Tufton bread flour is the most unknown bread flour among Iranian flours. There is not much historical information and documents about it, for this reason it is assumed that it is an Iranian example of lavash bread; A bread that has many fans in the Middle Asia region. Preparation of tafton bread flour and baking of tafton types were one of the most important tasks that men and women did in the villages. Preparing a ground or standing oven in the houses allowed them to have the most important food item of the family at home and consume it. In the villages, agriculture was definitely a part of every family’s business and getting wheat was not a difficult task for them. However, over time, they have obtained a special formula for preparing Tufton bread flour; a formula that reached the bakeries of big and small cities and eventually this bread became one of the most important breads consumed by Iranians.
Read more: Tufton flour and lavash
What is the best flour for lavash bread?
The wheat flour used for lavash bread has a high adhesive strength. This bread is relatively thin and if it is not sticky, it will tear during cooking and at high heat. This feature is due to the presence of gluten in flour. The presence of gluten has other effects; For example, it makes lavash bread slightly elastic after baking.
The water absorption power of the flour used for this bread should be high. This characteristic indicates the presence of bran in the flour, which makes lavash bread soft and tender.
With these interpretations, there are three models of flour in the market that are recommended for baking this bread.
“Khabazi” flour is prepared from wheats with a softer texture and has medium gluten and low bran, and it creates stickiness in the dough and the color of the bread does not become too dark.
“Star” flour has high gluten and low bran. “Nul” flour, which is prepared from the central parts of the wheat grain, also has these characteristics and is suitable for baking tafton.
Wheat, the best choice for Tufton bread flour
Due to the problem of people with chronic and wheat-related diseases, barley may be a better option, but barley grain alone is not suitable for baking lavash bread. This grain has little gluten and its dough does not stick together very well. However, you can use a mixture of barley and wheat flour to cook lavash bread. This increases fiber, increases nutritional value and improves the taste and aroma of bread.
Read more: Stone flour
Finally, keep in mind that Tufton bread flour is harmful for people with celiac disease due to its gluten content. Its flour is not easy for everyone to digest due to less bran. Tufton bread flour has a higher price than white flour due to less bran removal.
What is the difference between Tufton bread and lavash bread?
The usual fight of Iranian breads is here; Which is Lavash and which is Tufton Bread! Lavash, unlike Tufton, has a long history in history; To the extent that in 2016 it was registered as a common intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.
Armenia claims that lavash bread was baked for the first time in this country; Whether this statement is true or false, the important issue is the constant and daily baking of this bread in Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and many Central Asian countries.
In addition to flour, water and salt, tafton bread also has leaven, which makes its texture a little fluffy, but lavash is prepared only with flour, water and salt.
Lavash is thinner and naturally cooks faster; In addition, cooking it requires less skill.
Tufton bread is thicker, fluffier and has raised edges; But lavash is thin and smooth, and for this reason, it is mostly used to bite food or make sandwiches.
What is the best flour for bulky breads?
Apart from traditional breads, imported modern breads have long found their place in our lives. Products that, like all similar examples, were not well received at first; But the passage of time brought it to everyone’s table until many people prepare this bread at home.
The best flour for making bulky bread is flour with high gluten. Gluten is a protein that gives elasticity to bread dough and makes bread puffy and bulky. Star flour, as mentioned, is made from durum wheat.
Nol flour is also prepared from the central parts of the wheat grain; Both of these products have high gluten and low bran and can be used to prepare bulky breads. Of course, the mixture of these two flours can also be used.
What are the bulky breads in Iran?
Heavy breads in Iran are very diverse and are divided into two categories: fantasy and traditional heavy breads. Baguette, hamburger bread, types of toast, sandwich bread, ciabatta bread and pita bread are fancy breads. Traditional bulky breads are our Sangak and Tufton.
Over time, fancy breads in Iran were localized and adapted to the taste of Iranians; For example, Iranian baguette bread is softer and bulkier than French baguette. Iranian bulky breads are originally taken from the recipes of European breads, but with the passage of time and according to the taste and raw materials available in Iran, changes have been made in their recipes. For example, more sugar and yeast are used in Iranian bulky breads.
What is the best flour for bread?
To the question, what is the best flour for baking bread? There is no way to give a definite answer. Each bread has special characteristics that require a special flour. On the other hand, the seeds used in each region and country depend on its climate and crop cultivation. In Iran, wheat is the first crop and traditional and even modern breads are mostly prepared with this flour.
The amount of bran and gluten in Iranian traditional breads is the most important difference. On the other hand, the overall quality of flour is also an important issue that you can find and choose the best with experience and using different brands.
Finally, to bake good and delicious bread, first determine the type of bread you want to bake, and then pay attention to the amount of gluten and bran you need for your bread. Use good quality and fresh flour so that your efforts are not wasted.
