Different Flour Types and Their Uses
When it comes to the world of flour, it seems there are tons of choices out there, which can be confusing at times. To make things easier for you, here are some different types of flour and their uses.
All-Purpose Flour– If you see a recipe and one of the ingredients listed is flour, you will be using all-purpose flour. This type of flour is made with hard wheat and soft wheat and features 10-12% protein. It is the ideal crust for pie crusts, breads and biscuits.
Cake Flour– Cake flour contains 5-8% protein, making it the lowest content of all the flours. This type of flour is ideal for baking cakes, scones, biscuits and muffins. Cake flour ensures soft baked goods due to the fact that it is chlorinated, absorbing a good deal of liquid as well as sugar.
Pastry Flour– Pastry flour is unbleached and made from wheat, featuring 8-9% protein content. It is the type of flour that is perfect for most cookies, as well as tarts, brownies, quick breads, biscuits and pies because it is not only flaky but also soft.
Bread Flour– The strongest flour as far as protein content is bread flour, with 12-14% protein. This type of flour holds together extremely well and is available in bleached, unbleached, white and whole wheat. Bread flour is only to be used when making bread (of course) and pizza crust.
Self-Rising Flour– Self-rising flour is made by adding salt and baking powder in the milling process. It is mainly grown in the South and is very popular with Southern cooking and baking. It is best suited for cakes, muffins, biscuits and pancakes.
Whole Wheat Flour– Whole wheat flour is often a favorite to use in baking because of the fact that it is high in protein. This type of flour does produce baked goods that are heavy and dense. Whole wheat flour is made with the whole kernel from red wheat.
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What type of flour do you usually bake with? Have you baked anything using gluten-free flour? If so, how did your baked goods turn out?
I’ve recently adopted a gluten free lifestyle and oh man do I miss regular flours! Almond and coconut flours just don’t cut it when it comes to baking and breads! I still make fresh baked bread for my husband with bread flour… the smell is even more tempting now that I can’t have it!
That is so true. Although I have not completely made the transition as I do like my Rye breads, but I steer clear of white bread, multi-grain, whole wheat, etc. The smell of freshly baked bread is to die for. I could very well eliminated all other foods, something about the smell and texture of bread really pulls me in.
Thanks for this. I know I’ve sometimes wondered what the difference is between all-purpose flour and self-rising flour.
Yr welcome. Glad that the post was of help to you. Happy Baking!
Pastry flour is the only one on the list that was new to me. My sister bakes cakes, so I’m long known the difference in cake flour. I’ve tried using whole wheat flour and just didn’t like the results. I always have all-purpose and self-rising on hand!
This post is exactly what I have been looking for! I have always wondered what the difference was between all of these flours and it scared me. That is why I have only used all-purpose.
I have always wondered about the differences of flour types. I didn’t know that cake flour is even different from pastry flour. Do these all look the same in the package? Which one is best for making donuts?
It really depends on what type of donut you want to make. If you want to make old fashioned sour cream doughnuts, (which are amazing btw) I would recommend cake flour. If you want to make a doughnut in which the middle is not as textured, light and airy, I would recommend all purpose flour. One thing to remember if you are deep frying is to use a lightweight cooking oil. Avoid olive oil. Corn or vegetable oil is fine as it is a medium weight oil. Nut and seed oils are lightweight and tend to burn and smoke up as the oil needs to reach a consistent, high temperature.
When I was a kid learning to bake, I wondered why there are different types of flour. My mom taught me how to bake and explained how flours differ from each other. This is helpful for those beginning to learn.
Although I am celiac and run from these flours now, I do find this extremely interesting! So cool to learn that it is the different protein amounts that determine the type! cool
This is a very helpful post! I have only ever used all-purpose flour, since the name didn’t scare me! 🙂
I’d love to see if anyone comments with their gluten-free tidbits…I use garbanzo bean flour in meatballs for my friends that are allergic to gluten, and they love it.
I have used chick pea flour before to make phoularie (spicy fried dough balls). Gluten-free cake and pastry flour is another.Have rice flour, almond flour, and a gluten-free flour that I have to make something with. I am sure that I have tried other types as well. However, the family prefers the all purpose flour for taste and texture.