 Gran Mugnaio Tipo Manitoba | |
| Type | Flour |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Region or state | Manitoba |
Manitoba flour, a name chiefly used in Italy, is a flour of common wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) originating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is a strong flour, and distinguished from weaker flours as measured with a Chopin alveograph. [1]
This type of flour takes its name from the production area where a strong, cold-resistant wheat originally grew: Manitoba, a vast province in Canada, which in turn takes its name from Manitou, the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups.
Currently all flours with W > 350 are defined as manitoba whatever the production area and the variety of wheat used. [2] [3]
The main characteristic of this flour is that it contains a large quantity of insoluble proteins (glutenin and gliadin), which, in contact with a liquid during the kneading phase, produce gluten. It is therefore a flour rich in gluten and poor in starch. Gluten forms a tenacious net, which in leavened doughs retains the gases of leavening, allowing the product to develop considerably during baking; in the case of pasta, on the other hand, it retains the starches, which would make the dough sticky and allow it to be cooked al dente.
It is found in industrial packaging and also in packs for domestic use; it is used by bakers, pastry chefs and pizzerias. In Italy by law [4] and changes introduced by [5] pasta for domestic consumption (except fresh pasta) may be produced exclusively with durum wheat, but in other countries Manitoba flour is also used in the egg-pasta industry. Mills often use it to ‘cut’ other flours, thus increasing the total W coefficient of flour. The dough made with Manitoba will be more elastic and stronger, suitable for the processing of particular bread (French baguette, panettone and pandoro), long-leavening pizza, ciaccia or Easter cheese cakes and special pasta. Since its introduction to Italy as part of the Marshall Plan after World War II, Manitoba flour is preferred by some Italians for Neapolitan pizza. [6]
Manitoba flour is also used as a base for the preparation of Seitan, used by some vegetarians and vegans as a source of protein.
The main characteristic of Manitoba flour is its strength, which, combined with the high presence of proteins and the considerable absorption power of water, makes it suitable for the most complex processes, especially for the preparation of leavened confectionery products. Because of its strength and elasticity Manitoba flour is excellent for making sweet and savoury pandoro and panettone, croissants, doughnuts and baba and also specialties such as focaccia genovese, long-leavening pizzas and some types of bread, such as French baguette and chapati, Indian bread with its characteristic round shape that vaguely resembles a piadina. [7] [8] [9]
Matzah, matzo, or maẓẓah is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz is forbidden.
Pasta is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Unlike noodles, pasta was traditionally only made with durum, although the definition has been expanded to include alternatives for a gluten-free diet such as rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils. While noodles are believed to have originated in Asia, pasta is believed to have originated in Italy and is a staple food of Italian cuisine, with evidence of Etruscans making pasta as early as 400 BCE in Italy.
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture.
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures. Corn flour has been important in Mesoamerican cuisine since ancient times and remains a staple in the Americas. Rye flour is a constituent of bread in both Central Europe and Northern Europe.
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities.
In cooking, a leavening agent or raising agent, also called a leaven or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action that lightens and softens the mixture. An alternative or supplement to leavening agents is mechanical action by which air is incorporated. Leavening agents can be biological or synthetic chemical compounds. The gas produced is often carbon dioxide, or occasionally hydrogen.
Seitan is a food made from gluten, the main protein of wheat. It is also known as miànjīn, fu, milgogi, wheat meat, gluten meat, or simply gluten. It is made from vital wheat gluten, a flour-like substance primarily consisting of gluten extracted from wheat flour.
Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening agents, as well as ingredients such as fats or flavorings.
Durum wheat, also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat, is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it represents only 5% to 8% of global wheat production. It was developed by artificial selection of the domesticated emmer wheat strains formerly grown in Central Europe and the Near East around 7000 BC, which developed a naked, free-threshing form. Like emmer, durum wheat is awned. It is the predominant wheat that grows in the Middle East.
Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or bread flour, is high in gluten, with 12% to 14% gluten content, and its dough has elastic toughness that holds its shape well once baked. Soft flour is comparatively low in gluten and thus results in a loaf with a finer, crumbly texture. Soft flour is usually divided into cake flour, which is the lowest in gluten, and pastry flour, which has slightly more gluten than cake flour.
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour. Compared to white bread, it is higher in fiber, darker in color, and stronger in flavor. The world's largest exporter of rye bread is Poland.
In cooking, kneading is a process in the making of bread or dough, used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product. It allows the process of baking to be shortened by developing the gluten more quickly than it would develop in the absence of kneading.
In many European countries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, there are various traditions surrounding the use of bread during the Easter holidays. Traditionally the practice of eating Easter bread or sweetened "communion" bread traces its origin back to Byzantium, Eastern Catholicism and the Orthodox Christian church. The recipe for sweetened or "honey-leavened" bread may date back as far as the Homeric Greek period based on anecdotal evidence from classical texts.
Vienna bread is a type of bread that is produced from a process developed in Vienna, Austria, in the 19th century. The Vienna process used high milling of Hungarian grain, and cereal press-yeast for leavening.
Gluten is the seed storage protein in mature wheat seeds. It is the sticky substance in bread wheat which allows dough to rise and retain its shape during baking. The same, or very similar, proteins are also found in related grasses within the tribe Triticeae. Seed glutens of some non-Triticeae plants have similar properties, but none can perform on a par with those of the Triticeae taxa, particularly the Triticum species. What distinguishes bread wheat from these other grass seeds is the quantity of these proteins and the level of subcomponents, with bread wheat having the highest protein content and a complex mixture of proteins derived from three grass species.
A dough conditioner, flour treatment agent, improving agent or bread improver is any ingredient or chemical added to bread dough to strengthen its texture or otherwise improve it in some way. Dough conditioners may include enzymes, yeast nutrients, mineral salts, oxidants and reductants, bleaching agents and emulsifiers. They are food additives combined with flour to improve baking functionality. Flour treatment agents are used to increase the speed of dough rising and to improve the strength and workability of the dough.
Bread has a significance beyond mere nutrition in many cultures in the Western world and Asia because of its history and contemporary importance. Bread is also significant in Christianity as one of the elements of the Eucharist; see sacramental bread. The word companion comes from Latin com- "with" + panis "bread".
The pizza di Pasqua, in some areas also called crescia di Pasqua, torta di Pasqua, torta al formaggio or crescia brusca, is a leavened savory cake typical of many areas of central Italy based on wheat flour, eggs, pecorino and Parmesan. Traditionally served at breakfast on Easter morning, or as an appetizer during Easter lunch, it is accompanied by blessed boiled eggs, ciauscolo and red wine or, again, served at the Easter Monday picnic. Having the same shape as panettone, the pizza di Pasqua with cheese is a typical product of the Marche region, but also Umbrian. There is also a sweet variant. The peculiarity of this product is its shape, given by the particular mold in which it is leavened and then baked in the oven: originally in earthenware, today in aluminum, it has a flared shape.
Bisciola is an artisanal Italian sweet leavened bread originating from the Valtellina valley of Lombardy, Italy. It is typically prepared for Christmas during which time it is an essential component of Christmas festivities.
