Directions: |
Directions:WHEAT FLOUR is the most common flour used in baking. There are different types of wheat flour, and they are distinguished by the amount of gluten they contain.
Gluten is the wheat's natural protein, and it is what gives baked goods their structure. When dough is kneaded, these glutens develop and become elastic. Flours made from hard, high-protein varieties of wheat are called strong flours. They have a higher gluten content. Flours made from softer, low-protein wheats are called weak flours, and are lower in gluten.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR:
All-purpose flour is formulated to have a medium gluten content of around 12 percent or so. This makes it a good middle-of-the-road flour that can be used for a whole range of baking, from crusty breads to fine cakes and pastries. Even so, most professional bakers don't use all-purpose flour but instead use either bread flour, cake flour or pastry flour, depending on what they are baking. [One sifted cup of all-purpose flour should weigh around 4½ ounces or 125 grams.]
BREAD FLOUR:
Bread flour is a strong flour, meaning that it has a relatively high gluten content — usually around 13 to 14 percent. A handful of bread flour will feel coarse and will look slightly off-white. Bread flour is used for making crusty breads and rolls, pizza doughs and similar products. [One cup of bread flour will weigh around 5 ounces or 140 grams.]
CAKE FLOUR:
Cake flour is made from soft wheat and has a lower gluten content — around 7½ to 9 percent. Its grains are visibly finer than bread flour, and it is much whiter in color. Its fine, soft texture makes it preferable for tender cakes and pastries. [One sifted cup of cake flour will weigh around 3½ ounces or 99 grams.]
PASTRY FLOUR:
Pastry flour is slightly stronger than cake flour, at around 9 to 10 percent gluten. It can be used for biscuits, muffins, cookies, pie doughs and softer yeast doughs. It has a slightly more off-white color than cake flour. [One sifted cup of pastry flour will weigh just over 3½ ounces, or around 101 grams.]
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GLUTEN FREE FLOURS: ~Joanne
Some, but not all recipes turn out well using gluten-free flours. Typically, when baking, I add ⅛ cup less of GF flour (I use ½ all-purpose GF flour, ¼ coconut flour and ¼ almond flour if baking something sweet) + 1 to 1½ tsp. xanthan gum. (The rule of thumb is ½ to ¾ tsp. xanthan gum to every 1 c. flour.) Louise usually adds an extra egg to her recipes as well, which gives the end result more chewiness/bounce.
Here's a go-to springboard formula that some people use for a gluten-free flour blend in place of 1 cup of all-purpose wheat flour:
⅓ c. sticky & neutral flour (such as sweet rice or cassava)
⅓ c. starchy flour (such as oat, millet, or sorghum)
⅓ c. flavorful flour (such as almond, sorghum, teff, buckwheat, or chestnut)
1 to 2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
* I have found Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur to be good GF all-purpose flours.
Louise has tried many different GF flour mixes. She likes Bob's Red Mill 1:1, but America's Test Kitchen (ATK)'s is her go-to. (See below.)
ATK All Purpose GF Flour Blend
4½ c. white rice flour
1⅔ c. brown rice flour
1⅓ c. potato starch
¾ c. tapioca starch
3 Tbsp. nonfat milk powder
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 months or freeze for 6 months. Yields 9½ cups.
Grandma Hope's go-to mix is easy and works well (she adds an extra egg too). It is ⅓ c. Bob's Red Mill All-purpose flour, ⅓ c. cornstarch (Louise now replaces this with tapioca flour), and ⅓ c. white rice flour. This is used in place of 1 c. of regular wheat flour.
Cooking and baking gluten-free is a process and everyone has personal preferences. At this time, Louise is baking more Paleo -- almond and tapioca flours, and having more success. Paleorunningmomma.com is a favorite website of hers.
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This recipe for * Flour Basics is from