All About Flour

All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour is made from the endosperm of wheat. This flour is often bleached to give it a clean, white appearance and enriched to include nutrients that are lost due to the removal of the germ and bran. All-purpose flour has a medium balance of starch and protein so that it can be used in a wide variety of products without being too heavy or too delicate.

Self-rising flour is mainly used to make biscuits and other quick bread. It is comprised of all-purpose flour, salt and a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder. Self-rising flour should never be used to make yeast breads.

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Bread Flour

But with flour, one size doesn't always fit all. One type of flour is best for baking bread, another type for pastries. Bread, for example, benefits from a high-protein flour.

When combined with water and developed by mixing and kneading, the gluten becomes elastic and stretches around gas bubbles produced by the yeast. When gas bubbles expand in the oven, the gluten goes along for the ride. The result is a nice fat loaf of bread.
Interestingly, of all the grains, wheat is the only one that packs gluten-producing proteins. To rise properly, breads made with other grains (like rye, corn, or oats) must be fortified with wheat flour or gluten.

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Pastry Flour

Pastry flour is a medium-protein flour that produces tender pie crusts. If you use a flour with too much protein, your pastry can become tough; too little, and the pastry can be brittle and hard to work with. Medium is just right.
In a pinch, you can make your own version of pastry flour by combining one part cornstarch to two parts all-purpose flour.

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Cake Flour

Cake flour is a lower-protein flour that's also bleached with chorine, which alters the structure of the starches and fats and makes the flour slightly acidic. Unfortunately, substituting all-purpose flour in recipes that have been specifically formulated for cake flour will not produce happy results. Always sift cake flour before using it in a recipe.

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Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flour contains all of the nutrients found in the wheat kernel and results in dense, hearty baked goods. If 100% whole wheat bread tastes a little bit too healthy for you, try a ratio of half whole wheat, half bread flour.

Note: You might need to adjust your liquids to hydrate the flour fully (use more water if you're adding whole wheat flour to a recipe, less if you're substituting bread flour for whole wheat).

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Self-Rising Flour

Self-rising flour is mainly used to make biscuits and other . It is comprised of all-purpose flour, salt and a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder. Self-rising flour should never be used to make yeast breads.

To make your own self-rising flour, add 1½ tsp baking powder per cup of flour (or 5-7 g of baking powder per 100 g of flour).

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