Updated/Corrected 
Hello from Brazil!
I don't think there is another brazilian (or portuguese speacher) here.
I don't have much time now, so I'll be brief. Here in Brazil we don't have a great (hehe) variety of flours, so I can find only two kinds of flour in the supermarket (with yeast and without yeast). I have a six months old sourdough starter (made when I've been to Rio - Yesss!!!) and I've been made a loaf every three or four days. The last is shown below. I made this just before going to work (6:30 am). Sorry, the photos were took at evening, so the light didn't help.
I hope you forgive my English mistakes (you can correct me. hehe).
P.S: I have a doubt. (Here I'll correct the previous information about the protein percentage: the protein level is 10%. Sorry people!! I'd made a mistake reading the package's informations). So I can't understand the difference between "All purpose flour", "plain flour" and "bread flour" I've read here and around.
By.
Replies
Welcome!
Certainly a 7% protein flour is very soft - the bread flour I use (I'm in Australia) is 12.8% which would be quite common.
"All purpose flour" seems to be a description used in the US - here we just call it bread flour. There is a lot of variation of terminology used for flours around the world, so you are better relying on the protein content.
Despite the protein being so low, that's still a handsome loaf, with a nice looking crumb!
[quote=panfresca]
Welcome!
(...)
Despite the protein being so low, that's still a handsome loaf, with a nice looking crumb!
[/quote]
Thank you.
"handsome loaf" That's a funny expression for me (hehe).
Until I get at this point I had many troubles. The first was the foreign recipes (once we don't have good sources about sourdough in portuguese), which talk about prooving times, refreshing times and retarding times quite different from what worked for me in the end. Also I don't have many things most of bakers have, like a peel, a razor, semolina flour, but doing it like that I realized that anyone could make a quite good loaf with just flour, the hands and a knife. My oven is very simple too (hehe).
I've never come across flour with such low protein as yours. It sure hasn't stopped you producing a yummy-looking bread, anyway.
AP (all purpose) flour is a term used in the US for general purpose flour. The nearest equivalent we, in Australia, have to American AP flour is what we call 'plain flour', but AP and plain flour are not exactly the same. AP flour typically has a medium protein count, medium gluten and is made from a combination of 'hard' and 'soft' wheat flours. There are more varieties of flour available in the States than here in Australia, where our wheat varieties are all 'hard'. Harvesting seasons are also a factor. There is more to it than that, but they're the basics.
'Bread flour' or 'Baker's flour' is typically higher in protein and gluten than either AP or plain flour, but that's a generalisation. Despite the name, baker's or bread flour isn't always the best choice for bread. Plain and AP flour can both give you a softer crumb, and this is one of the reasons it's sometimes preferred.
Don't worry about your English. The purpose of language is to communicate and you do that perfectly.
[quote=Madame de Fleur]
I've never come across flour with such low protein as yours. It sure hasn't stopped you producing a yummy-looking bread, anyway.
(...)
Don't worry about your English. The purpose of language is to communicate and you do that perfectly.
[/quote
Thank you for the reply full of explanations. I'm feeling really welcome.
I always worry due the respect to the culture. But, Okay, I'll be more relaxed.
Hi Alexander, I write you from quito, where I live since 1989.....I also feel a bit as if I were the only homebaker of the country...tell me if you prefer spanish as language to use and let me tell you that in ecuador there is also very few options about flours, (rye flours or other "exotic" ones are almost impossible to find and just get when some parents come from Italy, my origin country, to visit us)..People here don't usually eat good bread and dont seem to care about the bad quality of the one they find in "panaderias"....a pitty! I've been baking with selfmade sourdough starter during the last 3 years at least 2 times a week and would not change it for nothing, feel free to ask about any doubt you have. Un saludo desde Ecuador.Paolo
Please forgive me for reply so late. I've been having very busy days.
It's good to have such a warm comment from Equator. In Brazil we are always in debit with our latin american brothers, because very few people speak spanish. In speaking language we usually try a "portunhol" (like a português + espanhol) with success, but in written language it would be a disaster. So I prefer English.
What protein percentage flour do you have in Quito? And... Do you prefere a very sour loaf?
My wife prefers almost no sour loaf, so I always have to decrease my fridge temperature to proof.
Um abraço.
Hello, It happens that I´m from Brazil too, but I´m far away from you (Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre). I have the same problem with bad flour, and honestly, I´ve never had success to bake a good sourdough bread, so, your´s is fine. Congrats, keep going. See ya.
Welcome and thanks for sharing your beautiful bread photo. It looks like a tasty loaf. I'm in Colorado, USA. We have lots of different flour from which to choose here in the city. It can be dazzling.
Welcome and thanks for sharing your beautiful bread photo. It looks like a tasty loaf. I'm in Colorado, USA. We have lots of different flour from which to choose here in the city. It can be dazzling.
Your bread looks very good!
I am originally from Brazil too but now living in the UK. I actually do not visit this site very often but seeing your message I felt compelled to reply :)
I have been baking sourdoughs since a couple of months and here one can easily find all kinds of flour (plain, strong, white or wholemeal, kamut, rye, etc, etc), many options for trying new breads! As I might be returning to Brazil soon I have thought about how to overcome the difficulties of finding high protein flours. I have asked myself if one can get some information from bakers, do you think the people that work at padarias have some other source for flours?:) I also wonder if one could strengthen the flour by adding gluten. I think it should be fairly easy to find that, particularly in "health" stores; should not be that difficult in state capitals such as RJ or POA (I am originally from Florianopolis by the way!).
Some more discussions on using gluten to strengthen flour here:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10519/bread-flour-vs-wheat-gluten
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/9706/don039t-have-high-gluten-flour-can-i-just-add-vital-wheat-gluten-instead
Cheers.
Olá Alexander, estou começando a estudar Sourdough e gostaria de saber se posso contar com sua ajuda tirando dúvidas.
Sorry for reply so late. I hope all of you be in this forum yet. hehe
It's good to find brazilians living arround the world and other people interesting in help or only to know about baking sourdough in Brazil or at similar conditions.
I'm afraid my english is even worse now, because I´m not practicing at all. Hope you'll excuse.
Dúnia, I think I can help you. According to my little (but succesfully) experience You don't need special flours or special nothing. hehe In this pictures you can see one that's not among my best loafs. I hope in this evening I'll post other photos and you'll see what good loafs you can bake at "brazilian contitions";
Cayo, Thank you. I want to see your breads. Post pics;
Art8, Hy. You're a lucky man 'cause you live in such a fascinating land. I love to hear the british accent. Hope to get there. hehe
No. I don't think You'll get good tips from comercial bakers here in Brazil. They usually put lots of "chemistry" on making bread. I mean artificial thing that I don't know how to write in english, but You know what I mean;
Alex Vasco, (In portuguese as the question was) Ok, meu chapa. Não precisa gastar muito tempo pesquisando. No que eu puder ajudar eu dou as dicas. Não desista.
For all,
A long time has passed since I posted this at the beginning.
Through this time I've learned a lot. In Brazil the timings and other things are different from what We find around the web.
We could open a good dicussion.
Keep trying.
Olá Alexander, você encontra sim farinha de trigo brasileira com teor de 10% de proteína. São as farinhas da marca "Bunge Pro" especial para Pizza , "Bunge Pro" especial para pastel e "Bunge Pro" especial para salgados. Ambas três possuem teor de 10% de proteína e são vendidas em sacos de cinco kilogramas.Você as encontra em atacadistas ,tipo Makro, Max ,enfim entre no google que Você vai encontrar onde comprar.
Hello Alexander , you find yes Brazilian wheat flour with 10% content of protein. Flours are "brand Bunge Pro" Special Pizza, "Bunge Pro" special pastel and "Bunge Pro" special snacks. Both have three level of 10% protein and are sold in bags of five kilogramas.Você find them on wholesalers, like Makro, Max finally from google that you will find where to buy. (google translator)
This is one of my last loafs.
What about this oven spring!
It taste was terrific.
10% protein is Ok. In Australia I use 11-12%.
Here, flour is called "weak" (6-8%) or "strong" (11-14%)based on the gluten levels. Bread and Pizza flour is strong. Cake flour is weak. "Plain Flour" is a compromise between weak and strong. It is OK for bread, but may need more folding and kneading. Sometimes a small amount of cooked & mashed potato can help, too.
100% Gluten is also available as "Gluten Flour" (sometimes called Vital Wheat Gluten), and you can add a small amount (3-6%) to make weaker flour strong. It is available here at organic food stores, or baker's supply stores. Here is some detail, https://www.organicbuyersgroup.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_i....
You might be ask a local bakery to sell some bread flour. But you seem to be making lovely bread with the flour you have.