Which Type Of Flour Is Best For Cakes

Thursday, 22-Apr-2021 |

Which Type Of Flour Is Best For Cakes

Flour is a staple for millions of people across the world. People are making different uses of flour for different things. But the most common use of flour is — Baking. If you love baking different delicious items, such as bread, cookies, cakes, muffins, pastries, and biscuits, then you would be knowing that not every flour is suitable for baking all the items.

Although all the different types of flour have different nutritional values, it is quite essential to know that to bake different items, you would be needing different flours. For instance, you cannot make use of bread flour to bake pastries and cakes. The end result would be completely brittle, and you won’t get the soft texture.

When you go grocery shopping at the market, you get to notice large types of baking flour such as

  • All-Purpose flour
  • Self-Rising Flour
  • Bread Flour
  • Whole wheat Flour
  • Cake Flour
  • Pastry Flour

But you do not need all the flour in your pantry. So if you have decided to bake a cake, which flour would be considered the best?

Although flour is an essential ingredient in the cake baking process, the most essential thing is to know what type of flour you would be getting for baking a cake. The different flours have different characteristics.

Bread Flour:

Bread Flour

The bread flour can be of two varieties -— bleached or unbleached. The estimated protein in the bread flour is about 11.5 and 13.5 percent, and this shows that it is milled from hard wheat varieties. Such flour is good for bread baking because it can form strong glutinous bonds. The end result — bread loaf would be developed into an open and coarse crumb. Now you know that this flour is not ideal for baking a cake.

All-Purpose Flour:

All-Purpose Flour

In the all-purpose flour, the protein percentage ranges from 9.5 to 11.5 percent. Similar to bread flour, all-purpose flour is also available in two different varieties — unbleached and bleached. The all-purpose flour is generally used with the cake flour in small amounts, so it provides a soft texture to the cake.

Pastry Flour:

Pastry flour is softer than all-purpose flour as it has an extremely low protein content that ranges from 7 to 9.5 percent. It is usually present or available in the unbleached form and can be a good option that you can use for baking cake.

Cake Flour:

When the flour has low protein content between 6 to 8 and milled to the finest granules of the heart of the wheat grain — the cake flour is formed. The cake flour is available in two varieties — bleached and unbleached. If you want your cake to be perfectly soft and tasty, always use the bleached cake flour and add all-purpose flour in a small amount. The all-purpose flour will provide the right flavor and structure to the cake.

The low protein content in the cake flour explains that it has an extremely low amount of gluten in it. When the gluten is low in the flour, the final balked item is soft and spongy. So, it is always recommended to make use of cake or all-purpose flour and not bread flour. If you are making use of the bread flour, then the baked item would be extremely hard, and you won’t be able to get the best taste. Moreover, the cake flour is manufactured specifically to absorb maximum water/moisture, which, in turn, makes the cake softer.

If you consult a baking expert, they would suggest you avoid even the self-rising flour because it contains a high amount of leavening agent to give it a fluffy texture and also some amount of salt. The baking expert would suggest you go for either cake flour or even pastry flour because these two flour has the lowest amount of protein and help you to bake the best cake.

Summary:

While you have decided to bake a cake, then the most essential component would be flour. Without the right type of flour, you won’t be able to get the right results. In cake, along with the right structure you also need perfect softness, texture, and flavor. If you are a beginner, then choosing the right flour would become very tricky for you. So it is always better to opt for cake flour along with the right amount of all-purpose flour.