, and other breads.
Water is still needed to activate the production of gluten. So instead of using softened butter, it will be melted to take advantage of the water phase in butter. Therefore, when the flour is introduced to the batter, more gluten will form leading to a chewier cookie.
While on the note on flour, the type of flour matters just as much as what kind of fat is used. There are many varieties of flour, but at its most basic, three flour varieties will be available at the local supermarket: all-purpose [AP] flour, bread flour, and cake flour. The only difference amongst these varieties is protein content. Bread flour (as the name suggests) is excellent for baking bread because it has higher protein content. High protein is directly proportional to high gluten production. Conversely, cake flour contains low protein content, and thus lower gluten potential. And all-purpose is the middle-of-the-road flour, a balance of both worlds.
Because of the high demand for gluten, using bread flour that is high in protein will increase the chewiness of the final product. Also, bread flour has the ability to absorb more liquid, so more moisture will remain in the cookie.
In contrast to the increased white-to-brown sugar ratio for the Thin, we want more moisture to be in the cookie. Brown sugar is coated in molasses – and molasses loves moisture. The more brown sugar (and less white sugar) added to the batter will increase the moisture content and will be more likely to attract moisture from the air.
Recall in the Puffy that more egg whites make a cookie ‘puff’ more. Also, egg whites dry out batters and in order for a chewy cookie to live up to its reputation, it has got to stay moist. Removing one egg white and replacing it with two tablespoons of milk would be an appropriate modification to keep the cookie moist. Other than that, follow the procedures to make a standard chocolate chip cookie.
Follow some simple guidelines and you can modify any recipe for any food to your liking. That is what the science of cooking should encourage – taking a foundation of a well known recipe and adding the personal decorations to make that product your own.
I hope in this series of blog posts, I have opened your eyes to the science of the chocolate chip cookie and that anyone can make their own, unique cookie from slightly tweaking a few ingredients to produce Good Eats.
With that note, I bid you good eating...
The chewy cookie variation is my favorite. It provides the best characteristics of the Thin and the Puffy – a flat, dense consistency from the Thin, yet a moist interior from the Puffy.
For the chewy, the Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe must be modified to support more moisture. If you have become a dedicated reader to this series, you will remember the most important factor in cookie baking – the fat. Chewy cookies require something in order for it to have a slight chew. If you look at the ingredients list, none of them are chewy. Flour, salt, baking soda, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, butter, and chocolate are all powdered or soft solids. Vanilla extract and eggs are liquids. So where does the chew come from and why do the other cookies (which follow similar ingredient lists) not have such a defined chewy texture?
The answer lies in the flour. The starch in the flour is contains of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. When water is added to the flour and agitation is applied, the two proteins cross-link to form this water-insoluble network of proteins called gluten. This gluten is responsible for the chew in baguettes, sourdoughs, bagels, and other breads.
Water is still needed to activate the production of gluten. So instead of using softened butter, it will be melted to take advantage of the water phase in butter. Therefore, when the flour is introduced to the batter, more gluten will form leading to a chewier cookie.
While on the note on flour, the type of flour matters just as much as what kind of fat is used. There are many varieties of flour, but at its most basic, three flour varieties will be available at the local supermarket: all-purpose [AP] flour, bread flour, and cake flour. The only difference amongst these varieties is protein content. Bread flour (as the name suggests) is excellent for baking bread because it has higher protein content. High protein is directly proportional to high gluten production. Conversely, cake flour contains low protein content, and thus lower gluten potential. And all-purpose is the middle-of-the-road flour, a balance of both worlds.
Because of the high demand for gluten, using bread flour that is high in protein will increase the chewiness of the final product. Also, bread flour has the ability to absorb more liquid, so more moisture will remain in the cookie.
In contrast to the increased white-to-brown sugar ratio for the Thin, we want more moisture to be in the cookie. Brown sugar is coated in molasses – and molasses loves moisture. The more brown sugar (and less white sugar) added to the batter will increase the moisture content and will be more likely to attract moisture from the air.
Recall in the Puffy that more egg whites make a cookie ‘puff’ more. Also, egg whites dry out batters and in order for a chewy cookie to live up to its reputation, it has got to stay moist. Removing one egg white and replacing it with two tablespoons of milk would be an appropriate modification to keep the cookie moist. Other than that, follow the procedures to make a standard chocolate chip cookie.
Follow some simple guidelines and you can modify any recipe for any food to your liking. That is what the science of cooking should encourage – taking a foundation of a well known recipe and adding the personal decorations to make that product your own.
I hope in this series of blog posts, I have opened your eyes to the science of the chocolate chip cookie and that anyone can make their own, unique cookie from slightly tweaking a few ingredients to produce Good Eats.
With that note, I bid you good eating...
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