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What is the difference in
all-purpose, self-rising and bread flour?
Q: I have just gotten my first bread maker and I was
trying to locate some good recipes, especially egg bread, but
as I read many of them, they called for "bread flour".
What's the difference between all purpose or self rising flour
and this kind? Thanks
A: All-purpose flour (also known as plain flour in
many countries) is the most common called for flour in recipes.
It is a blend of hard and soft wheat.
Self-rising flour, sometimes
referred to as phosphated flour, is a low-protein flour with
salt and leavening already added. 1 cup of self-rising flour
contains 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
It can be used instead of all-purpose flour in a recipe by reducing
the salt and baking powder according to these proportions.
Bread flour is unbleached white
flour made from hard, high-protein wheats. It has more gluten
strength and protein content than all-purpose flour and absorbs
more water. It also contains a small amount of malted barley
flour (to improve yeast activity) and vitamin C or potassium
bromate (to increase the gluten's elasticity and the dough's
gas retention). It is an ideal flour for yeast breads.
Enjoy the recipes,
Hope Pryor, Owner and Publisher
of CooksRecipes.com.
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Hope Pryor is the
owner and publisher of CooksRecipes.com and editor of its enewsletter,
The Daily Recipe. She has had several years of schooling in the
home arts and cooking and has over 30+ years of hands-on experience
in her own kitchen mastering her cooking skills which earned
her a reputation as an excellent and knowledgeable cook among
family, friends and associates. |
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