wheat flour
When we talk about flour we immediately think of soft wheat flour derived from the grinding of the wheat grain Triticum aestivum .
From this grain with different processes we can obtain 00, 0, 1, 2 or semi-integral and whole wheat flours.
The type 00 soft wheat flour is the most refined flour, which has been scaled, and is the whitest of all.
From the type 00 all the elements of the wheat grain have been eliminated such as bran, fibers and many mineral salts and vitamins, leaving only the starchy part of the wheat.
Type 0 wheat flour has also been refined and many of its nutrients have been reduced or eliminated.
Instead, in whole wheat flour it has not undergone the refining process and still contains the whole grain of wheat with bran and wheat germ with all its nutrients.
Manitoba flour
Manitoba flour is a flour obtained from the grinding of wheat Triticum aestivum but of a variety of wheat that grows only in the geographical area of Canada .
In these lands the climate is particularly rigid and this grain has been selected over time obtaining a particularly rich gluten cultivar which means that in this Canadian grain we have a very high protein composition.
Furthermore, in manitoba flour we find a good quantity of complex carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, mineral salts and a low fat content.
Manitoba flour is therefore original and continues its cultivation in the lands of Canada and for this reason it is also known as "American flour".
When to use manitoba flour?
The answer is simple enough to understand when it is better to use a flour with high yeast power in the recipes.
In fact manitoba flour having this gluten richness therefore possesses a specific leavening power which is indicated as superior to 350 W.
This index identifies how much a flour has a rising force and the higher the value of W the higher its leavening power is.
Manitoba flour is among the flours with the highest leavening power.
What to do with manitoba flour?
With manitoba flour we can therefore make many preparations especially when we need a strong leavening .
The dough of this flour will be very strong and elastic, perfect for baking and confectionery preparations, both at home and at industrial level.
Manitoba flour is the most indicated to prepare the typical Christmas and New Year's desserts like panettone and pandoro . Also perfect for other traditional recipes like babas or donuts.
Manitoba flour can be mixed with other flours with the result of having less leavening but still sufficient for the preparation of cream puffs, buns, brioche, pizza, puff pastry, bread and other sweet and savory pastry and oven recipes.
Manitoba flour is very rich in protein and for this reason it is often used in the production of seitan . In fact, to make the seitan it is necessary to extract the proteic part from the flour and, that of manitoba, it is particularly rich.
Instead if we want to prepare muffins, sponge cake, biscuits, dried cakes, etc. it is better to avoid manitoba flour because it is too leavening.
How to replace manitoba flour
Manitoba flour is prohibited for those suffering from celiac disease or is gluten intolerant. In general we can say that it is better to avoid the excessive use of this flour.
To replace manitoba flour in recipes where more leavening is needed, we need to use more yeast and wait more time for the process to take place.
If we need to use other types of flour we can try with rice flour, corn, buckwheat or amaranth which are all gluten-free.
