French Flour
About French Flours
| The table below is adapted from Calvel, Raymond, James MacGuire, and Ronald Wirtz, "The Taste of Bread", Gaithersburg, MD; Aspen Publishers, 2001. | ||
| Classification for Six Types of Flour in France | ||
| Classification | Ash content as % of Dry Matter | Rate of Extraction (Correlative Method) |
| Type 45 | Below 0.50 | 67-70 |
| Type 55 | from 0.50 to 0.60/0.62 | 75-78 |
| Type 65 | from 0.62 to 0.75 | 78-82 |
| Type 80 | from 0.75 to 0.90 | 82-85 |
| Type 110 | from 1 to 1.20 | 85-90 |
| Type 150 | above 1.40 | 90-98 |
| Likewise the information below is also from Calvel et al. This chart compares North American flour grades and offers comments relative to French flour. | ||
| Flour Grade | Protein Level | Comments |
| Cake | 7 to 8.5 protein |
It has been put forth in some circles that French flours can be imitated by “cutting” the extra strength of North American bread flours with weaker cake or pastry flours. The logic of this is attractive, but it does not pan out.
|
| Pastry | 8.5 to 9.5 protein | |
| Hotel and Restaurant (all purpose) | 10 to 11.5 protein |
There is no North American flour is an exact equivalent of French type 55 bread flour, and bakers must look carefully for an appropriate flour and make certain adjustments …
|
| Bread | ||
| 11.5 to 12.2 protein | ||
| Premium High Gluten | 13.8 to 14.2 protein |
The high gluten flours are too high in gluten despite Professor Calvel’s mention of stronger flour for certain recipes.
|
| Medium High Gluten | 13.3 to 13.7 protein | |
| Strong Spring Patent | 13 to 13.3 protein | |
| First Clear | 14 plus protein |
Clear flours can add strength to rye doughs when used as the wheat portion, and where their darker color is of little importance.
|
| Whole Wheat | 14 plus protein | Stone ground whole-wheat flours are of uniform granulation and contain no additives, but must be used before the wheat germ oil oxidizes and causes rancid flavors. |