Atta (food)
Atta ( Hindi आट्टा , Urdu آٹا) is a wholemeal wheat flour that is used in Indian cuisine in South Asia , especially in India , Pakistan and Bangladesh , for making flatbreads such as chapati , naan or paratha . Atta is usually made from gluten-rich durum wheat and is characterized by a yellow to light brown color and a very elastic dough when processed.
properties
Atta is made from durum wheat, which has a relatively high protein content of around 9 to 12 percent. The wheat protein gluten is responsible for the fact that a particularly elastic dough can be prepared from the flour, which can be rolled out very thinly and is therefore ideal for making flatbread. The proportion of broken starch granules in Atta is up to three times higher than with conventional flour thanks to the use of durum wheat and the coarse grinding method, which makes it more absorbent for water and the dough consequently more sticky and elastic. Furthermore, Atta has a moisture content between 8 and 11 percent and a raw ash content of 1 to 2 percent. Atta is differentiated from the finer, lighter maida .
Manufacturing
Traditionally, Atta is made by hand with the help of a small stone mill from whole wheat grains, i.e. with fruit and seed peel and seedling, and is therefore originally a pure wholemeal flour. The relatively high heat generated by this grinding process gives the flour a characteristically sweet aroma.
literature
- Aashitosh Inamdar: Indian Atta (whole wheat flour) industry: history and recent trends. In: Agro Food Industry Hi Tech, 25 (1), September 2015, pp. 66-69