Rye flour

Throughout the history of mankind, rye bread has been one of the most important and main foods, it was consumed by everyone: from ordinary farmers to wealthy people. It is bread made from rye flour that most fully satisfies the body’s needs for nutrients, while it is easily digested, remaining as useful as possible, which makes it one of the best types of bread.

Rye is much more resistant to frost than wheat, which is what made it so widespread among our ancestors. Only from the second half of the 20th century, it was replaced by more obedient wheat, and after that people got used to the fact that bread should be exclusively wheat. Now, thanks to the efforts of breeders, rye has been replaced by the same frost-resistant wheat, from which baking is now mainly made.

Varieties of rye flour

Rye flour is divided into 3 main types: seeded, wholemeal, peeled. They differ from each other in the degree of grinding, as well as the concentration of bran in the finished product. You can easily determine the content of bran by its appearance: the less bran, the lighter it is. Regardless of the variety, it is mainly used for baking bread and other savory pastries. Varieties are divided into:

Peklevanny

This variety is bran-free, has a very fine grind, and is very good for creating baked goods that will have a uniform texture. But, unfortunately, this is one of the least useful varieties, because due to very fine grinding and long processing, very few useful substances are retained in it.

seeded

It is very similar to the previous one, it also does not contain impurities and bran, it has a pleasant aroma and cream color, baking from it contains a minimum amount of calories. It contains quite a few dietary fibers, but, nevertheless, their concentration is higher than in wheat flour.

Rough

The yield after grinding is approximately 90%. It is very nutritious, but contains a minimal amount of gluten, which makes it very important to mix this variety with wheat flour for baking. Baking from such flour will be very healthy, tasty and nutritious.

wholemeal

This type has the most coarse type of grinding, it uses grains that have not been cleaned, as a result, all 100% of the grains turn into flour. It is this variety that contains the highest concentration of bran, and it is also recommended to mix it with wheat to create pastries. Despite the clearly coarse grinding, it is this type that is the most useful. For comparison, it contains three times more nutrients than premium wheat flour, a high concentration of fiber and vitamins. Such rye flour has a pronounced dark gray color, like baking from it.

It is this variety that is suitable to help the body cope with constipation, lower blood cholesterol levels and improve the condition of blood vessels, avoiding atherosclerosis. Despite the fact that baking from this variety is quite rough, it is the presence of fiber and solid particles that helps to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Composition of rye flour

The lysine contained in the flour is necessary for our body in order to ensure a normal metabolism. By itself, rye flour is considered one of the best sources of complex carbohydrates in the world.

It contains many minerals and elements that our body needs to maintain normal activity. In particular, these are:

• calcium, necessary for teeth and bones;
• potassium, which maintains the nervous system in a normal state;
• magnesium and iron, whose task is to maintain a normal system for creating new blood cells;
• phosphorus, which is necessary for mental activity, supports bones and cartilage.

All these substances are contained not only in rye flour, but also in products from it, as well as B vitamins and vitamin E. Vitamin B1 contained in it is designed to maintain normal metabolism and improve the condition of the nervous system. Vitamin B2 is indispensable for the normal functioning of the reproductive system, the good condition of the thyroid gland, and vitamin B9 is responsible for cell renewal and the creation of new blood cells, which prevents anemia.

In addition, rye flour contains much more protein and a higher concentration of vitamins than its wheat counterpart. But despite this, it is still not very popular due to the laborious process of creating beautiful and tasty pastries.

The benefits of rye flour

Rye, like the flour obtained from it, may well be used not only for culinary purposes, but also for medicinal purposes. The substances contained in it help to remove toxins and metal salts from the body, thereby improving the human condition and helping the body fight many diseases. With regular use, rye flour stimulates the immune system, increases the body’s ability to resist disease, normalizes the hormonal system and improves the quality of antibody production.

One of the clear advantages of rye flour is the fact that if you choose whole grain varieties, the dough made from it is able to rise when using ordinary sourdough, without yeast. In addition, brown flour gives a very special taste to baked goods, while having a very low calorie content and is ideal for a healthy diet. A wide range of essential amino acids, that is, amino acids that our body cannot produce and must be obtained from outside, makes rye flour products an ideal candidate for inclusion in the menu of diabetics.

Due to its absorbent function, rye flour, getting into the intestines, is able to cleanse its walls and helps the body remove excess substances. As a result, the condition of the intestine improves, immunity increases.

Rye flour baking will be very useful for those people who live in areas where there is little sunlight. In addition, it is very useful for those suffering from anemia or those people who have a clearly disturbed metabolism. However, if you suffer from high stomach acid or ulcers, it is best to avoid rye flour products.

Harm and contraindications

When using rye flour products, be sure to keep in mind that it can stimulate gas formation in the intestines. So, if for some reason the body is prone to flatulence, such people should avoid eating rye flour on an ongoing basis. In addition, it is not recommended to include it in the diet of people who have recently undergone surgery. Refuse it also during an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or with gluten intolerance.

Cooking application

Dough made with only rye flour will not be as elastic as its wheat counterpart. This is due to the fact that it cannot form gluten, unlike wheat. But it contains enzymes, whose task is the breakdown of starch. It is on this substance that depends on what kind of baking is ultimately obtained and what the finished dough will be like.

A wide range of pastries is prepared from it, ranging from ordinary bread to pancakes or gingerbread. For a very long time, our ancestors used rye flour to create Russian kvass, making sourdough on rye flour. Its low calorie content and high concentration of nutrients make it an indispensable dietary product.

Rye flour, in comparison with wheat flour, has a darker color, respectively, products made from rye will be darker. Baking from rye flour has one significant advantage: it is stored much longer than wheat flour. True, it has one unpleasant feature: it contains very little gluten, and it depends on it how fluffy the pastries will be, how elastic and beautiful the dough will be. Thus, rye flour usually produces products that do not have beautiful porosity and softness. To fix this, baking is usually made from a mixture of rye and wheat, then a healthy product is obtained, while being beautiful and soft.

Product storage

Like any other bulk product, it must be stored in a tightly closed container, in a dark and cool room. In no case should it be placed next to spices or other products that have a strong smell, as it tends to absorb odors very quickly.