Today we will talk about Manitoba flour, a flour with very particular properties: here is a brief presentation!
It is a flour that is increasingly easy to find in almost all supermarkets and that you will surely have seen on the shelves among the other typical best-selling flours. It is a perfect flour for various preparations, both sweet, pandoro, panettone and colomba, but also savory, such as pizzas or other doughs such as the French baguette characterized by a long leavening. Manitoba flour is also used in the preparation of seitan burgers so loved by vegetarians and vegans. It is a super-flour, with a thousand characteristics and infinite possible uses.
The term Manitoba derives from the origin of this flour, dating back to the Canadian lands. Specifically, this flour was originally produced in the Manitoba region, from soft wheat (Triticum aestivum), a relatively common wheat.
In reality, although the name derives from the region, Manitoba flours are now also produced outside Canada, and the name is not in itself a registered trademark (unlike other flours totally attributable to the place of production, such as flour Kamut). Nowadays we tend to call any “strong” flour 'Manitoba flour'.
The Manitoba region is particularly cold and the wheat grown in this land is particularly resistant. In fact, it is able to withstand very well the lowest temperatures, thanks also to the high protein content (percentage that can reach 18%) and thanks to gluten, another element in which this flour is rich. This particular resistance also acts as a defense mechanism for the plant, allowing for more aggressive spread. Furthermore, it is a flour capable of absorbing large quantities of water (reaching 80% of its weight). This wide range of characteristics are what make this flour perfect for many preparations and processes. Also for this reason it is still a more expensive flour than normal, but it seems to be worth it.
As mentioned previously, this flour has a high percentage of glutenin and gliadin in it. The large gluten charge is perfect for activating the optimal leavening of a very large amount of dough. In short, Manitoba flour allows the preparation of a high, spongy and well-alveolated dough.
The richness of this dough when it comes to gluten is an advantage for leavening purposes, but it could be bad news for what concerns the health of this flour. It is always a very treated flour, sold in 00 variant, easy to digest but with an exorbitant glycemic index.
As mentioned previously, Manitoba flour is referred to as a "strong" flour, since it falls into that category of flours which, being rich in gluten, absorb more water, retaining more carbon dioxide. The dough obtained from this flour is elastic, resistant and tough. A strong flour is also very resistant to leavening and allows the preparation of a dough with a large alveolation. This is why it is used for products such as pandoro or panettone which would be impossible to prepare with a weak flour, due to their poor resistance to the alveolation process during leavening. It is not recommended to use Manitoba flour for any preparation, however. , it should in fact be used only when necessary. First of all because if the dough does not require a long leavening, it would probably be better to use simple instant yeast and a weaker flour.Manitoba flour can instead be a valid aid in the preparation of pizza and long leavening bread. Another reason why it is not recommended to exceed in the use of this flour is the considerable load of gluten and the exorbitant glycemic index. For those who want to stay low on the glycemic index it would be better to prefer whole-grain products, resorting more often to gluten-free flours and cereals or in any case weaker flours.
Proteins, as we have already mentioned, are the most important characteristic among the many of this flour. In the typical flour you can find 10% if not less, while the Manitoba flour provides up to 15% of proteins, a very high quantity. For example, pasta made with Manitoba flour would always be al dente, thanks to the high quantity of gluten, capable of retaining starch, however, the pasta on the market here in Italy can only be produced with Triticum durum, i.e. durum wheat, and not with Triticum aestivum, the common wheat. Manitoba therefore, deriving from soft wheat, is not used for the production of pasta. As for carbohydrates, the value tends to decrease in Manitoba flour compared to that found in the most used flours. This is always due to the large presence of proteins. The difference between the quantities of carbohydrates, however, is not particularly thick, in fact normal and Manitoba flour differ by a simple 3%. The fats amount to about 1,5%, and are contained only in the wheat germ, while the fiber amounts to about 3%, a percentage identical to that in zero flours.
In general, like any very refined flour, it is a product to be taken alternately with more wholemeal flours, we recommend the use of Manitoba if you are interested in producing long-leavened doughs with a large alveolation.
