Power to The Bakers.Types of Wheat Flour: Enhance Your Baking by using all of them
Do you want to start your Baking Business or you own a Food Manufacture company?
If yes! Then you know about the baking essential ingredient – “Flour”.
So, what is Flour?
Flour is a powder form made by grinding raw grains, roots, nuts, seeds, and beans.
And you have to quickly learn that you need at least a couple of different types of Wheat Flour in your pantry.
In a local grocery store’s shelves, you have probably seen multiple varieties of flour.
But do you know all about them and what is the difference between those types?
No? Ok, I understand that you might not know about each variety of wheat flours.
Also, you might not be aware that in some food recipe you can mix up different types of wheat flour to create your blend.
To Make all of these things simpler and easier for you, Let me put together an easy overview of the most commonly used and found types of wheat flour.
Here I am going to provide you with short descriptions of eight different types of wheat flour.
1. All-Purpose Flour
2. Bread Flour
3. Cake and Pastry Flour
4. Whole Wheat flour
5. Whole White Wheat Flour
6. Oat Flour
7. Self-Rising Flour
8. Semolina
1. All-purpose flour
According to research All-Purpose flour is one of the most frequently used types of wheat flour.
It comes from the endosperm, which is the finely ground part of the wheat kernel.
You can say that All-Purpose flour is refined flour which made from wheat grains after removing the brown covering part.
And after that, it is processed, refined and bleached.
It also means, that most of the nutritive properties of the flour have been removed and along with them much of the natural flavor of the plant.
It’s commonly used in baking cakes, cookies and different types of desserts.
Nutritional Value:
Nutritional value major by the protein content which directly depends on the gluten formation quantity that can be formed with particular flour.
All-purpose has 10{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} to 12{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} protein substance depending on the brand and type of grain.
Best use for- all types of baked goods, cookies, bread.
Don’t use for- There are No restrictions on use. But, as I mentioned that its nutrition value is less than another type of flour. So, you can replace it with any other best option.
2. Bread flour
Bread flour is made from hard wheat.
Yes!
The main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is- it all depends on protein.
High protein flour generates a large amount of gluten which helps bread rise higher when baked.
It’s all because, the gluten traps and holds air bubbles when you mix and knead the dough.
Nutritional Value:
Bread flour has more, at about 14{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} to 16{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} protein content depending on the brand and type of grain.
Best use for- Bread, pretzels, for anything chewy and if it requires plenty of structure.
Don’t use for- Tender cakes and pastries.
3. Cake and Pastry Flour:
Cake Flour has fine texture because it’s very finely milled from soft wheat. And because of that, it gives a very silky feeling.
It’s also bleached and the bleaching process varies the structure of cake flour’s starches and fats, due to that flour contains acidic pH.
Actually, acidic pH helps cakes and other baked goods with a large amount of sugar.
Pastry flour has also the same values present. Pastry flour and cake flour protein content and texture are almost the same.
Nutritional Value:
Around 8-9{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} protein content present in cake and pastry flour. Generally, pastry flour has lower protein content than cake flour.
Cake and pastry flour have lower protein content than all-purpose.
Best use for- Cake, Pastry, anything in baking which uses fluffy, chewy content. You can use it for pie crusts, breadsticks, pound cakes, biscuits, brownies, muffins, and cookies.
Don’t use it for- Don’t use it for yeast bread.
4. Whole wheat flour
As the name suggests, the whole wheat flour is made by grinding entire kernels of red wheat.
Wheat seed head has three portions: the germ, bran, and kernel. You may also find it called graham flour in the supermarket.
It contains all the natural parts of the wheat kernel, around 95{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} of the total weight of the wheat.
White flour includes just the kernel, not the bran and germ.
But, bran and germ contain lots of fibers and proteins.
Nutritional Value:
Whole wheat flour has more protein content (between 9{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} and 11{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1}) than the all-purpose flour because it has all three portions of seed.
Whole wheat products are heavier and denser than the baking product which is made with white flour.
5. White Whole Wheat Flour
White whole-wheat flour is simply made with a different variety of wheat.
It’s made with hard white spring or winter wheat — the bran, germ, and endosperm are all ground to result in 100 percent whole-wheat flour.
As I said that it’s made by hard wheat because of that it has a paler color and milder taste.
Nutritional Value:
It also has a high nutritional value than all-purpose flour because it includes all parts of wheat.
It is easily accessible whole-wheat flour, especially for those who don’t enjoy the taste of whole-wheat flour.
Best use for- You can use it for in place of whole wheat flour in any recipe. And you can also use it with all-purpose flour.
6. Oat flour
Oat flour is not Wheat flour.
So, what is Oats?
Oats are a cereal, commonly eaten in the form of oatmeal or rolled oats.
Oat flour made from ground oats. Oats flour has a fluffy and superfine texture.
Oat flour is perfect for a Gluten-free diet because it is gluten-free. And its sweet flavor makes it the most approachable whole-grain flavor.
You can easily make it at home or purchase it from your grocery store.
For making oat flour, grind dried oats into the food processor or blender and make it in powder form.
Nutritional Value:
Oats are a high source of fiber especially beta-glucan, and it’s also high in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
Best use for- You can combine it with wheat flour for making excellent bread.
Don’t use it for- It is a gluten-free flour so you cannot use it lonely for any baking process.
7. Self Rising Flour:
Self-rising has the correct range of baking powder and salt which already mixed into it.
Because of that user does not need to add those two ingredients separately.
It’s just a mixture of regular wheat flour, salt, and baking powder.
In this mixture, the ratio is divided into 3:1. It means 1 cup of self-rising flour 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Nutritional Value:
Oats are a high source of fiber especially beta-glucan, and it’s also high in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
Best use for- – It’s perfect for baking bread and pancakes.
Don’t use for- yeasty bread like sourdough.
8. Semolina
Semolina, that you would possibly run into recipes for pasta and Italian puddings, is created from the coarsely ground reproductive structure of durum wheat.
There is some difference between durum wheat and whole wheat.
Durum wheat is the hardest kind of wheat. Strangely enough, this type of flour has the highest protein content of all flours.
The protein from durum wheat flour tends to be strong but not very elastic. In contrast, the protein in flours made from red wheat is both strong and elastic.
Nutritional Value:
Semolina flour labeled as 00 flour, a finely ground pasta flour that has a mid-range protein content of about 11{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1} to 12{92045d1264d3c947a798691a70c51be9a6aa35f974863a1a5e8e391e2b1a0ba1}.
Best use for- – Pasta, very thin crusts.
Don’t use it for- the grind is too fine for successful bread.
Conclusion:
As you know that wheat flour is the backbone of baking.
But it’s also true that there are so many different types of wheat flour present in the market.
Where, some are gluten-free, organic, non-organic, white in color, brown in color, bleached-unbleached, etc.
And because of that, you are left to wonder,” Do people need all these types of flour?” and the answer is yes because there is a different need for all these types of flour.
People consume flour depending on its nutritional value, its taste and texture. Every flour has different values.
Whether you’re a bread baker, cake maker, or prefer pies and cookies, the types of wheat flour you use will greatly impact the success of your baking effort.
Finally, I want to say that every flour is special for its value. So try all and enhance your baking
“If you have more questions regarding flour purchasing or about types of wheat flour then comment below.”