Flour Types

This week, we are going to discuss flour types. So many are allergic to gluten found in white and wheat flours. Also, there are a lot of different white flours. What are they for? You go to the baking aisle at your favorite grocery store and there are so many on the shelves, like all purpose, cake flour, bread flour, self-rising, whole wheat, white whole wheat, pastry, pizza, quinoa, buckwheat, corn meal, rye flour, almond flour, and so many more! Which one do you choose?

Flour Types - 12/12-12/18/2022

Monday, December 12, 2022

Hello! It has been a very busy, overcast day. I spent the entire day filling and mailing out orders, hundreds of them, along with a few others. It is now 6pm and this is the first chance I have had to get on here all day long.

We have been trying to hire some help for the past six weeks or so and we have not received one resume. No one knows anyone who wants to work. What? It is the Christmas season. You would think everyone would want to earn extra money. I just think it is very strange. If you know of someone who would like to work, have him or her email a one page resume to davidsgardenseeds@outlook.com for consideration.

Flour Types - All Purpose

All purpose flour is perhaps the most popular of all of the flour types. It is regular white, bleached flour that you can pretty much use to bake anything. There are specialty flours that do a better job for certain things but if you have this variety, you can confidently bake quick breads, pies, cakes, and cookies. I have made them all with all purpose flour.

If you don't know, quick breads are those breads without yeast. They are called quick breads because you don't have to wait several hours for the dough to rise. This means banana bread, pumpkin bread, raisin bread, and date nut bread, just to name a few.

All purpose flour does not have any type of leavening in it so this means you must add yeast, baking soda, and/or baking powder unless you are making something that does not rise at all.

All purpose flour is made from a blend of soft and hard wheats that are milled together. It has a protein level of 10 to 12 percent and I bet you have a bag of it in your pantry right now.

Flour Types - Bleached Or Unbleached

Most of the flour types that we use here in the United States are bleached. So what is the difference?

Bleached flour has been treated with agents like peroxide or chlorine gas to make the flour white. By making it white, they are removing yellow xanthophyll, which is a yellow or brown carotenoid plant pigment according to Oxford Languages Dictionary. They also remove other pigments. This makes a whiter, finer flour which is perfect for most baked goods.

Unbleached flour will turn white over time without being bleached but it takes a while. It is an exposure to oxygen that makes bleach turn white without the help of bleaching agents. Bleached flour is softer to the touch. Have you ever noticed how very soft white flour is? Then you touch whole wheat flour and it is very grainy and rough. Flour that is not chemically bleached is a bit denser than chemically bleached flour.

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

This was our beautiful sunset this evening.

Good Tuesday morning. It is 6am and 71° already. Not much going on so early in the morning.

Today is the 36th anniversary of the day that David asked me to marry him. It is so hard to believe it has been that long.

It is now 12:30pm and I have been fixing broken computer links and filling all orders all morning long. We need help.

So I filled all of the website orders and the mailman took them. Then after lunch, there were a bunch more. I filled all of those as well and helped the guys fill the Amazon orders.

Brendon and David went out in the back 40 to harvest the luffas, the swan gourds, and the birdhouse gourds. They were not drying on the vine so they picked them all and put them on shelves to dry. I am not sure if they will dry or mold...We will see.

Brendon outback harvesting gourds this afternoon.

Some of the gourds harvested today, including swan gourds!

Going out back to get more gourds.

Rows of gourds were harvested today. Now they are drying.

We have had no responses to our job ad in the Pleasanton News and online so today, I put the announcement on several local pages on Facebook. We have had some likes and comments but so far, not one person has actually done with the ad says to do. Some have asked for a phone number and others want to come by and talk. Still others say the email address does not work but I can assure you that what is typed below is the business email we have had for 13 years and it works just fine. I am truly fascinated. Why is it so hard to find good help? The government has made it too easy for people to stay at home.

Job Opportunity!

Come Work For Us! Join The Team At DGS!

David's Garden Seeds® in Rossville/Poteet area is now hiring a Processing Associate. Responsible for pulling orders, stuffing envelopes, performing light outdoor garden duties. Email your one page resume to davidsgardenseeds@outlook.com.

We are not taking phone calls on this job opportunity so brush up on your resume making skills and email a one pager over to us quickly.

Flour Types - Whole Wheat

First a bit more explaining about wheat flour. All wheat flours are made from wheat kernels. There are three parts to a wheat kernel, the endosperm, germ, and bran. White flour just uses the endosperm. Whole wheat flour uses all three parts. This is why whole wheat flour has a denser texture and a nutty-like flavor. Whole wheat flour has 14 percent protein and the gluten does not form as well with whole wheat flour as it does with white flour. This is why so many bread recipes for whole wheat include white flour as well.

In fact, to get enough gluten, many recipes call for 25 percent of the flour to be whole wheat and the other 75 percent to be white flour.

Whole wheat flour spoils quicker than white flour so it is good to store it in the freezer or refrigerator if you won't be using it quickly.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Kitty is lying under the new tree on the new tree skirt, messing up the cords. Isn't she cute? She does this every year.

Happy Wednesday! It was such a busy day here on the farm that I am just now getting time on the computer and it is 8:30pm! I printed out the orders early this morning and then David said Nacho was here and he would be taking our couch in the den to the dump. What? Well, it is electric and has recliners. One side no longer works and the frame was out of shape. We bought it brand new five years ago. David was moving things around in the house so the couch could get out.

Nacho and his son and my son came in and they took the couch apart and took it outside. Behind the couch there were all sorts of things--dog bones, popcorn, a hair clip belonging to me, and a lot more stuff. I got it all cleaned up and then vacuumed and dusted the whole room. I moved the love seat opposite the TV and then moved the end tables. I stocked up all of the TV tray tables. I vacuumed out the puppy kennel and put a fresh blanket in it for the girls.

So I got the den all rearranged and it looks pretty good. We really need to get some new furniture but for now, we are leaving like this. It feels good to have the room less cluttered. Now we have room for a tree in here but the tree is in the living room.

Nacho mowed the lawn and did a bunch of other things around the property. He did not leave until after 5pm. It took me several hours to clean up in here. I also did laundry and dishes. Oh, I folded five loads of laundry which I hate to do and never have time to do anymore.

The sun is going down now and it's gonna get cold!

It is supposed to be 38° here tonight so I went out to my greenhouse and turned on some heaters. Matt vacuumed out my hot tub as things were floating in it last night when I was in it. Unfortunately tonight, I did not get to go in.

Around 3pm, I went up to our Farm Store to deal with some inventory that the guys placed on the floor in there. I got everything marked and put away. Unfortunately, there is more to do but I did not get to the stuff on the counter.

I gathered four boxes and boxed up some gift boxes for the neighbors for Christmas like I always do. I made out gift cards and attached them so that is done.

I went out and took care of all of the animals. Matt was still here and he gathered the eggs. Then he went home and David made chicken gizzards, garden fresh green beans, and mashed potatoes.

David went out and turned on the heaters in the high tunnel. I sure hope it is enough for the plants.

Now we are watching a Christmas movie, Christmas With The Kranks.

We have received a lot of emails and comments from our Facebook job postings, but none from the Pleasanton paper both physical and online. Out of all of them, one person followed the directions. One lady sent me her email telling me to get in contact with her. LOL. Several have messaged me asking the amount of pay. None of them sent in a resume. Many are just saying they are interested but we have just a handful of resumes and only one of them is one page long.

Another beautiful sunset this evening while I was out with the chickens...

Flour Types - Self Rising

Self-rising flour is just all purpose flour plus baking powder and salt. That is it. I thought it had a lot more in it than that. About nine percent protein is in self-rising flour. Use it specifically for recipes that call for self-rising flour. Otherwise, you may mess up and add too much baking powder and salt.

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Hello! It was another very busy day. It is now 9pm as I sit down to type this. I fed the animals and straightened up the kitchen. We woke up to a cold morning of 36°. It stayed chilly all day but got up in the 50s.

David and I left for San Antonio early. Our once every two weeks housecleaner came today while we were gone. Matt took care of everything. David and I both had appointments. Then David took me to Salt Grass for lunch to celebrate our engagement 36 years ago on Tuesday. After that, we came back to the farm. I had two sets of customers. I put up stock in the Farm Store and filled some more orders. Then I fed the fish and turned on the heater in my greenhouse.

From the chicken house, hoophouses and high tunnel behind them.

I came back to the house about 6pm to start dinner. I think I left out a bunch but I am so tired. We have been reviewing the responses we received for our job opening. So far, I don't think we will be hiring anyone else right now. We did get a few resumes but only one was one page and it was very blurry. We could barely read it. Most people just responded wanting us to call or email them. They also want the pay and hours before sending in their resume.

Surely God will bring us the right people when we need them. We will wait for a while.

Flour Types - Bread Flour

I love to make bread now that I know how and I have plenty of bread flour in the house. Of all the flour types listed this week, I have the most bread flour of all. I usually buy the Gold Medal Better For Bread flour. I think they recently changed the name of the bread flour but I have used it for years. I use this kind of flour to make yeast breads, coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, pretzels, yeast rolls, and pizza dough.

Friday, December 16, 2022

Look at our beautiful sunrise this morning! I have not seen it look like fire before.

Today started out bad early this morning...Then it got better. Enough said on that. The sunrise was brilliant this morning. It looks like fire coming up with pink. Isn't that gorgeous?

I had to feed all of the animals this morning and unlock everything. We got all of the orders out. The mailman came early today but we gave him a lot of outgoing orders.

I snapped this when I was out back feeding the animals this morning when things got better...

No new resumes on the hiring front but we have received some more "interested" posts on Facebook. If they are interested, why aren't they sending in their one page resume?

It was chilly this morning, in the 40s and it is now 67°. We haven't had any visitors to the farm so far yet today unless you count the trashman. Tomorrow, we are having planting help from Hondo. About 4,000 seeds need to be planted tomorrow so we have spring seedlings for sale when it is time to plant.

We finally started getting visitors around 2pm, buying coffee and pecan treats as Christmas gifts. I actually pulled an order we get yesterday afternoon because the man who placed it wanted it as soon as possible as it is a Christmas gift. I put that in the outgoing mail this morning. Hopefully, the post office will get it there quickly.

Around 4pm, a cold front literally blew through, making everything very hazy to look at. The sand blew all around.

Flour Types - Semolina Flour

Semolina flour is another one of those flour types that nobody mentions. It is used to make pasta, a food that I love. You can also use it to make couscous. It is high in gluten and has a 12 to 13 percent protein content. It is made out of durum wheat and I have never used it. I have made pasta with all purpose flour but this flour holds its shape when you cook what you've made, like all of the fun pasta shapes. I can't wait to try it now.

The sunset is more spectacular than the sunrise today! It is so beautiful!

Saturday, December 17, 2022

This is Christian 1 who helped David today.

This is Christian 2 who helped David today. David is also in this photo in the greenhouse.

Good morning! David is expecting some planting helpers this morning to help him get ready for spring in the greenhouse. They are coming from Hondo. Some business owners there are sending some of their employees to help him out. No, we cannot seem to find help around here...

Two young men showed up from Hondo. Both are named Christian and with David, they got about 4,000 seeds planted for spring.

It is cold and 42° so I will be feeling the Arctic chill in a little bit when I go outside to feed our animals. I dread it. The dogs and cat are all fed and happy.

So there are so many things I need to do but I need to go out and work, pulling orders, etc. It is one week until Christmas Eve.

Okay, it is 9am. The Farm Store is open and I have three dozen eggs. I am pulling seed orders so come on by.

Holiday Hours For Christmas and New Year's

We will be closed from Friday, December 23 through Sunday, December 25. We will open back up on Monday, December 26 and will be closed on Friday, December 30 through Sunday, January 1. Then we will open back up for business on Monday, January 2 and look out because spring planting is just around the corner and we will be in busy mode.

We had no customers come by the store today so we will be closed on Saturdays from now on until February 4, 2023 when spring shoppers will probably start to visit again. I deserve some time off. We are already closed on Sundays and will remain closed on Sundays in 2023.

The chickens are enjoying some fresh greens from our grow tower. They love lettuce and spinach!

I pulled and mailed all of the orders we had. The electrician came here twice today and is outside working on some plugs in the greenhouse now. The planting helpers are now stuffing. David is out in Fulfillment.

It is 2:30pm and 57° so it has stayed very cool. It took me 30 minutes and lots of antenna moving and rescanning channels and I finally got MeTV in the living room. We no longer have enough seats in the den to watch Svengoolie so now we can see it in the living room tonight.

In one week, it will be Christmas Eve! I have lots to do. I am glad we are not having a house full of people like other years.

Matt brought Asian food from Natalia and we watched Svengoolie. It was an Invisible Man that we had not seen before.

Flour Types - Cake Flour

Cake flour is flour with low protein, about five to eight percent only. Cake flour absorbs more liquid so your cakes are moist for a longer amount of time. Swans Down cake flour is the kind I have purchased before.

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Here is what we need today, a nice bowl of chicken tortilla soup.

It was cold last night. I woke up early to 35° but that is nothing compared to what we are having this coming week, three nights down in the 20s, our first hard freeze of the winter season! It was pretty cold as I fed the animals outdoors.

Time to go to church on this Sunday before Christmas and thank the Lord for all of our blessings. Yes, there are hardships and plenty of pain but there are also many blessings.

After church, we picked up David's prescription in Pleasanton and then went to Walmart to get some groceries and stuff for Christmas dinner. The place was packed. We ran into one of our former team members who was not fired and she may be coming back to work for us. I sure hope so.

These Christmas donuts look amazing. My sister sent me this photo of the donuts I sent over there today.

I then sent a dozen Christmas Krispy Kreme donuts to my mother who has been wanting them. She lives in El Paso and my brothers would not go a few miles down the road to get them for her. So I had to pay for a Door Dash driver to deliver them. Then he could not find the house but apparently he finally found them. My sister sent me this photo of what I ordered for her and my mother.

Flour Types - Pastry Flour

I have never used pastry flour. I did not know it was a thing until I was researching different flours for this article. This is the perfect flour for making pastries and pie crusts and is probably just what I've always needed but never knew it. I have never seen this in the store, but then again, I have never looked for it since I did not know it exists. I am told that Bob's Red Mill makes this. I am going to look next time I go to HEB as they have such a good selection of items.

Pastry flour has a protein content of 9 percent which is ideal for flakiness. I love to make good pie crust so I know this will be perfect...

Corn Meal

Corn meal is another one of the flour types that we use a lot of in Texas and in the South. I know it is made from dent corn and not wheat but, technically it is a ty pe of "flour" that makes corn tortillas and corn bread. I have made lots of corn bread in my time. It is also good for coating fish and frying them up. Dent corn is the corn that is not sweet. It is ground into corn meal or it is used to feed the animals. We sell several varieties of dent corn seeds over at David's Garden Seeds®.

These eight types of flour are just a few of what is out there to try. I have cooked and baked with some but not all of these.

Return from Flour Types to Our Fourth Year

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