The combination of flours make these cookies gluten free but also lend to their chewy texture.
Makes 18 240g plain flour 240g strong white flour 1¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1½ tsp baking powder 1½ tsp salt 280g unsalted butter, at room temperature 285g light brown sugar 225g caster sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 565g dark chocolate discs (at least 60% cacao content) Sea salt 1 Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
2 Combine the plain and wholemeal flours, caster sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Flours are also made from other starchy plant materials including barley, buckwheat, chickpeas, lima beans, oats, peanuts, potatoes, soybeans, rice, and rye.
The variations govern the baking qualities of flours, as is shown by the properties of doughs prepared from different kinds of wheat flours; i.e., the dough can be soft and extensible or tough and elastic, or have properties between the extremes.
Darker flours may have ash content of 0.7 to 0.8 percent or higher.
Strong flours are high in protein content, and their gluten has a pleasing elasticity; weak flours are low in protein, and their weak, flowy gluten produces a soft, flowy dough.
The softer type of wheat produces flour suitable for cakes, crackers, cookies, and pastries and household flours.
Most grains have similar dietary properties; they are rich in carbohydrates but comparatively low in protein and naturally deficient in calcium and vitamin A. Breads, especially those made with refined flours, are usually enriched in order to compensate for any nutritional deficiencies in the cereal used.
Soft wheats, containing approximately 8 12 percent protein, produce flours that are suitable for products requiring minimal structure, such as cakes, cookies (sweet biscuits), piecrusts, and crackers.
Of the thousands of varieties known, the most important are common wheat (Triticum aestivum), used to make bread; durum wheat (T. durum), used in making pasta (alimentary pastes) such as spaghetti and macaroni; and club wheat (T. compactum), a softer type, used for cake, crackers, cookies, pastries, and flours.
