Different Types of Flour and Their Uses
Flour is a broad term that is used to describe the powder made from grinding grains, roots, beans, seeds, or nuts. Flour helps hold other ingredients together and is widely used to provide structure to baked goods or act as thickening agent in sauces. This post will go over the properties and applications of some of the most commonly used types of flour.
Wheat Flours
When you think about flour, the first type that comes to mind is probably flour derived from wheat. A wheat kernel is comprised of the following:
The bran is the hard outer shell. It makes up about 12%-15% of the wheat’s total weight.
The germ is the living part of the wheat grain. It makes up about 3% of the total weight.
The endosperm is the central part of the wheat kernel that makes up about 80%-85% of the total grain weight.
White flours are made from only the endosperm while whole wheat flours contain the endosperm, bran, and germ.
Wheat flours can be further categorized into subsets.
All Purpose Flour: As implied by its name, all purpose flour is the most common form of flour seen in recipes. It typically contains 10%-12% protein content. It works well for a variety of baked goods such as cookies, cakes, muffins, and quickbreads.
Bread Flour: Bread flour is made from hard, high protein wheat. Its typical protein content falls in the range of 11%-13%. This type of flour is best for yeasted breads since its high protein content allows it to withstand proofing and rising and creates a chewier texture than all purpose flour.
Cake Flour: On the opposite end of the spectrum from bread flour is cake flour. It has the lowest protein content of wheat flour at 7%-8%. It is soft, fine, and has a high starch content. It is best used in recipes that don’t need to rise and results in a light, tender crumb.
Whole Wheat Flour: As mentioned above, whole wheat flour is made from the entire wheat kernel. Because of this, it has a higher fiber and fat content than flours made from only the wheat endosperm. It can usually be used in place of all purpose flour to provide a stronger, richer flavor and more nutrients to the baked item.
Non-Wheat Flours and Gluten Free Alternatives
Flour can also be made from foods other than wheat. Some common examples include (but are by no means limited to) corn, rice, tapioca, buckwheat, barley, oats, chickpeas, and nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts. The properties and flavors of these flours vary greatly, so their uses also vary.
Non-wheat flours are often they are used as a gluten free alternative. Because gluten helps provide strength and structure to a recipe, baked goods made from gluten free flours are often crumbly and/or need support from other stabilizers such as xanthan gum. For those who are extremely sensitive to gluten, it is important to make sure the alternative flour you are using was not processed in the same place as wheat flour.