Baking Flours 101

By: Bob's Red Mill | February 23 2017

Many people refer to baking as more of a science than an art. That is true in many aspects, but especially when choosing your flour. Flour is easily one of the most important, if not the most important ingredient in any baking that you will be doing, and there are so many varieties it can be hard to differentiate between them for the best results. At Bob’s, we have many different flour types, from all purpose flour to gluten free flour substitutes such as cassava flour, almond flour, coconut flour and more.

The key difference in flours is the amount of protein each contains. The higher the protein level, the sturdier and chewier your end product will be, whereas lower protein levels will yield a flakier result. We have put together a list of some of the most common types of flour that you can use for baking, and how you can best use each one!

All Purpose Flour

Your typical, run-of-the-mill all purpose baking flour contains about 10-12% protein, which is a fairly moderate amount. All purpose flour is made by separating the three parts of the wheat—the bran, the germ, and the endosperm—and only grinding the endosperm. It’s typically milled from high and low protein wheat, which makes it flexible enough for almost any baking purpose—it is sturdy enough to support different types of bread, but not too strong for a tender cookie or brownie. This flour is typically bleached, but you can also purchase the unbleached version as well. We recommend always having a bag of all purpose flour in the pantry for your everyday baking needs!

Whole Wheat Flour

The main difference with whole wheat flour is that it is made by milling the whole wheat—the bran, the germ, and the endosperm—not just the endosperm. This process gives the whole wheat flour a darker color, wheatier taste, and more density. These are the same qualities your baked goods will have if you substitute whole wheat flour. It also has about 13% protein, higher than your all purpose flour. Start by substituting only 25% of your all purpose for whole wheat flour, and work your way up to about 50% if you like.

Self-Rising Flour

This flour is a Southern staple, and most self-rising flour comes from the Southern part of the United States. Self-rising flour is made with softer wheat and has a lower level of protein, 8.5%, which makes it ideal for creating tender and flaky biscuits and muffins. Self rising flour is also a wheat flour and contains baking powder and a dash of salt already, so you do not have to worry about mixing the extra ingredients!

Cake Flour

At 5-8% protein, cake flour has the lowest protein content and is perfect for creating flaky cakes. Cake flour is milled to an extra-fine consistency, which helps it absorb more water and rise higher, as you want a cake to do. Your cakes will be extra tender if you use cake flour!

Pastry Flour

Pastry flour is a middle man between your all purpose flour and your cake flour, at around 8-9% protein content. It will make your dish tender and flaky, but still maintains the sturdiness you need for things like pies, tarts, and other pastries. You can even make your own version of pastry flour by simply mixing about two parts all purpose flour to one part cake flour.

Bread Flour

Of course, when making yeasted bread, which has a specific shape in mind, a flour with a very high protein content is most desirable. The 12-15% protein in bread flour helps maintain the shape of the bread and reacts with the yeast to help it rise correctly. You can find bread flour in either white or whole wheat, bleached or unbleached, whatever you prefer.

Whether you’re looking for a specific flour or premade baking mixes that cut your baking time in half, there is a perfect flour out there for you! We even have a variety of gluten free flours to choose from. We would suggest keeping some all purpose flour in the kitchen in case you decide to bake on a whim, but you can get more specific when you have special projects in mind. Keep our advice in mind and try out your favorite baking recipes for Valentine’s Day or any day of the week! Check out our article on some perfect pink Valentine’s Day cakes here. Let us know your favorite types of flour and baking recipes in the comments below!

 

69 Comments

  1. Penelope Bailey
    I Love your flour!!! Long ago you sent me a free sample pack and it opened my me up to all of your wonderful products !
    One of my favorites is your coarse ground corn meal !! I make a tamale pie with it and left over brisket, that everyone craves!!!
    Thanks for each and every one of your wonderful products!! I'm in love !!
    〰P〰
    Reply
  2. Donna
    Thanks for all that info on flour. I never knew all that and I'm a rather Senior member of society!!!
    Reply
  3. Ann Keller
    Appreciated your article on types of flours...have been baking for years and only had vague scattered info on different flours.
    Reply
  4. Ann Keller
    Appreciated your article on types of flours all in one presentation...have been baking for years and only had vague scattered info on different flours...
    Reply
  5. Karen samders
    I have a dear friend & co-worker who daughter was diagnosed with the disease she can't have gluten products (sorry can't spell the disease)away she want to make her some bread found your products, tried making but no rise! Tasted good but flat! We live in Colorado. We are at 6280 ft above sea level. What adjustments should we make for the altitude.
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Karen,
      Our recipe specialist has a bunch of ideas for high altitude baking. Please email her at [email protected].
      Reply
  6. Delores Jannereth
    Delores Jannereth
    I have your Baking Flour 1 to 1...do I use it like my old regular flour...same amount?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Yes, it's a straight swap for most recipes.
      Reply
  7. Isabel Bloom
    Do you have a chart for substituting your superfine almond flour for regular unbleached flour?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      No, this product does not swap 1-1 with unbleached flour. I recommend finding recipes using almond flour, instead.
      Reply
    2. Julie Sanders
      Any ideas where to find recipes using your almond flour? Would like to use your product more in baking, but your website isn't helping me any!! Surely there are basic suggestions on how to best use this product and approximate substitutions that can be made somewhere...
      Reply
      1. Sarena Shasteen
        We have recipes on the bag and if you search recipes on our site, you will find more recipes there.
        Reply
  8. Patty G
    Should I use pastry flour to bake the best scones?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      I would suggest pastry flour for scone baking any day! All purpose flour will work fine, but pastry will give you a little bit of a lighter texture.
      Reply
  9. Maddy
    How come you didn't list whole wheat pastry flour?
    Reply
  10. Sue Bennett
    Very informative article! I never knew the difference.
    Reply
  11. MALCOLM
    LOOKING FOR EVERYTHING NONGMO VERIFIED ORGANIC INTEGRITY IN MARKETING;
    Reply
  12. KarenE
    Thank you for explaining the different flours I finally understand the difference! Am keeping it! Thank you
    Reply
  13. Vera Alvarez
    Very informative
    Reply
  14. Linda A.Ellid
    Never knew the differences in flour. Now I do, thanks to you. I would love to try your products!
    Reply
  15. Kimberly
    Tell me about gluten free flour please and how to properly use them!
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Our gluten free 1 to 1 flour is really easy to use and can be substituted in any recipe that calls for regular flour except yeast breads. We've made baking gluten free really easy for you. Good luck with your baking adventure.
      Reply
  16. Debbie Thompson
    Debbie Thompson
    I have a whole lot of different types of GF flours to use up. I am aware that soy flour will taste like soy beans imo does not work well for baking pastry or what I like to eat, but is their any reason that I can't just just dump all of the flours together to use them up as all-purpose flour for pancakes or waffles? No one at my house wants to eat chick pea flour or soy flavored cookies at my house, but I need a way to use up the flour I bought trying to figure out the best blend for some of my family recipes. I can bury alot of the flavor in molasses or chocolate, but not so much in Spritz or cinnamon rolls. I use a mix of rice, potato, tapioca, sorghum flour routinley, and have even learned how to throw in some flax and GF oats, but I always have leftovers from the bags when I get done with the mix and dont want to end up with bricks instead of cookies, brownies or bisquits which is what I mainly bake. BTW, the soy and chik pea flour would be better if I would bake savory foods with it, but they often overwhelm delicate pastry.
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      We suggest googling recipes that use those flours for a blend. Otherwise, you are right, the flavors will overwhelm in some applications.
      Reply
  17. Perry
    Thank you for information
    Reply
  18. Christine
    When 2 of my sons and I were diagnosed with celiac disease i found you guys 15 yrs ago, and have never stoped using your product's i cant thank you enough for all you have done for all gluten free and wheat people ..and huge respect for the way you run your company and treat your employee's. Well done in every way ..
    Bless you always and many Prayers Bob red mill , and all of you , thank you for all you do ❤
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Thank you so much for your kind words. It means the world to us knowing that we can be there for you and your family. Thank you for trusting us with your family's health.
      Reply
  19. T. M. Mitchell
    T. M. Mitchell
    The problem with all of the above flours is they seem to come from the same source which is White Dwarf "wheat", a stubby, dense hybrid of grasses introduced in the early 70s. In contrast, Einkorn wheat (think "amber waves of grain") was grown for America's baking needs until then and was the wheat Boomers grew up on, The introduction of White Dwarf, curiously, coincides with the beginning of the obesity epidemic in America. Einkorn is still grown outside of Siena, Italy.
    Reply
  20. Anna
    What about 00 flour? It is not used here as much, but it sure does make a fantastic crust for authentic pizza!
    Reply
  21. Anna
    What about 00 flour? This flour makes the best pizza!!
    Reply
  22. Lupe
    Do you have advice on gluten free baking? We are have Celiacs in my family and would love to bake bread for us.
    Thanks
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      We have a couple of links that will help. Let us know if you need any more help. We are happy to do whatever we can.
      http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gluten+free
      http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gluten+free
      http://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/?s=gluten+free
      Reply
  23. Wanda Lingenfelter
    Wanda Lingenfelter
    Which flour can I substitute for Italian Manitoba flour? Thank you.
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      I'm sorry, but we are not familiar with Italian Manitoba flour. We suggest doing a google search to see what flour would be the best substitute.
      Reply
  24. Wanda Lingenfelter
    Wanda Lingenfelter
    Do you have Manitoba flour ? What kind flour is egual to Manitoba flour ? Thanks
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      We do not have Manitoba flour, but our Artisan Bread Flour would be a great alternative. http://www.bobsredmill.com/artisan-bread-flour.html
      Reply
  25. Cecilia Roman
    I love to bake
    Reply
  26. Cecilia Roman
    I love to bake ones a week
    Reply
  27. Leigh
    I bought rice flour----how can I use it? Can I bake with it? I have allergies to wheat---help!
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Hi Leigh, we have a recipe section on our website that would help. If you do a search for rice flour, you will find them https://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/. Also, we highly recommend you contact customer service if you need more assistance. They are there to help you through this as well. (800) 349-2173
      Reply
  28. Sam Cami
    Hi There! When making all purpose and bread flour, is the grain separated at first and only the endosperm is ground in the stone mill or is it all ground together and separated later? Best, Sam
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Great question Sam! The grain is separated first (germ and bran removed) and only the endosperm is ground into a flour.
      Reply
  29. Tracy Van Niel
    Is bread flour similar to "strong" flour that is referred to on British baking shows such as "The Great British Baking Show"?
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Hi Tracy, yes, they are the same. It's referring to the higher protein content in the flour.
      Reply
  30. Linda Aguilar
    I have some almond and some coconut flour to use up but I don't see anything about them unfortunately.
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      You can do a quick search on our website to find numerous recipes to use those products. If you need help with specific recipes please feel free to reach out to our customer service team at 1-800-349-2173
      Reply
  31. Sam Cami
    Hi Sarena, How is white flour made in the stone milling process? Do they use roller mills first to separate the Bran and Germ? How is the Bran and Germ cracked and removed?
    Reply
  32. Jasmine
    how do I make cake flour from your pastry flour using corn starch
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Hi Jasmine, we recommend 1 cup pastry flour minus 2 tablespoons, and then add in 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
      Reply
  33. Suzi Weishaar
    I have a couple of special needs for flour. I can't have bromide or folic acid. Does your flour products have these in them, or would there be some that do not so I could look for them? Thank you.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Suzi, none of our flours contain bromide. For those without additional enrichment (like Folic Acid) look for our Organic flours - like Organic Unbleached White All Purpose Flour or Organic Whole Wheat Flour.
      Reply
  34. Teddi
    Would like to know a lot more about coconut and almond flour in diabetic diet; is it a good choice, can it be used cup for cup, would like recipes.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Teddi, check out our blog posts about Coconut Flour and Almond Flour - both have great information!
      What is it Wednesday? Coconut Flour
      What is it Wednesday? Almond Flour
      Reply
  35. KK
    I love to bake
    Reply
  36. Paula
    Do you have a self-raising flour that does not have salt? I lived in Australia most of my life and my mother always baked with self-raising flour but the Australian flour did not have salt. Her baked goods were always flaky and tender and she could add sugar per her recipes.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Paula - we don't sell a self rising flour, but we do have directions on how to make your own! If you want to make it salt free, just omit the salt from your recipe.

      Bob's Red Mill Blog: What is Self Rising Flour?
      Reply
  37. Stella Prewitt
    Stella Prewitt
    Is your flour made from the dwarf wheat variety? I’m looking for an organic flour that has not been genetically modified
    Awaiting your answer. Thank you.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Stella - No, our flour is not milled from the dwarf variety. Our flours, and all of our other items, are ALL Non-GMO.

      If you have more questions our Customer Service team is happy to help. They can be reached at 1-800-349-2173 or [email protected]
      Reply
  38. Felecia C Berry
    Felecia C Berry
    What's the protein content of Bob's all purpose flour?
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      The protein content of the All Purpose Flour is between 13-14%.
      Reply
  39. Mark Pruden
    Could you please tell us the protein content of your Artisan Bread Flour? Thanks!
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Mark - our threshold is between 12.5-13.5% protein for our Artisan Bread Flour. Happy baking!
      Reply
  40. Ellen Spritzler
    Ellen Spritzler
    How much Vital Gluten flour should I add to your unbleached AP flour to get a protein percentage of 12%?

    I’m making rye bagels and I figure I should compensate for the cup of rye with lower protein. Thanks
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Ellen - We don't have an exact formula for reaching a specific protein percentage. We recommend adding 1-2 Tbsp per cup of AP Flour to increase elasticity and promote gluten development.
      Reply
  41. Ardice
    Do you have organic einkorn flour?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Ardice - No, that's not something we currently carry.
      Reply
  42. Lauri Crandall
    What is the protein content of your gluten-free 1:1 flour for bread making purposes?
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Elisabeth Allie
      Hi Lauri! It's about 5% protein. It is not recommended for yeast breads, just for baked goods that use baking soda or baking powder!
      Reply

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