Organic White Wheat Flour for Baguettes (Milanaise)

Our organic white wheat flour for baguettes is made by "La Milanaise" in Quebec from organic winter wheat specially selected by their millers. It is ideal for all types of artisan bread, whether hand-crafted or long-fermentation. This flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, so your dough can be rolled to maximum length without tearing or excessive elasticity.

This organic flour can be used to make: baguettes and breads.

What is malted barley and why is it added to flour?

• Malted barley is barley that has been sprouted and then dried. The malt is ground into a fine powder to create malted barley.
• Malted barley is added to flour to assist yeast fermentation. During the dough forming stage, malted barley provides specific enzyme activity that converts the starches in the flour into simple sugars. These sugars are very important as they provide a food source for the yeast to maintain proper fermentation activity.
• The quantity added is tiny, just to give the flour a little needed boost.

Why is there niacin (B3), iron, thiamin mononitrate (B1), riboflavin (B2) and folic acid added?

• If we were legally allowed, we would sell single ingredient white flour, however in Canada that is prohibited.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces mandatory enrichment of white flour with niacin (B3), iron, thiamin mononitrate (B1), riboflavin (B2) and folic acid.
• As per the CFIA regulations "All white flour sold in Canada for food use, whether for use in further manufacturing or for sale directly to the consumer, must be enriched.".
• Source: CFIA: Prohibition against the sale of unenriched white flour and products containing unenriched flour
• However, sifted flour is not concerned by this measure. This may be the best alternative if you want single ingredient flour.

What is the difference between bleached and unbleached flour?

• When flour is first milled, it has a yellowish cast that some consumers find unappealing. Within a few months of milling, however, these carotenoids, or pigments, in flour naturally whiten. Because it is expensive to naturally "age" flour, some producers expedite the process chemically.
• In "bleached" flours, benzoyl peroxide is most commonly used to fade the yellow color. Organic standards prohibit the use of chemicals so none of our organic flours are bleached.
• Cost is the only reason that pushes most commercial bakers to prefer bleached flours.

What is the difference between white and sifted flour?

• Before the grains are milled into flour, white flour has the bran and germ removed.
• Sifted white flour is milled whole just like whole brown flour. After milling it goes through a sifter that sifts out some of the bran. The result is a flour in between white and brown. It is healthier than white unbleached flour but still has a higher gluten content that whole flour making it a perfect balance for most bakery needs.

What is "La Milanaise"?

• Founded in 1977 in Milan, Quebec (Eastern Townships) by Robert and Lily Beauchemin it began as an organic farming venture. In 1982 they started expanding their stone-milled organic flour products by building their first dedicated milling building on the farm and never stopped expanding.
• With their latest factory built in 2016 in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (Montérégie) "La Milanaise" now has a 350 ton per day capacity, becoming the biggest organic milling company in the province.