Editing Bread (section)

===Flour===
{{Main|Flour}}

[[Flour]] is grain ground into a powder. Flour provides the primary structure, starch and protein to the final baked bread. The [[protein]] content of the flour is the best indicator of the quality of the bread [[dough]] and the finished bread. While bread can be made from all-purpose wheat flour, a specialty bread flour, containing more protein (12–14%), is recommended for high-quality bread. If one uses a flour with a lower protein content (9–11%) to produce bread, a shorter mixing time is required to develop gluten strength properly. An extended mixing time leads to oxidization of the dough, which gives the finished product a whiter crumb, instead of the cream color preferred by most artisan bakers.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hamelman, Jeffrey  |title=Bread: a baker's book of techniques and recipes |publisher=John Wiley |location=New York |year=2004 |pages=7–13 |quote=A high gluten white flour will require more mix time than a white flour with a lower gluten content,... |isbn=978-0-471-16857-7 }}</ref>

Wheat flour, in addition to its starch, contains three water-soluble protein groups ([[albumin]], [[globulin]], and [[proteose]]s) and two water-insoluble protein groups ([[glutenin]] and [[gliadin]]). When flour is mixed with water, the water-soluble proteins dissolve, leaving the glutenin and gliadin to form the structure of the resulting bread. When relatively dry dough is worked by [[kneading]], or wet dough is allowed to rise for a long time (see [[no-knead bread]]), the glutenin forms strands of long, thin, chainlike molecules, while the shorter gliadin forms bridges between the strands of glutenin. The resulting networks of strands produced by these two proteins are known as [[gluten]]. Gluten development improves if the dough is allowed to [[autolyse]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hunter |first1=Gary |last2=Carey |first2=Patrick |last3=Tinton |first3=Terry |last4=Walpole |first4=Steven |title=Professional Chef: Level 2 Diploma |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2iGHqXWigQ4C&pg=RA17-PA10 |year=2007 |publisher=Cengage Learning EMEA |isbn=978-1-84480-706-2 |pages=10–11}}</ref>

====Fortification====

Processing of flours usually involves removal of the outer layers, which contain important nutrients. Such flours, and bread made from them, may be fortified by adding nutrients. Fortification with added calcium, iron, thiamine (Vitamin B1) and niacin (Vitamin B3) is a legal requirement in the UK ([[wholemeal flour]]s, from which the nutrients have not been stripped, are exempt).<ref>{{cite web | title=Bread and Flour Regulations | publisher=UK Flour Millers | date=October 2023| url=https://www.ukflourmillers.org/bread-and-flour-regulations | access-date=5 January 2025}}</ref> The unregulated term "wheatmeal" is used to describe flour containing some but not all of the outer covering and central part of the wheat grain.<ref>{{cite dictionary| title=wheatmeal | dictionary=Cambridge Dictionary | url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/wheatmeal}}</ref>