10 Types of Flour All Bakers Should Know (And What To Bake With Them)

Tuesday, 1-Feb-2022 |

Different Types of FlourBaking is not just a part of cooking, but a perfect combination of artistic skills and science. For baking specific items, you need to use the right flour and various ingredients in appropriate proportions. There are 10 different types of flour that bakers use for preparing different items. Let’s get to know about each one of them through this article.

 1. All-Purpose Flour

The all-purpose flour is an extremely versatile ingredient and can be easily found in most home and commercial kitchens across the world. The all-purpose flour is milled from soft as well as hard wheat, and therefore it is having a lower percentage of protein content – 12 percent or less. The percentage may differ slightly based on the brand of the flour. To increase the chewiness of the baked items, you can add yeast and water in perfect proportion.

You Can Use It To Bake: Cookies, pancakes, pie crusts, brownies, quick bread, and muffins.

 2. Bread Flour

This is another type of flour that is milled from hard wheat grains and has higher protein content. When the protein content is high, gluten production is high. This is what makes the baked item fluffy and chewy.

You Can Use It To Bake: bagels, yeast bread, pizza, and pretzels.

 3. Whole Wheat Flour

Whole Wheat FlourUsually, many types of flour are made from the wheat grain kernel. This kernel includes the endosperm, bran, and germ. Due to this, the nutritional value of wheat is extremely high. Besides, gluten production is also high.

You Can Use It To Bake: bread, pancakes, and make pasta dough.

 4. White Whole Wheat Flour

Many people confuse between whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour. This flour is milled from the hard white wheat grains, which makes it similar in taste and texture to the whole wheat flour. Even the nutritional benefits are the same. The only difference is in the color of the baked goods, as this flour gives a lighter color to your baked items.

You Can Use It To Bake: Cakes, rolls, cookies, and any light-colored bread.

 5. Self-Rising Flour

It is another type of flour that is mostly used for leavening purposes. You can see that it has been milled finely along with the baking powder and salt. The protein content of the self-rising flour is about 8 to 9 percent. You cannot use the self-rising flour with any other flour as it does not work with the overall measurement.

You Can Use It To Bake: biscuits, pancakes, and scones

 6. ‘00’ Flour

‘00’ FlourHave you ever heard about the “00” flour? It is an Italian flour that is milled from special wheat – hard durum. It has a high protein content of more than 12 percent. The texture is soft and fine. It has a subtle fruity flavor and high elasticity.

You Can Use It To Bake: Pizzas and make pasta dough.

 7. Semolina Flour

Similar to the “00” flour, the semolina is milled from high-quality durum wheat grains that make it high in protein content and gluten. It has a coarse texture with yellow color and nutty flavor.

You Can Use It To Bake: Pasta, desserts, and pies.

 8. Rye Flour

Have you ever tasted rye flour? Rye flour is one of the common flour that bakers should know about. It is milled from the kernel of rye grains. The rye is lower in protein content and therefore, low in gluten. The rye flour has a nutty flavor and fresh smell and gives perfect structure to the baked goods.

You Can Use It To Bake:  Bread, pie crust, and cookies

 9. Spelt Flour

Spelt flour is prepared from a type of wheat grain and exhibits properties similar to that of all-purpose flour. The taste of the spelt four is different from all other flours. It more or less tastes like yogurt (as it is acidic).

You Can Use It To Bake: Cakes, muffins, cookies, crumbles, and crisps.

 10. Cake Flour/ Pastry Flour

If you want to prepare cake, you can use cake flour or pastry flour. Such flour is milled from wheat grain that contains just the endosperm part. As the bran and germ part is eliminated, the protein content is quite low. When the protein content is low, the formation of gluten is also low.

You Can Use It To Bake: Cakes of all types, angel food cake, layer cakes, muffins, sponges, and chiffon cakes

 Summary

Having complete knowledge of different types of baking flours makes the baking process easy. You can easily understand what type of flour to use for specific items. You can always take the help of this list while you are trying to bake something new. For getting the top-quality flour for all your baking needs, check US Flour, the popular bulk flour supplier for many years in the USA.