Flour

Flour is one of the two structural materials used in baking (eggs are the other), and, like eggs, flour is a vital ingredient in the bakery; it simply would be impossible to make breads or pastries without it. Besides providing backbone and structure in baked goods, flour has four other important functions: generating a characteristic texture and appearance that is derived from the various strengths and types available; contributing to flavor, which comes from the grains used; providing nutrition (flour contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins); and acting as a binding and absorbing agent (flour absorbs liquid rather than dissolving in it). By law, flour must contain no more than 15 percent moisture when it is sold, but it can absorb more moisture if it is not stored properly. (Wheat flour with a high water content does not keep well and will also lose some of its baking ability.) It is also possible for flour to dry out in high altitudes. These two factors are the reason you will often see instructions to add more or less flour as needed to achieve the correct consistency in many of the dough recipes in this book, as the amount of flour required to reach a particular texture will vary with the amount of moisture in the flour.