Thanks for your note Ed:
>... so-called "clear" flour is, well... not clear, but simply ordinary ol'
>whole wheat flour that has been sifted, most of the (brown) bran removed
>(the somewhat bitter part).
Clear flour is made up of a selection of the individual flour streams that
are left after the production of patent flour (extra white, low-ash flour).
Clear flour is relatively high-ash (approximately 0.75-0.80%) with a
protein content of 13-15%% when milled from a hard winter-spring wheat blend.
It is this flour that is used for breads such as NY Deli Rye. And that I am
having a hard time sourcing in the UK.
Although you are sifting out the larger bran particles, I doubt that your
sifted whole wheat flour is the same as clear flour. This would be because
the composition of your flour after it's been sifted would differ from
clear flour in that the patent flour hasn't also been removed.
But I am an amateur and am theorising. Perhaps one of the professionals on
the list will see this and send a well articulated response....
Regards
Steven Leof