Flour Types

Flour contains a high proportion of starches.  The higher the protein content the harder and stronger the flour, and the more it will produce crusty or chewy breads.  The lower the protein, the softer the flour, which is better for cakes, cookies, and pie crusts.

 

To ensure the flour is always at its best for use, store it in a cool, dry cupboard, preferably in an airtight container.  It should only be brought in quantities that will last a maximum of two to three months.  This is particularly applicable to wholemeal flour which contains the germ part of the grain as this can go rancid with time.  If it is necessary to store flour for extended periods of time store the flour in the freezer.  Do not mix new flour with old.  Make sure the packaging is secured to prevent infestation by weevils.

 

Unbleached Flour
Unbleached flour is simply flour that has not undergone bleaching and therefore does not have the colour of “white” flour.

 

Bleached Flour

Bleached flour is any refined flour with a whitening agent added.  Refined flour has had the germ and bran removed and is typically referred to as “white flour”.

 

Plain Flour / All-Purpose Flour

Plain flour or all-purpose flour does not contain leavening agent.  It is used for most bread and pizza bases.  Some biscuits are also prepared using this type of flour.   The protein level is 9-12%.

 

Self-rising Flour

Self-rising flour is a low-protein flour with added salt and leavening (baking powder).  The added ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the flour which aids a consistent rise in baked goods.  This flour is generally used for preparing scones, biscuits, muffins, etc.

 

If you do not have self-rising flour, you may use plain flour to substitute using the below ratio :

 

1 cup (125 g) plain flour

1 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder

a pinch to ½ teaspoon (1 g or less) salt

 

Cake Flour

Cake flour is a fine-textured, soft-wheat flour with a high starch content.  It has the lowest protein content (8-10%) of any wheat flour.  It is chlorinated (a bleaching process which leaves the flour slightly acidic), sets a cake faster and distributes fat more evenly through the batter to improve texture.  When you are making baked goods with a high ratio of sugar to flour, this flour will be better able to hold its rise and will be less liable to collapse.  It is excellent for baking fine-textured cakes with greater volume and is used in some quick breads, muffins and cookies.

 

If you cannot find cake flour, substitute bleached all-purpose flour, but subtract 2 tablespoons of flour for each cup used in the recipe.

 

Pastry Flour

Pastry Flour (also known as cookie flour) is made with soft wheat and falls somewhere between all-purpose and cake flour in terms of protein content and baking properties.  It has a protein level of 9-10%, used for making biscuits, pie crusts, brownies, cookies and quick breads.  Pastry flour makes a tender but crumbly pastry.  Do not use it for yeast breads.  You can try to mimic it by using a 2-to-1 ratio of all-purpose flour to cake flour.

 

Bread Flour

Bread flour is white flour made from hard, high-protein wheat.  It has more gluten strength and protein content (12-14%) than all-purpose flour.  It is unbleached and sometimes conditioned with ascorbic acid, which increases volume and creates better texture.  The increased protein binds to the flour to entrap carbon dioxide released by the yeast fermentation process, resulting in a stronger rise.

 

Whole-Wheat Flour

Whole-wheat flour, also known as wholemeal flour or graham flour, is a low gluten flour.  It is made from the whole kernel of wheat and is higher in dietary fiber and overall nutrient content than white flours.  It is often mixed with all-purpose or bread flour when making yeast breads.

 

Whole wheat flour is more absorbent than white flour, thus requiring more liquid.  This results in extra-sticky doughs that can be challenging for beginning bakers to work with.  If you’re interested in making whole wheat bread, swap 25% of your white flour for whole wheat to start, and increase as you become more skilled at kneading a wet dough.  Depending on the grind, whole wheat flour can be very coarse, with large pieces of bran.  These sharp granules can slice through protein chains, shredding gluten and making bread doughs crumbly, rather than elastic and chewy.  Avoid this by not overworking the dough.

 

Semolina Flour

Semolina Flour is used in making pasta and Italian puddings.  It is made from durum wheat, the hardest type of wheat grown.  The flour has the highest protein level.

 

Almond Flour (Gluten Free)

Just a touch of this flour (about 1/4 of the flour mixture) is all you need to add moistness, a little binding, light almond flavour, and density to baked goods.  It is especially good in pastry crusts, cookies, and quick breads.

 

Corn Flour (Gluten Free)

Corn flour is a powdery flour made of finely-ground cornmeal and is milled from the whole kernel.  It comes in yellow and white and is used for breading and in combination with other flours in baked goods.  White corn flour is used as a filler, binder and thickener in cookie, pastry and meat.

 

Rice Flour (Gluten Free)

Rice flour is a form of flour made from finely milled rice.  This flour can be made from either white or brown rice and can be used interchangeably.  White rice flour (also called Mochik) is lighter, milder, and easier to digest than wheat flour.  It is great as a thickener in sauces.

References :

http://www.bakeinfo.co.nz/Facts/Wheat-Milling/Types-of-Flour
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/FlourTypes.htm
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/guide-to-flour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour