Why we Artificially Bleach Our Flour

Flour, it seems, will bleach out without chemicals-if time and air are provided. Time, however, is money. So instead, it's bleached with chemicals. Why? Well, it looks nicer. White has such a clean look. The natural xanthophyllis in wheat, a carotenoid pigment that's also found is onions and potatoes, is so...so yellowish. Nowadays, it is the appearance that we care about. Originally, the naturally whitened wheat of the past meant that the flour was properly aged, strengthening the gluten proteins effect and making the dough stronger and more elastic.

But it all takes time, and the results are not always consistent. No doubt there are ways the consistency could have been assured, but it was much quicker and easier to simply bleach the flour. That also quickened the maturing process. It seemed to be a win/win situation, until it was found that the potassium bromate used in the process causes cancer in lab animals. Canada and Europe no longer use it. The United States still does.

Benzoyl peroxide is most often used for bleaching. Chlorine dioxide is used mainly in cake flour.

Does bleached flour have any special qualities? Well, cake flour is generally considered to make a fluffier product because of the bleaching with chloride, but some bakers feel that the difference can be made up by thoroughly sifting regular flour a number of times. The egg yolks used, however, are basically the cause of the color difference between a white cake and a yellow cake. A lot of the difference seems to depend on where your priorities are, natural or virgin white.

Bleaching compromises some of the nutrients in flour. It is often "enriched" by the placement of artificial nutrients. Forced bleaching seems to be more something we're used to, rather than anything that we would particularly choose to use. The promise of "enriched" flour convinced our parents of the superiority of the product. Nowadays, science provides us with much more information. We can make better choices.

Whole-wheat flour, too, can be misleading. The term "100% whole wheat" can mean that there is whole wheat being used-not necessarily that it is all whole-wheat. True whole grains contain the three original elements. They still have the outer shell, or bran (containing fiber and B vitamins,) the germ (which contains phytochemicals and B vitamins,) and the endosperm (with its protein and carbs.)

"Made with" doesn't mean that the entire product is made with the whole wheat.

Nowadays, people are trying to eat healthier. It's sometimes discouraging to have so many things misrepresented. Legally, I'm sure the products are well within the proper definitions, but misleading they remain. We're fortunate to have so many informative, watchdog groups to help us find our way through the labyrinth of the clever word usage too many manufacturers use to confuse us. Still, it all does come down to our own choices, and to our persistence in learning what is good for our bodies, and what isn't. The information is out there, and more is being discovered every day. Today, Man is no longer the hunter and gatherer he once was. Or maybe he still should be. Only, now, instead of hunting for our meat, and growing our grain and veggies, we need to hunt information and grow in true nutritional knowledge.