Atta flour
Encyclopedia
Atta is the Hindi word for oven, and flour is the main ingredient of most varieties of Indian
, Bangladeshi and Pakistan
i bread
. Atta generally refers to the oven used in cooking the bread. Flatbreads made from atta, such as chapati
, roti
, naan
and puri
, are an integral part of Indian cuisine
. Most atta is milled from the semi-hard wheat varieties that comprise 90% of the Indian wheat crop. Durum atta is the correct term for hard wheat flour, but chapati mixes (made from a combination of maida and atta) such as Golden Temple are sometimes labeled "durum atta".
Hard wheats have a high content of gluten
(a protein
composite that gives elasticity), so doughs made out of atta flour are strong and can be rolled out very thin.
Traditionally, atta is made by stone grinding, a process that imparts a characteristic aroma and taste to the bread. High bran
content of true wholemeal atta makes it a fiber
-rich food. This may help to regulate blood sugar as well have other health benefits. The temperatures attained in a chakki (mill or grinder, traditionally from stone)http://www.indianindustry.com/foodprocessing/9520.htmlhttp://www.alibaba.com/showroom/Flour_Mill_Machines.html, produced by friction, are of the order of 110-125 deg C. At such high temperatures, the carotene
s present in the bran
tend to exude the characteristic roasty smell, and contribute to the sweetness of the atta.
The various quality control parameters for the atta industry are Ash Content
, Moisture
Content, Acid Insoluble Ash, Water Absorption, Alcoholic Acidity, Granulation Profile, Damaged Starch
and Gluten
Contents.
Indian bread
Indian breads are a wide variety of flatbreads and crêpes which are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Their variation reflects the diversity of Indian culture and food habits....
, Bangladeshi and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
. Atta generally refers to the oven used in cooking the bread. Flatbreads made from atta, such as chapati
Chapati
Chapati or Chapatti or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. Versions of it are found in Turkmenistan and in East African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania...
, roti
Roti
Roti is generally a South Asian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also consumed in parts of the Southern Caribbean, particularly in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and...
, naan
Naan
Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is typical of and popular in South and Central Asia, in Iran, and in South Asian restaurants abroad. Influenced by the large influx of South Asian labour, naan has also become popular in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states.Originally, naan is a...
and puri
Puri (food)
Puri ,Hindi पूरी , Urdu: بوری, Tamil பூரி , Kannada ಪೂರಿ , Oriya ପୁରି, is an unleavened Indian bread, commonly consumed in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries of South Asia. It is eaten for breakfast or as a snack or light meal.Puri is most commonly served at breakfast...
, are an integral part of Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
. Most atta is milled from the semi-hard wheat varieties that comprise 90% of the Indian wheat crop. Durum atta is the correct term for hard wheat flour, but chapati mixes (made from a combination of maida and atta) such as Golden Temple are sometimes labeled "durum atta".
Hard wheats have a high content of gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
(a protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
composite that gives elasticity), so doughs made out of atta flour are strong and can be rolled out very thin.
Preparation
Atta is obtained from grinding complete wheat grains. It is creamy brown in color and quite coarse compared to other types of flour. Since nothing is removed from true wholemeal atta, all the constituents of the wheat grain are preserved. Atta available in market varies in its fiber content from very low to whole of natural fiber in wheat, around 12%.Traditionally, atta is made by stone grinding, a process that imparts a characteristic aroma and taste to the bread. High bran
Bran
Bran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
content of true wholemeal atta makes it a fiber
Fiber
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....
-rich food. This may help to regulate blood sugar as well have other health benefits. The temperatures attained in a chakki (mill or grinder, traditionally from stone)http://www.indianindustry.com/foodprocessing/9520.htmlhttp://www.alibaba.com/showroom/Flour_Mill_Machines.html, produced by friction, are of the order of 110-125 deg C. At such high temperatures, the carotene
Carotene
The term carotene is used for several related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but cannot be made by animals. Carotene is an orange photosynthetic pigment important for photosynthesis. Carotenes are all coloured to the human eye...
s present in the bran
Bran
Bran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
tend to exude the characteristic roasty smell, and contribute to the sweetness of the atta.
The various quality control parameters for the atta industry are Ash Content
Ash (analytical chemistry)
In analytical chemistry, ashing is the process of mineralization for preconcentration of trace substances prior to chemical analysis. Ash is the name given to all non-aqueous residue that remains after a sample is burned, and consist mostly of metal oxides....
, Moisture
Moisture
Humidity is the amount of moisture the air can hold before it rains. Moisture refers to the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts...
Content, Acid Insoluble Ash, Water Absorption, Alcoholic Acidity, Granulation Profile, Damaged Starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
and Gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
Contents.