The etymological root of flour is found in the Latin word farīna . Flour is the fine powder resulting from the grinding of seeds or other solid elements.
Milling is the act of grinding: reducing a body to very small parts. The machine that allows the development of grinding for the production of flour is the mill , composed of a hearth, a grinding wheel and a mechanism that enables the transmission and regulation of the movement generated by wind, steam, water or other driving force. Currently, grinding is carried out mainly with electric machines.
Flours of plant origin are the most common. Among the most popular are wheat flour , corn flour , chickpea flour , cassava flour and rice flour . All of them can be used to make a large number of food products, such as breads, tortillas , cakes , noodles and many others.
Flour with a high level of protein is called strength flour . A strength flour has a minimum of 12 grams of protein per 100 grams of flour. If a leavening agent is added to the flour, it is called self-rising flour . Toasted flour , on the other hand, is generated by grinding toasted cereals.
Among the meals of animal origin , meanwhile, fish meal (obtained by processing fish and the subsequent elimination of oil and water) and bone meal (generated by grinding bones) stand out.
The versatility of flour
If we interview ten people at random and ask them what they ate the day before, most likely all of them will name at least one dish made with flour. Beyond the tastes of each person, given that this ingredient is so versatile , it gives us the possibility of preparing very different products.
But the benefits or goodness of this ingredient do not end in its admirable versatility, but also in the fact that it is a very economical product and, as if this were not enough, it can get us out of trouble with just water, salt and some what another vegetable . Although yeast is an ideal complement to flour to make breads and pizzas, among other recipes , it is not essential.
Homemade bread is something that not many people enjoy these days, given that we spend more time at work than at home, and it is more practical for us to go to the supermarket or, if we are lucky enough to find one, to the bakery that get ready to knead and bake our own loaves. However, bread does not require a complex procedure and the flavor of homemade bread usually surpasses that of purchased bread.
The dough for empanadas and dumplings is another of the most common flour recipes. In this case, there are those who use olive oil and others who prefer butter, although it is possible to do without both ingredients if we do not have them or if we prefer a lighter result. In this sense, the dough varies a lot depending on its thickness, its shape and its cooking, much like a potato or an eggplant, which is why the ingredients used to make it are not always decisive.
Homemade pasta is another delicacy that not many people enjoy anymore, although in countries like Italy they are still strong. If we don't know how to prepare it or if we don't have time, the ideal is to buy the "least" industrial pasta possible, since the differences in texture, flavor and consistency are impossible to ignore. The "wild card" ingredient in homemade pasta is the egg.