For an authentic French loaf whether it is a baguette, pain de campagne or indeed a sweet treat such as a croissant, using French flour makes all the difference. The wheat is different and needs handling differently too.
French Flour Types
When baking bread using French flour, you’ll need to know what type to use. Each bag of French flour is labelled with a number. It’s important to understand these numbers. Typically, French flour for breadmaking is Type 55 or T55. The higher the number, the more of the whole grain it contains.
The type number refers to the amount mineral content. When the flour is tested, a precise amount of flour is baked at a very high temperature and the resulting “ash” or mineral content is measured (marked cendres above). For example a Type 55 flour will have between 0.5 and 0.6% of minerals for each 100 gr of flour. The lower the number, the whiter the flour. The higher the number the more complete or ‘wholemeal’ the flour.
It is relatively easy these days to buy flour milled from grain grown in the UK. However, traditionally much of our flour has been imported from countries Canada and the United States. These wheats are strong in protein. Gluten allows the gas generated by the yeast to be trapped in bubbles. The stronger the wheat the smaller the bubble and more water can be added. French flour is ‘softer’ and contains less gluten. It will contains grains only grown in France.
What part of the grain does the flour come from?
A grain of wheat is made of up three main components:
Outer casing (13%). Mostly made of cellulose and minerals. The outer casing is removed during milling and becomes the bran
Endosperm (84%) This is 70 to 75% starch and 10 to 12% proteins and a small amount of vitamins.
Germ (3%) Rich in lipids, proteins, vitamins and essential minerals. Removed during milling to ensure longer life
Wholemeal flour uses all the grain, white flour just the endosperm. However, depending on the mill, the bran and germ might be removed and then added back in.
Why use French flour?
If you want to make really great baguettes and croissant, try French flour. You will notice the difference. It’s much easier to achieve those large ‘holes’ you love. The dough is will softer to work with, so require a little practice! It’s always best to autolyse first – pre-soaking.
What type of flour should I use?
Type 45 – The whitest of flours. You’ll discover there are two types, one created specifically for croissants and brioches (sometimes called Gruau). The second is similar to sponge flour you might find in the supermarket. I use this flour for making scones and cakes with excellent results.
Type 55 and Type 65 – These are typically used for bread making. I like to use Type 65 which has a slightly rougher feel and is my flour of choice for baguettes
Type 80 – This is a lovely flour, not white, not wholemeal but in between the two.
Type 110 This is the designation for spelt flour just to confuse things!
Type 150 – This is the wholemeal flour and ideal for rustic breads.
Where to buy French flour?
Some companies buy in French flour and rebrand it or sell it under the original brand name. Others buy in the wheat and mill it in the UK.
Shipton Mill sell both Type 45 and Type 55 flour in small and large bags. Shipton Mill mill a mix of flours to create French Flour.
Bakery Bits sell flour milled by Foricher in France. Types T45, T55, T65 , T110 and T150 are available. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the mill in France and can highly recommend the flour.
Ratton Pantry also sell Foricher Flour and flour from Moulin St Martin – a wider selection than Bakery Bits now has.
Discover the other posts in my Bake Better Bread Series including, importance of heat and steam; baker’s percentages, autolysing, fresh yeast and more.
Learn to Bake Bread
Learn how to make bread the French way in one of my breadmaking courses, there’s plenty to choose from including online classes which are bespoke.
Bake Better Bread – Autolyse – Why pre-soaking your dough will make all the difference
French flour tends to be made with a lower ash content than the flour from other countries. This means that the flour has more of the grain and less of the residual minerals that might come from the milling process.
Since bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, it's able to develop more gluten. This leads to bread with more chew—a desirable characteristic in pizza dough, flatbread, or sourdough.
French flours often contain more protein than typical American flours. This higher protein content contributes to better gluten development, which improves the structure and texture of breads and pastries. For all these reasons, French flours are also easier to work with.
In France, there are different types of flour, the higher the type number the more minerals your flour contains. T45 : This is a white flour generally used for pastries, cakes, etc., but also for pizza dough.T55 : This is a white flour used for "white" or "ordinary" bread, pastry doughs and pizzas.
What you get—instead of those chemical bleaching agents—is flour from superior grains grown by farmers we trust. Our flour is carefully milled according to the strictest specifications that we've developed over generations to give you the best, most consistent results at home. Not a bad trade-off if you ask us!
While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.
If you make a bread dough with all-purpose flour, the gluten network won't be as strong because of the lower protein content; this means the dough won't be able to stretch as much to accommodate those bubbles, resulting in smaller bubbles and bread with a tighter crumb.
Most French bakers use a poolish process, which consists of a mix of yeast and water that's allowed to ferment overnight. The next day, this mixture is added to the rest of the ingredients. This gives the dough more flavor and aroma.
Some say the generally higher gluten content makes French bread better than U.S. bread. But most of what matters lies in the quality of each ingredient. The longer a bread is fermented, the better its flavor will be. Breads in France and the best ones in New York are fermented longer, Dyck said.
T45 flour is equivalent to Type 00 Italian flour, Euro 450 flour type and American Cake flour. Swiss-Bake French style T45 flour is neither bleached nor chlorinated. Strong French style White Bread Flour; type T55 is ideal for making bread, puff pastries, croissants and baguettes.
Overall, the ideal flour for baguettes should have a moderate protein content, a fine texture, and should be of high quality. While traditional French type 55 flour is the ideal choice, a combination of all-purpose and bread flour can also work well in its place.
What is T65 Flour? This is the French classification for flour. It is based on the resulting amount of residue after processing 10kg (22lbs of flour) in a 900°C (1,650°F) oven. T65 is considered a whole flour classification, as it has a higher degree of mineral content and more bran leftover.
First and foremost, the flour used in France is of very high quality. But the major difference between French and an American baguette is the fermentation process. Most French bakers use a poolish process, which consists of a mix of yeast and water that's allowed to ferment overnight.
The French typically use Type 55 flour for their baguettes, which has a lower protein content than All-Purpose flour (usually 11.5% protein). I know that's not found in your standard supermarket, but you can buy it online from King Arthur Flour.
Italian and French flours are usually made from soft wheat, which has lower protein content compared to the hard red wheat commonly grown in the United States. Flour with less protein contains less gluten.
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