FLOUR VARIETIES, FACTS AND TIPS

Flour Types

All-Purpose Flour

The most common called for flour in recipes. A blend of hard and soft wheat, it may be bleached or unbleached. Bleached is best for pie crusts, cookies, quick breads, pancakes and waffles. Unbleached is generally best because of it's higher protein content for yeast breads, Danish pastry, puff pastry, strudel, Yorkshire pudding, eclairs, cream puffs and popovers

Cake Flour

This a "fine-textured, silky flour milled from soft wheats with a low protein content." Since it has a greater percentage of starch and less protein, it's best for keeping delicate cakes tender. You can use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour in recipes by increasing the cake flour by 2 tablespoons per cup, but that in some recipes the substitution may cause sinkage or collapse. Similarly, you can use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour by decreasing the all-purpose flour by 2 tablespoons, but it is not recommend to substitute when making delicate cakes such as angel food or sponge.

Self-Rising Flour

Sometimes referred to as phosphated flour, this is a low-protein flour with salt and leavening already added. It's most often recommended for biscuits and some quick breads but never for yeast breads. 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.

Instantized Flour

Is granular in texture and, because it disperses instantly in cold liquids, is best for preparing smooth gravies and sauces.

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