Newly popular flour white AND healthy

Food processors are selling more of a newly popular flour that merges whole-wheat health benefits with the color, taste and texture of white bread.

The secret: white wheat, a grain that can be milled to resemble pancake-friendly all-purpose flour but is as healthy as traditional whole wheat.

Though white wheat has been available for years, it's recently garnered serious attention thanks to new government dietary guidelines urging Americans to eat at least three servings a day of whole grains.

Focaccia with an Inlay of Pressed Herbs

This is a great recipe and can be expanded to be used in restaurants and bakeries

It's easy to double this recipe if you want to make more than one loaf. The bake is quick, so you can let the second loaf sit and wait its turn while the first is in the oven. This flatbread can be split and used for sandwiches or enjoyed on its own.

Yields one 10 x 6-inch flatbread.

5-1/3 oz. (1 cup plus 3 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour
5-1/3 oz. (1 cup plus 3 Tbs.) durum flour, also called extra-fancy pasta flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast (such as Red Star's QuickRise, Fleischmann's Bread Machine Yeast or Rapid Rise, or Saf Instant)
1 cup lukewarm water1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for topping the loaf
1 tsp. saltA mix of herb leaves, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, flat-leaf parsley, summer savory, oregano, and chives
(about 1 cup, loosely packed)Coarse salt

Combine the flours and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and oil; mix with your fingers just until combined smoothly. The dough will be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. After this rest (called an autolyse), mix in the salt.

Knead on an unfloured work surface. To knead, squeeze the dough vigorously between the thumbs and index fingers of both hands. Move along the length of the dough, squeezing hard enough to make holes where your thumbs and fingers meet. The dough will be sticky, but don't add flour -- use a dough scraper instead. Flip and repeat, squeezing along its length. Continue squeezing and flipping for 5 to 10 more minutes. Ideally the dough will come together and feel smooth, but if it's still sticky, don't worry -- the texture will improve during fermentation. Transfer to an unoiled bowl and cover with plastic.

After 30 minutes, lightly flour the dough's top and the work surface and then turn the dough out of the bowl. Gently spread the dough to flatten it but not to completely deflate it. Fold the dough into a tight square package, folding top down, side over, bottom up, and side over as you'd fold a handkerchief. Return it to the rising bowl, covered with plastic, for 30 minutes. Repeat this flattening, flouring, and folding. Let the dough ferment for 2 to 3 more hours, until doubled in volume and full of large bubbles. It should spring back when you press it.

Pull the dough out of the bowl, flour it well, and tuck the edges in to make a smooth package. Don't pop the bubbles, but do tighten. Flour, cover with plastic, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Flour your hands before shaping the dough. Press it into a 10x6-inch rectangle that's about 1 inch thick. Flour the dough again.

With floured hands, gently press and stretch the dough into a 10x6-inch rectangle that's a scant inch thick. Transfer to a sheet of floured parchment. Flour the dough again.

With a slender, floured rolling pin, roll out one-quarter of the long side of the dough, making a thin flap to cover the thicker, unrolled portion of the dough when folded over. Press with the rolling pin where the thin sheet joins the dough to make a sharp demarcation. If needed, use more flour to keep the dough from sticking. Moisten the thick half of the dough with water. Dip the herb leaves in water (shake off excess droplets) and arrange them on the thick portion of the dough. It's okay to crowd the leaves a little (they'll spread a bit after rolling), but don't overlap them. Fold over the thin sheet of dough to cover the herb leaves completely. Tuck the edges under and pat gently to push out any air bubbles. Starting from the short end, roll lightly with a floured rolling pin until the herbs come into sharp relief but have not popped through and the trapped air is expelled. Be gentle during rolling, even though you'll end up deflating the dough, and aim for an even shape.

Sprinkle flour on the dough and cover with plastic. Let proof until thicker and puffy, about 2 hours. To test, press the dough: the indentation should fill in slowly. An hour before the end of the proof, put a baking stone in the top third of the oven; heat the oven to 450°F.
When the dough is ready for the oven, brush off the flour and smear a thin layer of olive oil over the surface.

When the dough is fully proofed, brush off the flour with a dry pastry brush and then smear with a thin layer of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). Dimple the loaf all over with your fingers, poking in between the herb leaves, pushing down to the bottom of the dough without breaking through. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Transfer the parchment and dough to the hot baking stone. Bake the dough on the parchment until deep golden all over, about 15 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes. The parchment will darken in the oven, but it won't catch fire. Transfer the bread to a rack and enjoy soon: it's best still warm.

National Uniformity legislation passes House vote

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4167, the National Uniformity Food Act, by a vote of 283 to 139, moving this much desired piece of legislation one step closer to law. The legislation benefits the baking industry by establishing a single standard for food safety regulations, eliminating varied state regulations that often pose problems for food manufacturers.

"This legislation recognizes that it makes no sense to have different states adopting different regulatory requirements for identical food products," said Robb MacKie, American Bakers Association's president and chief executive officer. "H.R. 4167 will provide consumers with a single set of consistent, science-based food safety regulations in all 50 states."

The food industry strongly has backed this legislation because it requires state and federal food safety laws to be substantially the same, preventing states from putting various warning labels on products that are not required at the federal level.

"Uniformity is already the standard for many food regulations-from nutrition labeling to meat and poultry requirements," said Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce's executive vice president for government affairs. "[this bill] Strikes an appropriate balance between national and state interests and ensures that consumers receive consistent information about the foods they buy."

The National Uniformity Food Act now moves to the Senate, where various industry organizations plan to continue lobbying government representatives for passage of the bill.

"We thank our members for their strong grassroots support through communications to members of the House of Representatives," said Lee Sanders, ABA's senior vice president of government relations and public affairs. "We look forward to continuing our campaign as we now shift our efforts to the Senate as they consider this legislation."

A study on How Coffee enhances the Mind!

Austrian doctor Florian Koppelstatter presented his research at a medical conference in Chicago. He put 15 people in an MRI machine and asked them questions to trigger their short-term memory. He then ran the tests a second time after giving patients caffeine.

The difference? A specific part of the frontal lobe lit up on the scan.

"We had more activation or increased activation through the effect of caffeine in this distinct part of the brain," Dr. Koppelstatter said.

Previous research has shown caffeine can improve memory function.

In tests people were able to recall information faster and work more efficiently. Other studies have shown caffeine can improve reaction time. But that doesn't mean the more you drink, the more you'll remember. Too much can make you wired, leading to a loss of focus and concentration.

According to Dr. Koppelstatter, "We used 100 milligrams of caffeine -- that's the amount of about one to two cups of coffee."

Researchers are studying claims that caffeine can prevent some cancers, heart disease, Parkinson's and other conditions. But what we know for sure is that you should only drink it in moderation. Too much can make you anxious, and give you headaches, insomnia and the shakes.