Graham flour

Graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour named after the American Presbyterian minister Rev. Sylvester Graham, an early advocate for dietary reform. According to the "Larousse Gastronomique", Graham despised processed white flour and believed that bran was the cure-all for the bad eating habits of his compatriots.

Rather than simply grinding the whole grain wheat kernel (bran, germ, and endosperm), in graham flour the components are ground separately. The endosperm is ground finely, initially creating white flour. The bran and germ are ground coarsely. The two parts are then mixed back together, creating a coarse-textured flour that bakes and keeps well. Graham flour is used to make graham crackers and pie crusts, among other things.

Graham flour is not available in all countries. A fully correct substitute for it would be a mix of white flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ in the ratio found in whole wheat. Wheat comprises approximately 83% endosperm, 14.5% bran, and 2.5% germ by mass [cite web | url = http://www.smallgrains.org/WHFACTS/kernel.htm |title = The Kernel of Wheat | accessdate = 2007-11-11 |publisher = Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers ] . For sifted all-purpose white flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ having densities of 125, 50, and 80 grams/cup, respectively, one cup of graham flour is approximately equivalent to 84 g (~2/3 cup) white flour, 15 g (slightly less than 1/3 cup) wheat bran, and 2.5 g (1.5 teaspoons) wheat germ.

Plain whole wheat flour can also be used as a substitute in recipes, but the resulting baked good's texture will differ from that of examples where graham flour was used.

External links

* [http://homecooking.about.com/cs/specificfood/a/graham.htm/ Information on Graham Flour and recipes]

References