Flour is a pretty obvious baking essential. When you first start baking,
you’ll very quickly learn you need at least a couple of different types
of flour in your pantry. All-purpose flour. Bread flour. Cake flour.
Pastry flour. The list goes on. It seems you need at least one kind for
all of your favorite desserts. (We’ll admit that we have fallen in love with at least few flourless dessert recipes.)
You’ve probably seen multiple varieties of flour on your local grocery
store’s shelves. But do you know the differences between those types?
Unless
you’re already a baking aficionado — or even if you are — you might not
know what goes into each variety. And you might not be sure which type
will work in which recipe. Plus, you’re probably not aware that in some
cases, you can mix up your own blend instead of heading to the grocery
store. To make things simpler, we’ve put together an easy overview
of the most commonly found varieties. Read on for a rundown of nine
types to learn the distinctive characteristics and uses of each variety
of flour.
1. All-purpose flour
If you bake or cook often, you’ve probably used all-purpose flour. | iStock.com
All-purpose flour is one of the most commonly used types of flour, according to What’s Cooking America. Berkeley Wellness notes this variety is made from a blend of hard and soft wheat. That gives it a middle-of-the-road protein and starch content.
The Kitchn explains protein content directly influences how much gluten can be formed
with a particular flour. Flours with low protein contents generate less
gluten. Flours with high protein content generate more. And gluten
determines the structure and texture of a baked good. All-purpose has a
10% to 12% protein content. Bread flour has more, at about 14% to 16%.
But pastry flours (9%) and cake flours (7% to 8%) have less. SF Gate
reports that almost 95% of the white flour sold in the United States is enriched with iron and B vitamins, including thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and folic acid.
2. Bread flour
Making bread or another yeasted food? Your best bet is, you guessed it, bread flour. | iStock.com
According
to Berkeley Wellness, bread flour is made entirely from hard wheat. The
larger amount of gluten generated by this higher-protein flour helps
bread rise higher. That’s because the gluten traps and holds air bubbles
as you mix and knead the dough.
According
to What’s Cooking America, bread flour is the best choice for yeasted
baking products, such as bread (hence its name). So what should you
do if your recipe calls for this variety, and you don’t have it on hand?
The Kitchn notes you can “bump up a flour’s protein content” and
increase its gluten-producing potential by adding a few tablespoons of
vital wheat gluten to plain old all-purpose.
3. Cake flour
The next time you bake a cake, you’re going to want to have some cake flour on hand. | iStock.com
Cake flour is very finely milled
from soft wheat, according to the Huffington Post. That gives it an
almost silky feel. As The Kitchn pointed out, this variety has a low
protein content. It’s also bleached. (Flours that bleach naturally as
they age get the label “unbleached.” But chemically treated flours are
“bleached.”)
The
bleaching process alters the structure of cake flour’s starches and
fats, resulting in a more acidic pH. The acidity actually helps cakes —
and other baked goods with a large amount of sugar — rise instead of
collapsing. Meanwhile, the low protein content ensures a tender and
fluffy texture.
Bon Appétit reports that cake flour is great for, well, cakes.
But you should avoid it if you’re baking bread. If you need cake flour
and don’t have it on hand, The Kitchn recommends adding 2 tablespoons of
cornstarch to a cup of all-purpose.
4. Pastry flour
Dedicated bakers will probably come across recipes calling for pastry flour. | iStock.com
Pastry
flour is made from soft wheat, which makes it finer than all-purpose
flour. Its protein content places it between all-purpose and cake
flours. Food.com notes this variety is ideal for tart crusts,
pie dough, muffins, and some cookie batters. What’s Cooking America
recommends it if you’re trying to achieve a “tender but crumbly pastry.”
Suppliers
offer pastry flour in both whole-wheat and regular varieties. But your
local supermarket might not keep in stock. In that case, you can find it
at specialty baking stores, or order it online. Alternatively, you can
mimic its characteristics by mixing a 2-to-1 ratio of all-purpose to
cake flours.
5. Whole wheat flour
Whole wheat flour is rich in nutrients and dietary fiber, but it poses
some unique challenges for beginning bakers. | iStock.com/modesigns58
According
to The Huffington Post, you make whole wheat flour by grinding entire
kernels of red wheat. Bon Appétit explains that a wheat seed head has
three portions: the germ, bran, and endosperm. White flour includes just
the endosperm, not the bran and germ. But the bran and germ contain the
bulk of the fiber and protein.
Because
whole wheat flour has all three portions, it’s higher than white flour
in nutrients and dietary fiber. Fine Cooking explains that the bran in
whole wheat flour tears strands of gluten,
thus inhibiting gluten development. And Bon Appétit notes that whole
wheat is more absorbent than white flour. That necessitates the use of
more liquid and results in a stickier dough, which can be challenging
for novices. You can offset the effect — and subdue the telltale whole
wheat taste — by blending whole wheat and all-purpose flours.
6. White whole wheat flour
To make your homemade bread even healthier, choose white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. | iStock.com
White
whole wheat flour sounds like an oxymoron. But this variety contains
the endosperm, germ, and bran of a paler variety of wheat, called hard
white wheat, according to Bon Appétit. It tastes slightly sweeter than
traditional whole wheat, thanks to its lower tannin content.
Despite
the difference in look and taste, whole wheat and white whole wheat
flours have the same nutritional value. For that reason, The Huffington
Post recommends using this variety blended with all-purpose “to achieve
heartier and healthier results” than if you used all-purpose flour on
its own. Not convinced yet? The Mayo Clinic explains, “If you prefer the
taste and texture of white bread but want the natural nutritional
benefits of whole wheat, choose white whole-wheat bread.”
7. Oat flour
Oat flour comes from ground oats, and you can even make it at home. | iStock.com
Oat
flour doesn’t come from wheat. Instead, it’s made from ground oats. Bon
Appétit reports that oat flour has a superfine, even fluffy texture.
And its sweet flavor makes it “one of the most approachable ‘whole
grain’ flavors.”
Oat
flour is gluten-free and therefore perfect for people on a gluten-free
diet. However, Livestrong notes this variety can leave your baked goods heavy or crumbly.
So you might need to add more liquid or rising ingredients to your
recipe. (Or, if you aren’t gluten-free, Bon Appétit recommends using oat
flour in conjunction with a high-gluten variety, such as bread flour.)
You
can find oat flour at the grocery store or health food store. Or you
can make it at home. Just grind dried oats in your food processor or
blender until they become a fine powder. Each 1¼ cups of oats will yield
1 cup of oat flour.
8. Self-rising flour
Get acquainted with self-rising flour if you like making biscuits, pancakes, or cornbread. | iStock.com
Not
sure whether you need self-rising flour, or wondering what’s in it? We
can help. This variety is a blend of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt,
according to The Kitchn. And yes, you can definitely make it in your
kitchen. Mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1½ teaspoons of baking
powder and ¼ teaspoon fine salt.
Recipes
for breads, biscuits, and pancakes often call for it. Sometimes, you’ll
also see it in cake and cupcake recipes. However, you shouldn’t use it
in yeast breads. And unless you’re really in a pinch, you shouldn’t use
it in place of all-purpose. If you did, you would need to reduce the
amount of salt and baking powder in the recipe.
9. Semolina
Semolina, which you might run across in recipes for pasta and Italian puddings, is made from the coarsely ground endosperm of durum wheat. What’s Cooking America notes durum wheat is the hardest type of wheat. Interestingly enough, semolina has the highest gluten content of all flours.
The Kitchn reports you might see semolina flour labeled as 00 flour, a finely ground pasta flour that has a mid-range protein content
of about 11% to 12%. The gluten from durum wheat flour tends to be
strong but not very elastic. In contrast, the gluten in flours made from
red wheat is both strong and elastic.
The
Kitchn says semolina gives “a nice bite” to breads and pasta — “but not
as much chew.” However, Bon Appétit reports that 00 flour is too fine
to make a good bread.
Catherine Northington also contributed to this post.
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