Manitoba Flour

[kokopuffs]

Pongi, I tried to email you but your mailbox is full. Visit this site and do a search:

http://www.theartisan.net/TheArtisanMain.htm

Go to their HOME PAGE. Click on BREAD BASICS. Then click on THE FLOUR TREATISE (NON FRAMES). Et ecco lo!

Also the LINKS url lists many Italian sites. Bene bene!

 

[pongi]

That site looks great. Grazie koko!

BTW, they're right: although in Italy the characteristics of "professional" flours are very well specified, this doesn't happen with flours intended for home use, which are sold in packages lacking almost any info. So, we poor home bakers don't know which way to turn!

Oh, also thanks for the mailbox advice. It's time to clean it up!

Pongi

 

[kokopuffs]

Here in Colorado, the mill from where I purchase my flour only provides protein and ash content.

 

[jock]

What exactly is the "ash" in flour and why is it important? I've always wondered. Thanks

Jock

 

[kokopuffs]

The article I cited, you should read it because of its explanation of ash: bran particles. They tend to give bread a darker crust.

 

[jock]

Thanks a lot kokopuffs. That really is an interesting site. I'm busy printing excerpts from it right now. (I have trouble reading long passages of text on a screen.) Who would have thought a grain of wheat could be so complex and instill such passion in those who study it?

Jock

 

[kokopuffs]

Ditto, I have trouble reading passages on a screen, too. I think that it's related to the refresh rate of the display, a computer attribute. Like 60 cycles per second.

But yes, it takes a real baker or foodie to appreciate the stuff conveyed at that site. BTW, I used to shop at Narsai's and Acme Bread on Kensington Circle - in Kensington/El Cerrito. Boy do I miss the gastronomic pleasures offered by the East Bay and SF.

 

[jock]

I get ACME bread at the farmer's market. I don't get to the East Bay much. Every time I cross the Bay Bridge I think I should bring my passport
But I agree, the variety and quality of ingredients and eateries in the Bay Area is phenomenal. It's why I live here. Every time my wife suggests we move, I always think, can I buy chipotles or semolina flour or whatever. If the answer is no, I think we should stay here.

Jock

 

[kokopuffs]

The bay area is pre-eminent on the west coast for gastronomic delights.

Here in yuppieland, aka Denver, the standard for chile verde is beef broth with a strip of green jalapeno and ONE godd*mn piece of meat. How I hate this town for food served at hole in the wall restaurants and I'm fixin' on moving back to the deep south. Now apart from the bay area, southerners really know what good, cheap food is all about. Denver, no way. It's the only city that I know of that charges extra for lettuce, tomato, pickle and onions on a hamburger.

So sorry for straying off topic but this town is sooooo disappointing for food.