Anonymous wrote:Re sourdough. How did people care for it before refrigeration, I wonder? And what I'd the difference between wholewheat and whole grain?
Sourdough fed daily (even every second day), does not need refrigeration. Refrigeration just lets one be a little more lazy. When bread is made daily, a little bit of dough saved from yesterdays bread just before "benching" works fine.
In North America "whole wheat flour" is AP (possibly bleached but hopefully not) with the proper amount of wheat bran added. "Whole grain" is ground in one operation and includes everything the grain came with, including the wheat germ which "whole wheat" flour does not have. I do not know if this holds the world over but it likely does.
Whole wheat flour is more shelf stable and holds it properties well over time. I am sure this is why the flour companies do things this way. Whole grain flour seems to have a range of age where it makes really nice bread and if chilled or frozen this range can be extended for a long time. Whole grain does spoil faster.
So whole wheat flour may be the best choice for long term cruising. Keeping a small amount of sourdough in one's tiny fridge may still make sense on a boat as it uses a lot less flour to keep alive (1/10th- ish). Well preserved white flour kills sourdough, I am not sure what that says for what it does to our health. Robin hood AP flour almost killed my sourdough the last time I used that, use UB instead if you must have white bread.
AP = All Purpose
UB = UnBleached (similar protein content to AP)
Protein in flour is determined by the species of wheat used. The protein in question is gluten, nature's polymer (epoxy?) that makes the bread rise.