German numbering ...
Question
Where I can find the equivalence between the German numbering system for flours and the Shipton Mill values?
Answer
The numbering of the flours will relate to the ash content or if you like the base colour of the flour in the rye flour range. We do a 997 ash and a 1370 ash, this being the darker of the two.
The french that we stock will be a 550. In the continental flours the ash content will affect the activity in the fermentation program and obviously the crumb colour of the loaf.
In this country we traditionally judge the quality of the flour by the protein content, which is given as a percentage. Most flours be between 10% or 12%, but they can vary from 8.5% to 14%. You can experiment with different strengths, then choose you flour which suits you fermentation program best.
Hope this helps
Happy Baking
Clive Mellum
Added by: tom