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Wondra Flour


Priscilla

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Can anyone tell me what are the characteristics of Wondra or what else might be called Instant Flour?

http://www.ochef.com/21.htm

What Are Instant Flour & Wondra?

I have come across recipes listing instant flour and Wondra flour. What are these, and can I replicate them?

Instant flour is a low-protein, pregelatinized wheat flour to which some malted barley flour has been added. It has been formulated to dissolve quickly in either hot or cold liquids, and is most often called for to thicken gravies and sauces.

Because of its low-protein content, it is also sometimes used in making pie crusts and other recipes that call for cake flour, which is also lower in protein than all-purpose flour. Some bakers find the slightly acidic taste of cake flour objectionable and prefer the instant flour. The leading brand available in this country is Wondra.

If instant flour is hard to find where you live, you can substitute all-purpose or cake flour. But you want to recognize what the recipe writer is trying to accomplish in calling for instant flour. If the flour is used to thicken a sauce, you can certainly use all-purpose flour, but you may have to take added precautions to avoid the development of lumps in the sauce (i.e., stir like mad). If the instant flour is used in a baking project and is called for in a relatively large quantity, it is probably specified because of its protein content, and your best option would be cake or pastry flour

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  • 6 months later...

I was watching some cooking demos on the Food and Wine website. Two chef (Batali and another famous one I can't remember) swore by Wondra flour for coating meat before sauteing.

I'm been using a lot for fish fillets and it's great. Thin and crisp.

Why does it work so well for this? Is it just because it's milled finer and therefore sticks well and coats evenly?

How commonly is this used? I had never run across it before, a friend with more cooking experience than me said it was common in professional kitchens.

Todd A. Price aka "TAPrice"

Homepage and writings; A Frolic of My Own (personal blog)

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  • 4 years later...

I'm so glad you picked up on this old thread. Had forgotten all about Wondra. I think I even had some prejudice against it...don't know why. But after reading this whole thread, I'm adding it to shopping list for the next trip. I have fish a couple of times a week, usually sautéed, so can't wait to try it for the dusting.

Thanks!

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I think it used to be far more common in home kitchens than it is today. Especially in the US South, a place where folks were very fond of frying up a mess o' catfish, or trout, or snapper, or other just-caught seafood. And were also very fond of serving gravy at every meal - made with the drippings of whatever they had just fried. I know it was always in my grandmother's, auntie's, etc., pantry, and there were several brands available at the markets.

You don't see it so much any more. Of course, you don't see folks going fishing and coming home and getting out the cast-iron skillet to fry up what they caught so much any more, either.

And gravy has become a dirty word.

Even Southerners don't make it so much any more.

And if they do, they don't like to fess up about it.

:blush:

.

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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