What is the differace between flours?

There are so many types of flour in this rapid changing time that I thought maybe I could help by giving you the definition for a few. Now All-Purpose Flour works in most recipes but with so many special ones it can be daunting to say the least.

All-Purpose Flour: This is the do-all flour. Use it for baking, thickening, and coating. This flour is milled from soft and hard wheat, minus the bran and germ. It comes enriched with vitamins and minerals and may be bleached or unbleached.

To substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour, use 2 tablespoons less all purpose flour for each cup of cake flour called out in the recipe.

Bran, cracked wheat and oat bran flour: These flours are all-purpose flour to which another flour has been added. Substitude an equal amount of any one of them for up to half of the total flour in bread, cookie or cake recipes.










Bread Flour: This flour is milled from hard wheat making it a stronger-structure flour. It's a good-choice for making most yeast bread doughs.

Brown Rice Flour: This flour is high in starch and fiber and low in protein. Try substituting it for up to one-fourth of the total all-purpose flour in quick breads.

Cake Flour: This flour is milled fro soft wheat, it is perfect for fine and feathery cakes. It is to delicate for general baking.

Instant flour: This flour has a granular texture and blends easily into hot or cold liquids to thicken without lumping.

Pastry Flour: This flour is neither as coarse as all-purpose nor as fine as cake flour. Use it for pie crust or pastry doughs.

Rye Flour: This flour conatinsstructure forming protein and can replace up to one third of the all-purpose flourin recipes.

Self-rising Flour: This flour conatins leavening abd salt. Substitude it for all purpose flour, baking powder and salt called out for in quick breads, cookies and cakes.




Semolina: This flour is made from a special varietyof wheat called durum, it is a granular wheat flour used in amking pasta.

Whole Wheat or Graham Flour: These flours are milled from the entire wheat kernel, including the brand and germ. Graham flour is a little more course than whole wheat.



I hope this help's you to better understand Flour. I am sure there are  plenty-more out there for us to research. Gluten ? Well do not get me started on that subject. Because Gluten is my Co-Pilot! eeeee. This information was from an article written by Nancy Byal in the Associated Press many year's ago.