Okay, so I’ve been messing around with different flours lately, and today I want to talk about this Heritage high gluten flour I picked up. I’ve been baking for a while now, mostly just for fun, you know, making bread for the family, trying out new recipes, that sort of thing. But I’m always looking for ways to step up my bread game.
I heard about this high gluten stuff and how it’s supposed to be the secret to really good, chewy bread. Apparently, compared to modern wheat, this heritage high gluten flour has its own advantages. See, it’s all about the gluten. That glorious thing that gives bread its springy texture. It’s the glue that holds your bread together, and the more gluten, the chewier the bread.
So, I got my hands on a bag of this Heritage high gluten flour. The package says it’s ideal for artisan breads and perfect for pretzels. You know, those crusty, chewy loaves you get from fancy bakeries? That’s what I was aiming for.
First thing I did was just a simple loaf, following my usual recipe but swapping out the regular all-purpose flour for this high gluten stuff. I mixed the dough like I always do, kneaded it, let it rise, the whole nine yards.
One thing I noticed right away was that the dough felt different. More elastic, you know? Like it had more stretch to it. I guess that’s the higher gluten content doing its thing. It felt promising.
When I finally baked the loaf, man, the smell that filled my kitchen was amazing. And when I took it out of the oven, I was already impressed. The crust was this beautiful golden brown, and it just looked…heartier, I guess is the word.
- The rise was insane. This loaf rose higher than any other bread I’ve ever baked. It was like it was reaching for the sky.
- The texture was spot on. That chewy, crusty texture I was hoping for? Nailed it. It was like something you’d get from a professional bakery. I enjoyed the flavour and quality of a real local loaf at home!
- It held its shape really well. Sometimes my loaves can be a little…wonky. But this one kept its shape beautifully, even after I sliced into it.
Here is what I really noticed
I also tried making pretzels with this flour, and those turned out amazing too. Chewy, with that perfect pretzel “skin” on the outside. I’m telling you, this flour is a game-changer.
So, yeah, if you’re into baking bread and you want to try something new, I definitely recommend giving Heritage high gluten flour a shot. It’s a bit different than your regular all-purpose flour, but in a good way. Just be prepared for some seriously impressive loaves. I think this flour’s protein content is even higher than that of bread flour, maybe over 13%! The KA Sir Lancelot should be similar to this one. I need to try it next time! I’m gonna keep experimenting with this flour and see what else I can come up with. Pizza dough is next on my list. I’ll keep you guys posted!
