[French Bakery Secrets] Foundations of French bakery: choosing the right type of flour

[法式烘焙奥秘] 选对面粉，做对面包——迈出法式烘焙第一步

Baking is a precise chemical process that hinges on the right mixture and measurement of ingredients. One of the most important initial choices a baker must make is one that may ultimately determine the success of his/her product—the flour. Prepare yourself for our quickly approaching public baking class featuring French style walnut Hokkaido bread with SYB’s primer on the primary ingredient. Below, Shanghai Young Bakers dissects the science of choosing the right flour.

SYB uses imported Grands Moulins de Paris flour, a high grade French flour that ensures the quality of our baked goods. But when unable to import ingredients, individuals must navigate the aisles of grocery stores. Imagine you’re at the super market staring at sacks of flour sitting in a row, all in varying hues and sizes. On each bag, there is a series of indecipherable numbers and letters—T45, T55, T65, etc. These “codes” reveal the relative ratio of the flour’s protein and ash components, which when mixed with water, will become gluten and therefore determine the composition of the bread.

烘焙如同一场不差毫厘的奇妙化学反应，想得到令人满意的成果，就要对原料正确地测量、提取和混合。万事开头难，其重中之重，便在于“甄选面粉”——面包师对面粉的选择是否合理，最终将决定其出炉面包的成功与否。想知道如何正确挑选法式核桃北海道面包的主要原料吗？那就拭目以待，跟着海上青焙坊即将举行的公开课，踏上这激动人性的探索之旅吧！面粉甄选是门科学，下面，我们将手把手带大家一一解析这其中的门道。

海上青焙坊使用法国著名高端面粉品牌 “巴黎大磨坊” (Grands Moulins de Paris) 倾情提供的进口面粉，以保障面包的品质。但当无法使用进口面粉时，请在商店的货架间仔细挑选，确保使用你能找到的最高品质的面粉进行烘焙。想象一下，面对着超市陈列的袋袋面粉，包装颜色各异，尺码大小繁多，袋上还印着一串串令人费解的数字和字母——T45、T55、T65等等，你是不是很头大？其实，这些“码”显示了面粉所含蛋白质和灰分的相对比例，当它们与水混合时，将成为麸质。正是麸质决定了面包的基本成分和口感。

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein composite in wheat, which is ground up and mixed by different standards to make different types of flour. It’s what gives the bread elasticity after it rises and helps maintain its texture. Higher gluten content flour is generally more suitable for denser types of breads. In contrast, lower gluten content flour is more suited to lighter pastries and croissants.

什么是麸质（gluten）？

麸质，又称面筋或谷蛋白，是谷物里存在的一种蛋白质复合物，当它们根据不同标准碾碎、搅拌、混合后，便诞生了不同类型的面粉。面包发酵后，是麸质给予了它们松软的弹性和膨胀的网状结构。麸质含量高的面粉（即我们日常看到的高筋粉）一般用来制作结实、密集、紧致的面包；与此相反，麸质含量低的面粉（低筋粉）则更适合疏松多孔的糕点和羊角面包。

Deciphering types of flour

The higher the number following the “T” in a type of flour’s classification, the higher the concentration of gluten. Thus the higher the density of the bread it will make. The usages of T45, T55, and T65 flours, the primary flours used in French baking, are described below:

T45: pastry flour, used for brioche, croissant, toast

T55: standard flour, used for baguettes and a variety of pastries

T65: bread flour, used for harder breads such as Russian bread

分辨面粉类型

表示面粉类型的编码中，“T”字母后的数字越大，则其麸质的比率就越高，因此，做出的面包就会越实在而紧致。以下便是 T45、T55和T65面粉相对应在法式烘焙中的常见用途：

T45：糕点类面粉，用于制作奶油蛋卷、羊角面包和吐司

T55：标准类面粉，用于法式长棍面包等各种常见面包和糕点

T65：面包类面粉，用于质地更硬的面包，如罗宋面包

These basic tips will help you determine the most ideal flour for your baking needs. If you’d like to learn more, come participate in Shanghai Young Bakers’ public baking classes taught by our professionally trained baking teachers. For experienced bakers, we also offer professional training, featuring detailed segments on ingredient composition, bakery machine usage, and more!

这些基本技巧将助你根据烘烤需要，挑选最合心意的面粉类型。欲了解更多信息，快来参加上海青焙坊的公共烘培课，与受过专业训练的教师一道学起来吧。对于有经验的面包师，我们还提供专业烘焙培训，教你如何精确把握原料成分、使用烤箱。更多详请来戳https://www.shanghaiyoungbakers.com/

Translated by Lan Yao

翻译：姚岚