[Sca-cooks] flour

[Terry Decker]

I did a little checking in McGee.  Carbohydrates are broken down in the 
brown process.  Since thickening depends on the carbohydrates, the darker 
the brown the more carbohydates are transformed the less the thickening 
power.

Toasting flour in an oven will do the same thing, but for baking the flour 
is lightly toasted.  If you toasted the flour to the point you would for a 
brown gravy, your bake goods will come out over baked.

Bear

> One thing I remember from classes was cooking the
> flour/browning the flour in the roux when making gravy
> to get rid of the raw, flour taste but that it changed
> the thickening ability of the flour.  Wonder if the
> baking of the flour in advance might do something
> about that.
>
> And it sounds like a really good controlled experiment
> to perform.  (all the diferent flours, each made up
> into the recipe, and also baked and made up,
> enourmous taste testing....
>
> Arianwen ferch Arthur