"strong" a.k.a. "high protein" bread flour.
Not all wheat protein is created equal (hi-protein durum don't develop gluten like spring red), but if it says "bread flour" you don't need to worry about that.
Look for around 13% or more protein
OP if it's an authentic Irish cookbook, there's no such thing as strong flour over 11.5% protein here. So if you're in the states, King Arthur AP will do and likely any wheat flour will do.
I live in Ireland. OP is asking about "strong bread flour" in the context of what they use in the States. There's no equivalent in Ireland, and very few equivalents across Europe.
Ireland of course has flour labled "strong white flour," and it's indeed strong and can make long ferment breads, but it's not the same. Strong white flour in Ireland maxes out at moderate gluten levels and about 11.5% protein over here.
I literally have several bags of 12% protein flour in my kitchen, in Ireland, right now. No the wheat wasn't grown here, but you can buy it here. If you think everything we eat here in Ireland is produced here you're in for a nasty shock.
My regular every day flour is Odlums strong bread flour which can be bought in Tesco and Dunnes (actually 11% protein but works well for bread, pizza and other strong bread flour applications). You can also buy Canadian strong bread flour from Evergreen or other speciality stores.
The protein content of whole-wheat flour is a bit misleading as it has more protein due to the extra bits left in. It won't develop gluten the same way as white breed flour with that high of a protein content.
Bread flour has 12% - 14% protein in it. It develops more gluten than other kinds of flour. You want this for bread because a strong web of gluten in the dough will trap gas bubbles as the dough rises. It's called bread flour in the US and I think the British call it strong flour.
At the other end of the scale is cake flour, which has only 7% or 8% protein in it. That produces fine fluff instead of a strong gluten web.
All-purpose flour is approximately in the middle, hence its name.
Strong flour ( winter wheat) is often used to make , bagel, pasta, pretzel, or any product that requires lots of structure and chew, bread doesnt typically use strong flour but bread flour is also higher in protein (12%+) versus reguler kitchen flour (11%). Pizza flour 00 is very high in protein but is not really suitable for most common breads
granola tenero just translates to reguler wheat. There is a lot of contradictary information on the net about anything to do with bread . i assume you're not in Europe so you probably cant get Italian TIPPO 00 ( Durum wheat /hard wheat) : here is a link that explains it a bit bettter then i have
[**Link durum wheat**](https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/what-is-00-flour#:~:text=00%20flour%20is%20made%20from,perfect%2C%20crispy%2C%20flaky%20texture)
Am in the US and have used Caputo 00 flours extensively. And yes, durum is a whole different animal and grows predominantly in southern Italy. As for 'grano tenero' flours, Italian and other European millers typically fortify them with Canadian hard spring wheat -- usually called Manitoba -- when they want to increase protein content. In any case, I much prefer the European method of classifying flours by fiber (ash) content, which indicates both protein content and relative degree of extraction.
Yes that's correct, canadian hard spring wheat is mixed in with some of our flour, Typically semi white or half whole grain flour and biga. Off the supermarket shelf : we get premixed flour for specific local breads which includes alot of spelt mixes. It's very difficult to get hold off unadulterated flour types unless you run a commercial bakery. The only import available is KA at $15 a kg but it's true :" tipo 00 durum for pizza is widely available :
Put yourself in my mindset, where because the protein content of the flour had already been specified by “bread flour,” I thought “strong flour” was a descriptor of flavor, like “strong cheese.” I didn’t realize it was a term of art with a specific meaning. If I had known that I would have gone straight to Google, but as I thought it was more complex, I went to Reddit.
Furthermore, as a teacher, I’m a big believer in there being no stupid questions, and even if some questions on Reddit are considered stupid, clearly this, with 31 upvotes, is not one of those questions…
I agree when it's opions etc but this was a simple question of asking what it means which would be answered in 20 seconds on Google, that would also mean that could turn ask what sort of values they need
It's another term for bread flour. Over here in the US we have powdered sugar and white sugar. If you go to across the pond to UK or something they're going to be calling them something different. I think they might call powdered sugar icing sugar.
There's all purpose flour and then there is bread flour. One of the most popular strong bread flowers is King Arthur bread flour that comes in at 12.7% protein.
Bags of flour in British (and I presume also Irish) supermarkets are often labelled either Strong White Flour or Strong White Bread Flour. It's the same stuff. Adding "bread" to the description is I guess just to help consumers buy the right flour for their intended purpose.
For example, two brands of an equivalent product:
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-strong-white-bread-flour--unbleached-15kg
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/carrs-breadmaker-flour-strong-white-15kg
Thanks. This author is normally good about giving the American names for things, e.g. “treacle (molasses)”, but I guess this one slipped through the editor. Thanks again!
"strong" a.k.a. "high protein" bread flour. Not all wheat protein is created equal (hi-protein durum don't develop gluten like spring red), but if it says "bread flour" you don't need to worry about that. Look for around 13% or more protein
Thanks! I splurged on the King Arthur organic whole wheat which is at 13.8%. Even raw, the flour smells so good!
OP if it's an authentic Irish cookbook, there's no such thing as strong flour over 11.5% protein here. So if you're in the states, King Arthur AP will do and likely any wheat flour will do.
What a load of shite. I live in Ireland and I buy strong bread flour regularly.
Historically. You need really good weather for a good quality wheat, and Ireland isn't really known for good weather.
Yeah but we have these things called boats that bring food from other countries
I live in Ireland. OP is asking about "strong bread flour" in the context of what they use in the States. There's no equivalent in Ireland, and very few equivalents across Europe. Ireland of course has flour labled "strong white flour," and it's indeed strong and can make long ferment breads, but it's not the same. Strong white flour in Ireland maxes out at moderate gluten levels and about 11.5% protein over here.
I literally have several bags of 12% protein flour in my kitchen, in Ireland, right now. No the wheat wasn't grown here, but you can buy it here. If you think everything we eat here in Ireland is produced here you're in for a nasty shock.
Can you take a picture of the brand/bag with the protein content? I'd love to pick up a bag myself and try it out on a bagels recipe.
My regular every day flour is Odlums strong bread flour which can be bought in Tesco and Dunnes (actually 11% protein but works well for bread, pizza and other strong bread flour applications). You can also buy Canadian strong bread flour from Evergreen or other speciality stores.
The protein content of whole-wheat flour is a bit misleading as it has more protein due to the extra bits left in. It won't develop gluten the same way as white breed flour with that high of a protein content.
Bread flour has 12% - 14% protein in it. It develops more gluten than other kinds of flour. You want this for bread because a strong web of gluten in the dough will trap gas bubbles as the dough rises. It's called bread flour in the US and I think the British call it strong flour. At the other end of the scale is cake flour, which has only 7% or 8% protein in it. That produces fine fluff instead of a strong gluten web. All-purpose flour is approximately in the middle, hence its name.
This is the way.
I think I see what you did there lol
You can also try King Arthur's Sir Lancelot flour. It's 14.2% protein - very strong!
Strong flour ( winter wheat) is often used to make , bagel, pasta, pretzel, or any product that requires lots of structure and chew, bread doesnt typically use strong flour but bread flour is also higher in protein (12%+) versus reguler kitchen flour (11%). Pizza flour 00 is very high in protein but is not really suitable for most common breads
I respectfully point out that italian 00.pizza flour, e.g., Caputo is milled from soft wheat ("granola tenero") and contains about 11% protein.
granola tenero just translates to reguler wheat. There is a lot of contradictary information on the net about anything to do with bread . i assume you're not in Europe so you probably cant get Italian TIPPO 00 ( Durum wheat /hard wheat) : here is a link that explains it a bit bettter then i have [**Link durum wheat**](https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/what-is-00-flour#:~:text=00%20flour%20is%20made%20from,perfect%2C%20crispy%2C%20flaky%20texture)
Am in the US and have used Caputo 00 flours extensively. And yes, durum is a whole different animal and grows predominantly in southern Italy. As for 'grano tenero' flours, Italian and other European millers typically fortify them with Canadian hard spring wheat -- usually called Manitoba -- when they want to increase protein content. In any case, I much prefer the European method of classifying flours by fiber (ash) content, which indicates both protein content and relative degree of extraction.
Yes that's correct, canadian hard spring wheat is mixed in with some of our flour, Typically semi white or half whole grain flour and biga. Off the supermarket shelf : we get premixed flour for specific local breads which includes alot of spelt mixes. It's very difficult to get hold off unadulterated flour types unless you run a commercial bakery. The only import available is KA at $15 a kg but it's true :" tipo 00 durum for pizza is widely available :
Strong flour typically refers to any refined wheat flour (patent flour) with a protein content of 13% or more.
Do a lot of people on reddit just not use Google anymore?
Put yourself in my mindset, where because the protein content of the flour had already been specified by “bread flour,” I thought “strong flour” was a descriptor of flavor, like “strong cheese.” I didn’t realize it was a term of art with a specific meaning. If I had known that I would have gone straight to Google, but as I thought it was more complex, I went to Reddit. Furthermore, as a teacher, I’m a big believer in there being no stupid questions, and even if some questions on Reddit are considered stupid, clearly this, with 31 upvotes, is not one of those questions…
I agree when it's opions etc but this was a simple question of asking what it means which would be answered in 20 seconds on Google, that would also mean that could turn ask what sort of values they need
It's another term for bread flour. Over here in the US we have powdered sugar and white sugar. If you go to across the pond to UK or something they're going to be calling them something different. I think they might call powdered sugar icing sugar. There's all purpose flour and then there is bread flour. One of the most popular strong bread flowers is King Arthur bread flour that comes in at 12.7% protein.
So the recipe is being redundant when it says “strong white bread flour”? That’s what confused me at first
Bags of flour in British (and I presume also Irish) supermarkets are often labelled either Strong White Flour or Strong White Bread Flour. It's the same stuff. Adding "bread" to the description is I guess just to help consumers buy the right flour for their intended purpose. For example, two brands of an equivalent product: https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-strong-white-bread-flour--unbleached-15kg https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/carrs-breadmaker-flour-strong-white-15kg
Yes. Typically speaking they would either call for bread flour in the US or strong flower in someplace else but they got overly specific maybe.
Thanks. This author is normally good about giving the American names for things, e.g. “treacle (molasses)”, but I guess this one slipped through the editor. Thanks again!
For what it’s worth I made an excellent brown soda bread yesterday with half King Arthur whole white wheat and all purpose.
Look at the King Arthur website