September 13, 2022 - 9:02am
Flour cleanup
I'm new to bread baking, but am enjoying it greatly.
One question I have is about cleanup, which seems to be a common annoyance.
I've seen loads of stern warnings about putting flour down the drain, so I'm wondering how far this extends. Let's say I have a bowl with some dried bits of flour in it. Can I put water in the bowl, suspend the flour, and pour it down the sink, or put it in the dishwasher?
What are the limits of this before I plug up my drain?
Thanks for any advice.
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There can’t possibly be a generic answer because drains and flushing conditions could vary. In general… unless it’s jus a bit of dust, say less than a tablespoon, either compost it or put it in the bin. Plumbers cost more than the “convenience “ of flushing it down the drain is worth.
When we started making bread, it was just the same question. So we bought one of those screens that fits a sink drain. That was to catch flour we dumped or scraped into the sink. Turns out it also catches rice from dinner plates. But....the screen got clogged right away and was pretty hard to clean.
Playing around, we learned that water dissolves flour nicely. Lots of water.
So you're making your dough, dusting the countertop with flour and putzin' around. The dough is fine, but you've not only got powdered flour left over, you've also got hard, sticky flour stuck to the counter too.
Use a paper towel that's very wet. As you wipe around, you'll pick up almost all the flour. Then throw away the paper towel.
You can also use a bench scraper to gather up leftover flour and bits and toss them in the garbage.
A better idea is to use oil instead of flour when kneading on a surface. Pro bakers will use a "smear" of olive oil or some other healthy oil, so they don't poison anyone with fake oil. I just use canned spray oil, and I haven't died even once yet.
For cleaning out a mixing or working bowl with flour stuck all over it, just fill it with water and let it soak while you're finishing up other stuff. If you use a rougher scouring sponge with that green side, it'll clean everything and the flour is so dissolved, it'll go down the drain with no clogs.
If you still have stuck bits you can feel on your fingers, use Barkeeper's Friend to scour the bowl. It's non-abrasive and recommended by high-end manufacturers of nonstick cookware. A little sprinkle goes a long way on a damp sponge.
Finally: If you really and truly get messed up, and find that your drain is starting to run slower and slower, you can use Green Goblin toilet clog remover. It's entirely organic (uses enzymes), and won't hurt any of your pipes. I keep a gallon of the Main Line Opener, and use maybe 1 cup if I ever have a problem in a pipe, drain, bath, sink or shower.