German Flours

German Flours

German Type 405 Flour

Unlike other Western countries, where anything other than a wheat flour is a "novelty" or "health" flour, Germany still has a second flour in common use: Rye Flour.

The two types of flour most commonly used for bread in Germany are wheat flour Type 1050 and rye flour Type 1180.

In Germany, grading flour by ash content has been in effect since 1934.

The grading system was revised and updated in 1992 into what is now called the DIN standard 10355 (DIN stands for Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. -- German Institute for Standardisation).

The German grading system is also used in Switzerland.

German Wheat Flours
Wheat flour is called "Weizenmehl" in German.

Flour type	Ash content	Extraction Rate	Protein
Type 405	.405%	50%
Type 480	.48%		11%
Type 550	.50 to .58%	72%
Type 700	.70%		11%
Type 812	.64 to .89%	80%
Type 1050	1.050 %
Type 1600	1.6%
Type 1700	1.7%

Flours in the .4% ash content range are usually for households; flours in the .5 to .7 range are usually for small bakeries.

Type 405
This is a very fine flour similar to our cake flour. It can be used for sauces and baked goods. It is the most popular household flour in Germany.

Type 550
This flour is good for baked products leavened with yeast. It is a little finer than our all-purpose or plain flour. It is used for white bread.

Type 812
This flour is used for light-coloured breads made of wheat and rye flour.

Type 1050
This flour is darker than our unbleached flour. It is used for darker-coloured breads made of wheat and rye flour made at home.

Type 1600
This flour is used for darker-coloured mixed wheat and rye breads.

Full Grain
This has no type number assigned to it. The full, complete grain is used in making the flour.

German Rye Flours

These are called "Roggenmehl" in German. The higher the number, the darker the rye flour.

Flour type	Ash content	Protein	Notes
Type 815	.815%		very light, good for very light rye breads. Used in Southern Germany and Austria.
Type 960	.85 % - .96 %	8%	Light rye flour
Type 997	.997 to 1.09% ash		Good for sourdough breads
Type 1150	1.15% ash
Type 1180	1.18% ash
Type 1370	1.37% ash		Dark rye, good for sourdough breads
Type 1740	1.74% ash		pure dark rye
Type 1800	1.70 to 2.10%		coarsely ground

German Spelt Flour
This is called "Dinkelmehl" in German.

Flour type	Ash content
Type 630	< .70%
Type 812	.71% to .90%
Type 1050	.91% to 1.20%

Cooking Tips
German flours, even the Type 405 which is the closest equivalent to Cake Flour, generally have a minimum of 10% protein. Consequently, it is very hard to make a cake or pastry recipe written for English speakers with German flour, as the protein content is too high.

Language Notes
Roughage in German is "Ballaststoffe". The Germans refer to ash content (which would be "Aschegehalt des Mehls") as "Mineralstoffgehalt" (mineral content).

Also called: Deutsche Mehl, Dinkelmehl, Roggenmehl, Weizenmehl (German)