Where the flour storage is limited and no heated warehouse, the space on the floor above the ovens can be used for flour storage. The heat from the ovens keeps the flour warm and insures a warm place to store flour. It is also warmed quickly if it is necessary to use the flour immediately. If the flour can be held for some time stored in such a manner it ages quickly. It is necessary, however, to be sure no flue gases come in contact with the flour, as these gases quickly destroy the gluten. The above method has been very successfully used in places where flour storage was limited and no means of heating the flour was available.
During the aging of flour there is a slight loss of moisture, which is utilized in two ways:
2. Part is used by the gluten in the aging process.
When water is added to aged flour in mixing dough, the loss in moisture is more than made up by the larger percentage of water it will absorb. Flour which is aged will on the average absorb 5 per cent. more water than flour which is freshly milled. The baking value of the flour is greatly increased by proper aging. The gluten is much more elastic and tough and makes a much better handling dough. The flour is whiter in color, the fermentation period is more easily handled, and it makes a much better loaf of bread in general.
Many bakers mix flour from different mills, thinking they receive a more uniform and better blend of flour, that when one flour is poor the other usually is good and helps it along. In reality the opposite is the case.
Every mill has its own separate system of bolting flour, so that they have the small particles of flour of the same uniform size. The sizes of flour particles from different mills will differ, consequently if these flours are blended, there will be flour particles of varying sizes. When mixed into dough, the smaller particles take up the water first and much faster than the larger particles, and fermentation begins immediately on the smaller particles. The larger particles require a longer time to take up the water, therefore the fermenting dough is not uniform—the dough from the larger particles being slower than that from the smaller particles. Thus, part of the dough will be “too old” and the remainder “too young.”