14% gluten flour

[dan f.]

My son bought me a 2-lb package of ``high-gluten'' flour in the Italian market in South Philly. The package says it is 14% gluten. My question: Is this significantly higher in gluten that the KABF or Gold Medal ``Best for Bread'' flour I customarily use? What is the % gluten content of KASL or the flour used commercially in pizza places? After looking through posts here and a bit of Googling, it seems as though this flour is at the high end of the bread flour spectrum, but it's still not as high as the professional grades. Just want to check in with the experts on where 14% gluten ranks on the scale. . . . Just reading the South Philly package label closely for the first time; it says it contains potassium bromate. OMG Well, since this may be my last post, I look forward to a quick response!

[pcampbell]

sounds like pretty standard high gluten pizza flour.  it will be a bit different than KABF i think. it can absorb a bit more water.

[Pete-zza]

Dan,

Technically, I believe you meant to say 14% protein. Most high-gluten flours, bromated or not, have a protein content of around 14-14.2%. The King Arthur Sir Lancelot high-gluten flour has a protein content of 14.2%. The King Arthur bread flour has a protein content of 12.7%. The Better for Bread flour from General Mills has a protein content of 12% +/- 0.3%. Professionals use just about all kinds of flours, from all-purpose to high-gluten, depending on the types of pizzas they make. For example, the most common flour for the NY street style as practiced in NYC is the All Trumps bromated high-gluten flour. That flour has a protein content of 14.2%.

Peter

[dan f.]

Thanks for the answers. And thanks, Peter, for correcting my confusion between gluten and protein. Now I know what to expect when I make pizza out of this flour.

[buceriasdon]

Dan, Gluten level is generally 80% of the listed protein content on the labeling.