[Sca-cooks] White Flour, White Sugar

[Decker, Terry D.]

> Anahita asked:
> > WHITE FLOUR
> >
> > On our local cooks guild list, someone posted that white flour was
> > not period, and that she was told this by a judge in a Kingdom food
> > competition (i wish i knew who!) that she should be mixing white and
> > whole wheat half and half.
>
> That may not be a bad compromise. I think I've heard that
> suggestion before.

Why?  What was the judge's intention?

Most of the whole wheat flours readily available are from red winter wheat
(giving a light to medium brown color to the flour)and they are whole graham
(which means the bran is left in the flour).  The visible differences in the
finished products are a darker crust and crumb and the presence of bran
particles, I presume the judges plaint is based on these differences.  Since
fine Medieval European flour was made primarily from yellow wheats and
because it was bolted two to three times, the color and texture should be
closer to that of unbleached flour rather than a mix of white and whole
graham whole wheat flours.

To be honest, I've also suggested the white/whole wheat mix, but I've
tempered my opinion, especially where fine flour is called for.  I've used a
number of flour mixes to try to reproduce Medieval flour including 50/50
white/whole wheat and in my opinion a stone ground light colored whole wheat
pastry flour or King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour are probably as close
as you will get to a fine period flour.  If you are going to mix whole wheat
and white, let me recommend sieved whole wheat.  For most purposes and to
cut expenses, I tend to use unbleached all purpose.


> > people of our station (according to the SCA) could
> > very well be using white flour.
>
> Part of the problem is what is meant by "white". Just how
> white is meant by this?
>
> Stefan
>

Bleached flour is unnaturally white from the bleaching process, so take a
look at unbleached flour where the xanthophylls are oxidized by aging as
they were in Medieval flours.  A light cream-colored off-white is very
likely the appropriate color for a Medieval white flour.

Bear