Teamedup Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 After the fêtes the shops seem to be stocking up, even with new products and I have seen Francine Bread Flour in two different supermarkets this week. The multi cereal flour was 2,39 euros a bag and the plain white flour just over 2 euros. If I'm feeling flush one day, then I might give them a go. But there is such a price difference between these Francine Flours and my usual cheap and cheerful stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazan Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I've been using the white version of this Francine bread flour for a few weeks since my local LeClerc started stocking it. I mix it 50:50 with real UK organic wholemeal strong bread flour and the result is an excellent half-brown loaf that rises well and tastes fine.The Francine bread flour does contain flour improvers but it is real strong wheat flour, unlike the regular cheap French supermaket flour which is soft wheat flour for cakes/pastry, not bread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I've been using the white Francine bread flour and the multi cereal. Both give excellent results and I don't need to add gluten which I did with the complet flour from the local mill. So I save on that. Francine also make a de compagne version but our local shops don't stock it. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 10, 2005 Author Share Posted January 10, 2005 The thing is that I make bread by hand and it is really good as it is. I know that the cheap and cheerful flour shouldn't be for bread, but I really do make very very good bread with it. And I don't know how my bread could be 6 times better. And that would be the only way I could justify paying so much more. The most lavish thing I do is a 50/50 bread with Intermarche's own Farine Complet, but that flour is no where near the price of Francine's.I may try it and see what the verdict is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 French bread is all made from soft wheat, as was English bread until they started importing hard wheat from America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Re cost of Francine bread flourit's worth noting that the price is for 1.5kg, whereas supermarket flour is usually sold in 1kg bags.I buy Francine for my breadmaker and use it on a 50/50 basis with ordinary type 65 white flour.The mix gives me good results and as I cannot seem to make bread the old-fashioned way, at least it garantees something edible at the end of the process! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Extravagant rather than flush, I splashed out on both today. Noticed that they give the bread machine method on the packet as well as the normal one. And that the wheat was French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 15, 2005 Author Share Posted January 15, 2005 Clair, I only pay around 30 cents for my cheap and cheerful 1 kilo bags. There is a huge price difference.I have shown people how to make bread by hand for years and years now and always successfully. The problem I usually see is that people put far too much yeast in their bread. Sometimes it is inedible because of this, or is hard and simply awful.For 2lbs of flour I only use about a quarter of those cubes of fresh levure. For 3 lbs about a third of a cube and for up to 7 lbs of flour probably less than half a cube, don't measure, just go by eye I must say that I like my dough slightly claggy, sorry can't think of a better word, rather like slightly damp skin really,rather than feeling 'dry'.I leave the dough to rise slowly for a minimum of four hours, knead again and then shape and leave to rise for a further two or so hours until it has well doubled. It always works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millymollymandy Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 I make bread by hand and enjoy it. However I use the easy-bake instant yeast as I can't be bothered with proving the dough twice. I probably don't get as good a result but what I get is great and my husband loves it.I wouldn't bother with the Francine bread flours if I were you Teamed Up. If you get good results with the cheap flour then stay with it.I've made bread with both the 30c a kilo white Type 55 and regular complet flour, and with the bread flours. Not much difference in the result.I do buy the "Campagne" flour because it is more "brown" than complet flour, and also the Grainy mix one, because you can't buy flour with whole grains in it elsewhere (or else I haven't seen any). But I always add some of the cheapo flour to justify the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazan Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 I've made bread with both the 30c a kilo white Type 55 and regular complet flour, and with the bread flours. Not much difference in the result.I'm very surprised that anyone should say this. I find soft wheat flour to be totally different to hard wheat flour. It doesn't rise the same way and the taste is also very different: more like cake than bread. You can make bread with regular French supermarket flour but it isn't real bread, any more than pasta made with the same flour is real pasta. Pasta and bread both require hard wheat flour to have the right texture and taste.If you're happy with it then it's fine, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 All bread sold by French bakers is made with flour from soft wheat.It is just as real as bread made with hard wheat (which covers all bread available commercially in the UK, afaik); the difference is largely due to the lower gluten content.British bread was made with flour from soft wheat before American hard wheat was imported in quantity.Pasta isn't pasta if it's made with anything other than hard wheat flour, in Italy at least.Cheap French pasta used to be made with soft wheat; there was a test case going through the European courts to stop its export to Italy, rather like British chocolate; I don't know what the outcome was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 I once bought Type110 and did an essaie. I made two lots of bread one with type 55 and the other with the type 110. Both were made exactly the same. And they turned out exactly the same. One had slightly more flavour, so I was told, and I would agree marginally it had. The spare loaves all got frozen and really as I hadn't marked them, we couldn't tell which was which as we used them.When we lived in England I used to buy strong flour, but my bread if anything is better these days as I use less yeast.I am rather well known for my breadmaking around here. Friends love it. My bread isn't like cake, honest. I don't think that my french friends would like it if I let them eat cake......... LOL only she didn't say that did she! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazan Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 All bread sold by French bakers is made with flour from soft wheat.The French bakers I've spoken to around here all seem to know exactly what hard wheat flour is and most will sell it by the kilo if asked. They get it in big bags that must contain 40kg or more. I doubt that they would stock it if they didn't use it. They certainly don't make pasta so they can't stock it for that purpose.Your area may be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Hard wheat is blé dur, soft wheat is blé tendre, wheat approved for breadmaking is blé panifiable; there are no hard wheats on the approved list for blé panifiable.Very little hard wheat is grown in France, all of it in the south and extremely low yielding and therefore very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazan Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 I wonder why the local bakers I have spoken to have huge sacks of it? For sale by the kilo to the hordes of local Brits with breadmakers, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Today I made bread with your " cheap and cheerful" TU, 32 centimes from Champion, using half a cube of fresh yeast. It has turned out fine - well risen, close texture, soft, and a good flavour. The only thing I wonder is will it go dry quickly as we don't eat a lot of white bread. It's certainly completely different from the rocks sold in the bakeries. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 Try using even less yeast Patf, try it with only a third of a cube and leave it to rise longer the first time. I always put a tablespoon of olive oil per kilo of flour in my bread. I cut my loaves up into usuable pieces when it has cooled and freeze it. It defrosts like it is fresh again. That is the way I have always done it. Sometimes I give my friends loaves but they will leave it and they reckon it is fine in a day or two, but it does go harder that is for sure. Apart from sliced loaves, I find that most bread hardens after the first day and I like it really fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 22, 2005 Share Posted January 22, 2005 The multi-cereal stuff gave a lighter texture than the 30c/kg usual, with an faintly unpleasant hint of bicarbonate of soda and wet cardboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 22, 2005 Author Share Posted January 22, 2005 LOL Pucette that sounds like the bread I made with the wholewheat flour I bought from the local bio supplier, I never bought any more from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 Lol, now you tell me. Come harvest I'll buy some blé panifiable and see what that gives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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