Debbie, I use bread flour for my bread partly because it's easy for me to
find and I can buy it in 10 lb. bags for $3.+ at a nearby restaurant supply
place (Smart & Final, for those who drive by them all the time). I still
supplement it with vital wheat gluten at 1 T. per cup of flour (because
it's here), but that's not necessary. I use it just like all-purpose flour
in bread baking .. no special recipes required. I THINK hi-gluten flour is
the same as what I'm using but ...
It so happens that I've been looking for an exact definition of hi-gluten
(vs. bread flour) lately, after reading bagel recipes based on info from
Izzy Cohen, a local, now-retired bagel hero. Nancy Silverton's bread book
says that he comes into her La Brea Bakery many Saturdays to make bagels
and that one week when he came in, he said, "no hi-gluten flour here today"
and turned around and left. Others have cited that as critical for bagels
as well.
MY question is: is "hi-gluten flour" the same as what I find labeled
"bread flour," which is at least a higher gluten flour than all-purpose. I
looked at the King Arthur site (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/) and, from
what I can tell, that's the case. Anyone know anything different?
TIA,
Katja
ahhh .. as I wrote this, Mura sent a note that hi-gluten flour IS bread
flour ... thanks! :)