The loaf, similar to today's brown bread, was made from wholemeal flour to combat wartime shortages of white flour. The National Loaf was grey, mushy and unappetising; only one person in seven preferred it to white bread, which became unavailable. The government insisted on modifying flour because it saved space in shipping food to Britain, allowed better utilization of existing stocks of wheat, and discouraged the immoderate consumption of bread. The loaf was abolished in October 1956.
“National wheatmeal flour” was unbleached flour of 85% extraction from hulled wheat grains, where 85% meant that 100 kg of wheat grains yielded 85 kg of flour. The flour included the starchy endosperm, the wheat germ, and the bran, with the coarser bran extracted. White flour is generally around 70% extraction, yielding 70 kg. Thus, increasing to 85% extraction rate provided an extra 15 kg of flour from that wheat. National Flour was consequently similar to wholemeal (aka wholewheat) flour, but with some of the coarser bran removed. For bread-making, some white flour was added.
White flour was still produced and imported during the war, but it could only be obtained by food manufacturers for items such as biscuits, cakes, etc, or for mixing in small quantities into 85% extraction flour to make National Flour. Flour milled in Britain, whether from domestically-grown or imported wheat, was 80% extraction (by 1945.) Imported already-milled flour was 75% extraction. To make National Flour, the imported flour was mixed in with domestic flour at a rate of about 15% imported, 85% domestic. In Scotland, for some varieties of national bread such as batch bread, etc, bakers were allowed to mix in up to an extra 12 1/2 % of imported flour.
Although other food stuffs had been rationed since January 8 1940, the British government was reluctant to ration wheat or bread. Faced with shortages, the Ministry of Food reduced the amount of imported wheat required in the production of unrationed bread. Their compromise was the creation of “National Wheatmeal Flour” or “National Flour” in the spring of 1942.
“National wheatmeal flour” was unbleached flour of 85% extraction from hulled wheat grains, where 85% meant that 100 kg of wheat grains yielded 85 kg of flour. The flour included the starchy endosperm, the wheat germ, and the bran, with the coarser bran extracted. White flour is generally around 70% extraction, yielding 70 kg. Thus, increasing to 85% extraction rate provided an extra 15 kg of flour from that wheat. National Flour was consequently similar to wholemeal (aka wholewheat) flour, but with some of the coarser bran removed. For bread-making, some white flour was added.
