Rye Flour
You can’t have rye bread—or Reubens—without rye flour, which is milled from rye kernels. Rye is closely related to wheat, but it has a lower gluten and protein content and more soluble fiber than wheat flour does. It has a fresh, nutty flavor and can add additional texture to baked goods. Rye flour has its own set of subcategories, like pumpernickel and white rye flour, which vary in intensity and texture.
Use it for: Bread, pie crust, cookies
Buy it: King Arthur Rye Flour Blend
Pastry Flour
Pastry flour is a fine flour made from soft white wheat and soft red wheat. This is a lower protein content flour, which provides a soft texture or light crumb. It is used in pastries like croissants and puff pastry. Pastry flour and cake flour have a very similar protein content, and you can also use pastry flour in cakes as well if a recipe calls for cake flour but you can’t find it.
What is the protein content of pastry flour?
What can pastry flour be used for?
Pastry flour is good for pastries such as croissants, puff pastry, donuts, biscuits, cakes, and more.
What is the best pastry flour?
Guisto’s makes the best organic pastry flour.
Cake Flour
For the most tender cakes, you’ll want to reach for low-protein cake flour. It generally has a protein content of 5 to 8 percent, so it has less ability to form gluten bonds (hence the soft, tender texture it yields). Another benefit? Cake flour can absorb more liquid and sugar than other flours, so it keeps your cakes moist for longer.
Use it for: All types of cakes—sponges, angel food cake, chiffon, layer cakes and muffins
Buy it: Swans Down Cake Flour
Bread Flour
Bread flour has a higher protein content than all purpose flour. It is most commonly used for yeast breads. Due to its higher protein content, bread flour makes dough more elastic which can result in a more chewy texture in your finished baked goods. Be sure to use bread flour if a recipe calls for it.
What is the protein content of bread flour?
12 to 14% protein
What can bread flour be used for?
Bread flour is best for sourdough, buns, bagels, pizza doughs, crusty breads, pretzels, and more.
What is the best bread flour?
The best organic bread flour comes from Cairnspring Mills, Central Milling, or King Arthur.
Kamut Flour
Kamut flour is one of my favorite specialty flours to use. Its flavor is unmatchable with any other type of flour and it lends a sweet, nuttiness to baked goods that will just make you wonder what that flavor is! I love using it in cookies.
Kamut flour is made from Khorasan wheat, which is an ancient grain. This ancient grain is an amber wheat and is closely related to durum wheat. Kamut is the only brand that guarantees the preservation of this ancient strain of wheat. Kamut flour is also higher in protein than traditional wheat, coming in up to 40% more!
What can Kamut flour be used for?
Kamut flour is good for cookies, pastries, biscotti, bars, and more. Try my Kamut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, it’s one of the top recipes on my site!
What is the best Kamut flour?
Food to Live makes the best organic Kamut flour that I have used yet.
Self-Rising Flour
Want to know a secret? Self-rising flour is just finely milled flour with added leavener—specifically, baking powder and salt. It’s milled from soft wheat and has a protein content of approximately 9 percent. Self-rising flour yields lofty, light baked goods, but it can’t be swapped as readily as other flours because the added ingredients can throw off other measurements in the recipe.
Use it for: Biscuits, pancakes, scones
Buy it: White Lily Self-Rising Flour
Yuki Kondo/Getty Images
Kamut Flour
Kamut flour is one of my favorite specialty flours to use. Its flavor is unmatchable with any other type of flour and it lends a sweet, nuttiness to baked goods that will just make you wonder what that flavor is! I love using it in cookies.
Kamut flour is made from Khorasan wheat, which is an ancient grain. This ancient grain is an amber wheat and is closely related to durum wheat. Kamut is the only brand that guarantees the preservation of this ancient strain of wheat. Kamut flour is also higher in protein than traditional wheat, coming in up to 40% more!
What can Kamut flour be used for?
Kamut flour is good for cookies, pastries, biscotti, bars, and more. Try my Kamut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, it’s one of the top recipes on my site!
What is the best Kamut flour?
Food to Live makes the best organic Kamut flour that I have used yet.
Types of Flour
Bleached Flour vs. Unbleached Flour
All flours are bleached, but unbleached flour is bleached naturally as it ages—exposure to oxygen causes it to whiten over time. It has a denser texture and duller color, and it provides more structure in baked goods. Bleached flour has been treated with bleaching agents (like benzoyl peroxide) to speed up the flour’s aging process. The result is a paler color and lighter, softer texture than unbleached flour. Baking with bleached flour will yield softer results, too, but overall, the two are interchangeable.
Rye Flour
Rye flour is made from rye berries, which are also sometimes called rye kernels. While everyone knows that rye flour is used in rye bread, it can also be used in other baked goods to provide a distinct flavor. Try my Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies! Rye flour is known as a healthier flour option because it is high in fiber, iron, B vitamins and more. Plus, rye flour provides an amazing flavor in baked goods – this is why I love it.
What can rye flour be used for?
Rye flour is good for breads, cookies, sourdough, crackers, scones, and more.
What is the best rye flour?
King Arthur and Central Milling make the best organic rye flour.
A Note About Gluten-Free Flours and Nut Meals
We didn’t include gluten-free flour blends, nut meals or rice flours in our list—while they’re all technically “flours” (aka anything that’s been ground up), they behave entirely differently than wheat flours do.
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Types and Uses of Flours for Baking
1 – All-Purpose Flour
Background: All-purpose is probably the go-to flour of all the types that are
available. It is created using a combination of soft wheat and hard wheat so it
has a protein level from 8 to 11 percent. It has a higher starch content
because the germ and bran have been removed.
The FDA requires white flour to contain
iron, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, and niacin. If the all-purpose flour is
bleached, it was lightened with a type of peroxide.
Most used for: This flour is used for a variety of baking
items, such as cakes and cookies, biscuits and pizza dough, and it is used in
many cooking recipes to make sauces and gravies. It is also used as a
thickener.
Storage info: It is suggested to put a new bag of flour just purchased at the grocery store in the freezer for 48 hours to kill any eggs from insects that could be unseen.
It can then be transferred to a glass or plastic container and it will last for a year or more. It can also be left in the freezer and does not have to be defrosted in order to use it.
2 – Almond Flour
Background: Made from ground almonds, this type of flour has gained popularity in recent years because of its many health benefits. Almond flour is gluten-free, low in carbs, and contains fiber and fats that are healthy.
It offers a lower glycemic index so it will not cause your sugar to spike and because it is made of almonds it has been credited with helping lower cholesterol levels.
Most used for: Almond flour is used more and more to replace regular
wheat flours in recipes used by those on specific diets. While it can be used
in baking in the same proportions as regular wheat flours, the baked goods end
up being more dense and much flatter.
Storage info: Almond flour will last 9 months in a plastic or glass container in the
freezer or refrigerator.
3 – Amaranth Flour
Background: Made from grinding seeds produced by the amaranth plant, this flour was popular by the Incas and Aztecs in ancient times. It is popular again because it is packed with protein and is gluten-free.
Grinding the seeds results in a type of flour that is highly regarded because it contains the amino acids methionine and lysine. It was also tested and shown to have antioxidant qualities.
Most used for: This type of flour is used in addition to all-purpose flour to boost its gluten-free and other healthy properties.
A major flour company tested amaranth flour in proportions ranging from 25% to 50% added to all-purpose flour. The proportions that they found successful were 50% for pancakes and banana bread, and 25% for scones, cinnamon bread, and muffins.
Storage info: Amaranth flour will last for six months in a tightly closed container
in the freezer.
4 – Barley Flour
Background: Derived from a mixture of ground and dried barley, this type of flour can be used on its own for specific baking items, but also makes a useful addition to whole wheat and/or all-purpose flour for specific recipes.
Each cup of barley flour has 7 grams of fiber but it does contain gluten so it is not for those on a celiac diet. It can be kept stored for one year so it has a long shelf life.
Most used for: You can create a simple barley bread using this
flour as well as barley chocolate chip cookies. You can find a number of
recipes using barley flour online including a vegan zucchini bread.
Storage info: Barley flour will last about three months if stored in an airtight
container in the freezer.
5 – Bread Flour
Background: If you have been using regular all-purpose flour when making bread don’t worry, you are not doing anything wrong. Using either type of flour will yield a great loaf of bread.
So what are the pros and cons of bread flour over all-purpose flour? Bread flour was created specifically for baking loaves of bread that require yeast.
Bread flour has gluten in it and has between 12%% to 14% protein, which is higher than the 8% to 11% usually found in all-purpose flour. With a higher gluten content, bread flour will make a lighter and more elastic bread dough. This will result in an airy, chewy slice of bread.
Most used for: Besides white bread and sourdough, you can use
bread flour to make dinner rolls, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and even pretzels.
While you can use all-purpose flour to make bread, it does not work the same if
you substitute pastry flour or cake flour.
Storage info: Bread flour will last a year in the freezer in an airtight container.
6 – Buckwheat Flour
Background: Even though this flour has wheat in its name, it is not made of wheat but rather comes from the seeds of a plant and is most associated with wild rhubarb and sorrel.
It is gluten-free and can replace white or wheat flour in many recipes. It is low in fat, has almost 4 grams of protein per serving, and is brimming with vitamins and minerals. Each serving has 10% thiamin, 12 % niacin, and 14% of the vitamin B-6.
Most used for: It can be used as a replacement for recipes that
call for whole wheat or white flour. Buckwheat flour can be used to make
breads, muffins, and cookies.
Storage info: This flour can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 months, in the freezer,
in an airtight container for 6 months, and a year if kept in a dark cool area
in an airtight container.
7 – Cake Flour
Background: You have probably always used all-purpose flour whenever you made a cake, so do you really need cake flour? The difference between the two types of flour lies in the fact that cake flour is lower in protein, softer, and lighter than all-purpose.
Avid bakers do prefer the difference cake flour makes in their recipes. If you would like to see for yourself, just remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour from your cake recipe per cup and replace it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Most used for: Most commonly used for making cakes, but you can also use it for making pancakes, muffins, and breads.
Storage info: Cake flour will last for up to eight months when stored in a sealed
glass or plastic container. It will last indefinitely if kept sealed in your
freezer.
8 – Oat Flour
Background: Oat flour has become more popular since people began avoiding gluten. Oat flour is made by grinding oats into a powder form and because it is not made from wheat it is gluten-free.
You can use it in place of white or whole-wheat flour and while it adds a fuller flavor to baked goods, it does leave the texture on the chewy side.
You can take 1 1/4 cups of rolled oats and grind it up in a blender to make your own oat flour or you can purchase it online or at most grocery stores.
Most used for: There are special recipes that are specifically adapted to oat flour so you can still make muffins, breads, pancakes, waffles, cookies, and cakes.
If you are trying to adapt it on your own, you can exchange up to 30% of the flour you are using for oat flour to reduce the amount of gluten in the recipe.
Storage info: If you keep your oat flour in a sealed container in a place that is
dry and cool, it will last up to a year.
9 – Pastry Flour
Background: If you are into baking, you already are aware of pastry flour. This flour is specifically for making pastry items and differs from both all-purpose flour and cake flour in the amount of protein it contains.
While all-purpose has about 11 percent and cake flour has about 8 percent, pastry flour lands right in the middle with 9 percent protein.
Substitutions: You can use pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour on a one to one basis. If you need pastry flour but don’t have any, you can remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and replace it with 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
If you don’t have any pastry flour but you do have cake flour just add 2 tablespoons of cake flour to complete the recipe.
Most used for: Besides the obvious, pastry flour is the flour
of choice for making cookies, cakes, and muffins. It is not a good choice for
making bread.
Storage info: In a cool but dry place your pastry flour will last from 1 to 2 years.
10 – Rice Flour
Background: Rice flour originated in China, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia where 90 percent of the rice is from. Rice flour was introduced to our culture in the 1980s and it became popular for use in baking.
Rice flour is created when kernels of rice are ground and milled into a powder form. The kind of rice depends on the type of rice that is ground, how the rice becomes milled, and the content of the starch of the finished flour.
There are two kinds of rice flour – white and brown. Both are used to make breads that are gluten-free. White flour has very little flavor while brown rice has a subtle sweet and nutty taste.
While they are almost equal in calories, brown rice four has more protein, more fiber, and more folate than white flour.
Most used for: When using rice flour you must use recipes that
call for this type of flour as you cannot substitute rice flour for any other
flours. There are recipes you can find to make muffins, cakes, and sweet baked
goods using rice flour.
Storage info: Both types of rice flour have a shelf life of 6 months to a year if
stored in an airtight container and kept in your freezer.
11 – Self-Rising Flour
Background: Self-rising flour begins with a cup of all-purpose flour and is combined with one-quarter teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
You can buy self-rising flour already prepared or make your own if it is not a type of flour you will use on a regular basis.
Most used for: Self-rising flour is used to make biscuits,
pizza crusts, sugar cookies, different kinds of pancakes, and dumplings.
Storage info: Because of the inclusion of the baking powder in this type of flour,
the shelf life is only about 4 to 6 months. Baking powder on its own loses
effectiveness after a short period of time so it’s always good to make sure it
is fresh when called for in a recipe.
12 – White-Wheat Flour and Whole-Wheat Flour
Background: Both white-wheat and whole wheat flour are considered whole wheat. White whole wheat flour comes from winter wheat or hard spring wheat.
Whole wheat flour is identical nutritionally but is lighter in color and has a milder taste. Ether of these types of flour can be substituted for the other.
Most used for: When baking with white-wheat flour and
whole-wheat flour you will find your baked goods come out with a better color
and a more nutty flavor. They work well in recipes for pancakes, banana bread,
waffles, and muffins.
Storage info: Both types of wheat flour will last up to three months in a cool dry
place while stored in an airtight container. If you want a longer shelf life
you can put the container in the freezer and it will last up to a year.
Almond Flour
Almond flour is made from grinding blanched almonds. It is a tan colored flour that can be used in many ways that all purpose flour is used. Though, it doesn’t have gluten-forming proteins, so it won’t act the same as far as creating chewy texture and helping baked goods rise. I like to use almond flour in cookies, brownies, and biscotti. You can even make your own almond flour by grinding blanched slivered almonds in a food processor until fine.
What can almond flour be used for?
Almond flour can be used for cookies, brownies, bars, biscotti, scones, French macarons, and more.
00 Flour
00 flour is a specialty flour that is most commonly used to make pizza dough and pasta. It hails from Italy, and the 00 stands for the size of the grind. In Europe, mills or grinds can range from 00 to 2, with 00 being the finest grind. 00 flour is made from Durum wheat, which has a high protein content so that means that the gluten formation is strong. This is one of the reasons why it makes amazing pizza dough! And some people even call this pizza flour. The protein content is very similar to all purpose, so you could substitute that in a pinch but I really think that this flour makes a big difference. I have even used it to make cookies and brownies before!
What is the protein content of 00 flour?
11 to 12.5% protein
What can 00 flour be used for?
00 flour is used for pizza dough, pasta, cookies, brownies, and more.
What is the best 00 flour?
Guisto’s makes the best organic 00 flour.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Su-Jit Lin has over a dozen years of experience in food writing and research and three times that in eating and comparing it with zeal. Her extensive travels have led her on singular scavenger hunts for the best and most authentic regional baked goods around the world, from the typical like croissants in Paris, pizza in Naples, and scones in Dublin to Sacher tortes in Vienna, pistachio paste cookies in Rome, pineapple buns in Hong Kong, and rusks in Cape Town. She’s a food science enthusiast and as such, an avid collector of ingredients known among friends to overflow her long-suffering pantry with things like single-purpose flour. She is not against gluten.
Amanda McDonald is an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She updated this story to include the most up-to-date information.
All Purpose Flour
All purpose flour is your most standard flour. It’s used in everything from chocolate chip cookies, brownies, some cakes, breads, cinnamon rolls and more! It is most common in cakes where there is a fruit or vegetable that makes the cake very moist, such as carrot cake. The higher protein content in all purpose flour versus cake flour will help with structure when you have a cake that is very moist, such as carrot or zucchini.
If you notice that organic all purpose flour will be accompanied by unbleached, let me explain why. While all flour is bleached in some way, traditional conventional flour is bleached using chemicals to speed up aging. Alternatively, organic unbleached all purpose flour is bleached naturally as it ages. This is why it is important to buy organic unbleached all purpose flour.
What is the protein content of all purpose flour?
10 to 12% protein
What can all purpose flour be used for?
All purpose flour is best for cookies, brownies, pie crust, muffins, cinnamon rolls, carrot cakes, and more.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is a low protein flour, and it is milled into a very fine consistency. This combination of lower protein and very fine texture is what creates the light and fluffy texture that everyone loves about cake. There is no organic cake flour on the market right now, but King Arthur makes my favorite one that is Non GMO. You can also make Homemade Cake Flour!
What is the protein content of cake flour?
7 to 9% protein
What can cake flour be used for?
Cake flour is good for layer cakes, pound cakes, sheet cakes, cupcakes, sponge cakes, muffins, and more.
What is the best cake flour?
King Arthur makes the best cake flour for baking. While it is not organic, it is Non GMO and it’s the best one on the market right now. You can also make your own Homemade Cake Flour using organic ingredients!
What is flour protein content?
Flour is made from wheat, and the proteins in wheat are called gluten-forming proteins. The amount of gluten-forming proteins are what determines what that flour does to your baked goods. There are different amounts of these gluten-forming proteins in all the different types of flour. So, not all flour is created equal!
These gluten-forming proteins play a major role in your baked goods. Flours with a higher protein content will make your baked goods chewy and sturdy – think crusty breads like sourdough. Flours with a lower protein content will make your baked goods tender and fluffy – like cakes and cupcakes.
What to Look for in Flour
If you are going to bake cookies, muffins, and brownies, you will want a good, all-purpose flour that ranges in the 10 to 12 percent protein range. If you’re going to make sturdier products, such as bread, pizza, and pasta, you’ll look to semolina, tipo 00, whole-wheat and/or bread flours. (These flours have a higher protein content than all-purpose flour). Finally, for cakes and delicate pastries, you’ll look for pastry and cake flours.
You may have seen words such as bleached, unbleached, bromated, and pre-sifted on bags of flour before. These words will give you a clue as to how the flour will look and taste once it’s used and baked. Seek out those that are marked whole grain, stone-ground, and/or unbleached if you prefer products that are as wholesome and unprocessed as possible. If you can find locally or regionally milled flour, it will taste even fresher, and that will be evident in your baked goods—especially when it comes to homemade bread.
Don’t buy more flour than you need. If you find yourself in a situation where you can buy some good local flour and you want to stock up but you’re not sure how quickly you’ll go through it, you can always freeze flour. Freshness is especially important if the flour is whole grain. They still contain the bran of the grain and will therefore go rancid faster than all-purpose white flour.
Why is protein content important in flour?
Protein content in flour is important for baking because baking is really all about texture. Think about if you had a bread that was crumbly and not chewy – that wouldn’t be good. Or if you had a cake that was hard and dense instead of spongy and fluffy.
So, when a recipe calls for a specific type of flour, be sure to use that specific type of flour. Otherwise, you will get a different final product – one that probably doesn’t taste as good as it should!
Almond Flour
Almond flour is made from grinding blanched almonds. It is a tan colored flour that can be used in many ways that all purpose flour is used. Though, it doesn’t have gluten-forming proteins, so it won’t act the same as far as creating chewy texture and helping baked goods rise. I like to use almond flour in cookies, brownies, and biscotti. You can even make your own almond flour by grinding blanched slivered almonds in a food processor until fine.
What can almond flour be used for?
Almond flour can be used for cookies, brownies, bars, biscotti, scones, French macarons, and more.
What is the best almond flour?
The best organic almond flour can be bought from Food to Live or Terrasoul Superfoods.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is a low protein flour, and it is milled into a very fine consistency. This combination of lower protein and very fine texture is what creates the light and fluffy texture that everyone loves about cake. There is no organic cake flour on the market right now, but King Arthur makes my favorite one that is Non GMO. You can also make Homemade Cake Flour!
What is the protein content of cake flour?
7 to 9% protein
What can cake flour be used for?
Cake flour is good for layer cakes, pound cakes, sheet cakes, cupcakes, sponge cakes, muffins, and more.
What is the best cake flour?
King Arthur makes the best cake flour for baking. While it is not organic, it is Non GMO and it’s the best one on the market right now. You can also make your own Homemade Cake Flour using organic ingredients!
White Whole Wheat Flour
White whole wheat flour is milled just like regular whole wheat flour, but it starts with a hard wheat that’s paler, called hard white wheat. It has a similar protein content (about 14 percent), but a milder taste. Bonus: It has the same nutritional benefits as whole wheat flour but won’t affect the taste of your baked goods quite as much.
Use it for: Bread, muffins and cookies
Buy it: King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
Johnathon Broekhuizen/Getty Images
Bread Flour
Think about sourdough bread—how does it get that satisfying chew? A lot of that texture comes from bread flour, which is the strongest of all the flours and has a protein content of 12 to 14 percent. The extra protein is essential for yeasted breads that need strong gluten to rise properly.
Use it for: Yeast breads, bagels, pretzels and pizza dough
Buy it: King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty Images
Self Rising Flour
Self rising flour is just flour with baking powder and salt already added to it. Baking powder is a leavening agent, which makes baked goods rise. So, adding this to flour is where this flour got its name (I think, haha). Self rising flour is common in Southern baked goods, and it’s important to use it when a recipe calls for it, as it has added leavening that is needed in the recipe.
What can self rising flour be used for?
Self rising flour is most commonly used for biscuits and sponge cakes.
What is the best self rising flour?
There is no organic self rising flour on the market, but you can make your own self rising flour very easily with my Homemade Self Rising Flour recipe.
00 Flour
00 flour is a specialty flour that is most commonly used to make pizza dough and pasta. It hails from Italy, and the 00 stands for the size of the grind. In Europe, mills or grinds can range from 00 to 2, with 00 being the finest grind. 00 flour is made from Durum wheat, which has a high protein content so that means that the gluten formation is strong. This is one of the reasons why it makes amazing pizza dough! And some people even call this pizza flour. The protein content is very similar to all purpose, so you could substitute that in a pinch but I really think that this flour makes a big difference. I have even used it to make cookies and brownies before!
What is the protein content of 00 flour?
11 to 12.5% protein
What can 00 flour be used for?
00 flour is used for pizza dough, pasta, cookies, brownies, and more.
What is the best 00 flour?
Guisto’s makes the best organic 00 flour.
Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is a specialty flour that provides a sweet coconut flavor to baked goods. This flour is very drying and it cannot be substituted for any other type of flour because it does not act the same way as anything else. I use coconut flour sparingly in addition to other types of flours in cookies and coffee cakes.
What can coconut flour be used for?
Coconut flour can be used for cookies, cakes, muffins, scones, and more.
What is the best coconut flour?
The best organic coconut flour is Bob’s Red Mill, Food to Live, or Arrowhead Mills.
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
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White Whole Wheat Flour
Not to be confused with bleached flour, white whole wheat flour is made up of the same components as whole wheat flour, but from a paler variety of wheat called hard white wheat. It has the same protein content as whole wheat flour at 13 to 14 percent, but it tastes slightly sweeter because of its lower tannin content. Whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour actually have the same health benefits, so if you prefer the taste and texture of white bread, but want the nutritional value from whole wheat, then this is the flour for you.
White whole wheat flour is best used for: bread, muffins, pizza dough, and cookies.
Best Bread Flour Brand
The type and brand of flour will affect if you make delicious bread or not. Factors such as the type of flour, its protein content, if it is a blend, method of milling, etc., determine the performance of the bread when kneading and baking.
Above are our top 8 picks for the best bread flour for different categories. The best National brands include King Arthur, White Lily, Great River Organic, Bob’s Redmill, and Gold Medal, among others.
00 Flour
Often referred to as Italian-style flour, 00 flour is made from the hardest type of wheat with a protein content of 11 to 12 percent. The “00” refers to the super-fine texture of the flour, making it easy to roll out to extreme thinness without breaking, which is perfect for pasta and crackers.
00 flour is best used for: pasta, couscous, thin crust pizza dough, flatbreads, and crackers.
Put Your Flour to Good Use!
Semolina Flour
Similar to double zero flour, semolina flour is milled from durum wheat. It’s high in gluten and has about 12 to 13 percent protein content, with a yellow color and nutty flavor. Even if you’ve never baked with it, you’ve probably eaten semolina flour in pasta and couscous. The gluten content is ideal for creating a dry, elastic dough that holds its shape when cooking.
Use it for: Pasta, Middle Eastern desserts, puddings
Buy it: Janie’s Mill Semolina Flour
Eddy Zecchinon/EyeEm/Getty Images
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour (sometimes called AP flour for short) should be a staple in your kitchen. Created from a mixture of soft and hard wheat varieties, it has a moderate protein content of about 9 to 11 percent. As the most versatile flour, it’s capable of creating flaky pie crusts, chewy cookies, and fluffy pancakes. If a recipe calls for “flour,” it most likely means all-purpose flour. (If you watched the video at the top of this article, yep, that homemade tortillas recipe calls for all-purpose flour.)
A note on “bleached” vs. “unbleached”: All-purpose flours that are labeled either “bleached” or “unbleached” will work wherever AP flour is called for. The main difference between these two types is in how they are produced. All flours will bleach (i.e. lighten) over time with exposure to air. Ones that are allowed to bleach naturally are labeled “unbleached.” To speed up the process, manufacturers will add bleaching agents such as chlorine dioxide and benzoyl peroxide— these flours are labeled “bleached.”
All-purpose flour is best used for: cookies, muffins, bread, pie crusts, pancakes, biscuits, pizza dough, and pasta.
Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is a specialty flour that provides a sweet coconut flavor to baked goods. This flour is very drying and it cannot be substituted for any other type of flour because it does not act the same way as anything else. I use coconut flour sparingly in addition to other types of flours in cookies and coffee cakes.
What can coconut flour be used for?
Coconut flour can be used for cookies, cakes, muffins, scones, and more.
Pastry Flour
Somewhere between cake flour and all-purpose flour is pastry flour, which has a protein content around 9 percent. It can make extremely flaky, tender baked goods, which is why it’s often used for pastries, pie crusts and cake.
Use it for: Pastries, cakes, pie crust, muffins, biscuits
Buy it: Bob’s Red Mill White Unbleached Fine Pastry Flour
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Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is a high protein flour. This flour also provides a very hearty and distinct flavor – most of you can probably tell when something is whole wheat flavored! You can use whole wheat flour in some cookie recipes or cinnamon rolls, like my Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls. It can also be used to make breads, crackers, or waffles.
What is the protein content of whole wheat flour?
13 to 14% protein
What can whole wheat flour be used for?
Whole wheat flour is good for: whole wheat breads, crackers, tortillas, cookies, waffles, pancakes, and more.
Self Rising Flour
Self rising flour is just flour with baking powder and salt already added to it. Baking powder is a leavening agent, which makes baked goods rise. So, adding this to flour is where this flour got its name (I think, haha). Self rising flour is common in Southern baked goods, and it’s important to use it when a recipe calls for it, as it has added leavening that is needed in the recipe.
What can self rising flour be used for?
Self rising flour is most commonly used for biscuits and sponge cakes.
What is the best self rising flour?
There is no organic self rising flour on the market, but you can make your own self rising flour very easily with my Homemade Self Rising Flour recipe.
FAQs
What is self-rising flour?
Self-rising flour isn’t a magically levitating substance—all it means is that salt and baking powder have been added to it already in all-purpose proportions. However, because the rise is the highlight of this flour, it’s typically made with a lower protein base for a more tender result. To make your own, choose a soft wheat flour and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to every cup.
How long does flour last?
Well, it all comes down to protein and storage. If kept airtight and away from light, the average all-purpose flour can sit in your pantry for around eight months from opening with no difference in taste or quality. The reason for this is that the printed date is typically “best by” not “use by,” which automatically gives you some wiggle room. Lower-protein flours like cake or pastry will last longer; higher-protein ones like whole wheat may start getting musty after six months or so. The exception to the rule is self-rising types—the baking powder in it will lose potency at around the same rate as the hard wheat. But across the board, if you refrigerate it, you can buy yourself up to two whole years.
How do I tell if my flour’s gone bad?
As with most food, the nose will know. If your flour smells off in a rancid, sour kind of way, chuck it—it’ll affect the flavor of what you make with it, and the last thing you want to do is suffer through a hard-won carb instead of enjoying it. And of course, if you find weevils, larvae, moths, or other types of ick in it, it’s time to restock. You can kill the eggs and bugs by freezing the flour to reduce the risk of infestation in the trash, but into the garbage it should absolutely go.
What is 00 flour?
In short: 00 flour (or double zero flour) is the silkiest, softest, finest ground flour you can get, prized by pizza makers and pasta slingers from Naples to New York and everywhere in between for the strength and elasticity of its meager gluten. Typically, this beautiful, powdery ingredient is imported, hence the 00 designation, which is rated according to Europe’s grind level ranking system versus American protein percentage categorization. What this means is that although 00 flours may have varying levels of protein (8 to 12 percent), they’ll all have in common low levels of germ, bran, and gluten and high levels of satisfying chewiness.
What’s the difference between hard and soft wheat?
Hard wheat, such as durum or winter-planted white and red is higher in protein and therefore has a hardier molecular structure. Because of that, it doesn’t break down as easily and has a more granular texture and a coarser grind. Soft wheat can also be red or white and is planted in the spring. It’s more tender because it blooms faster and younger, and can be milled to a softer, more powdery feel that’s great for lower-gluten, less-structured baking projects.
White Whole Wheat Flour
White whole wheat flour is a type of whole wheat flour. The name may be confusing as it may seem that it is a blend of whole wheat and white flour or that it is bleached whole wheat flour. But, neither of these are true. White whole wheat is milled the same way whole wheat flour is, but it just comes from different wheat berries. While whole wheat flour usually comes from red wheat berries, white whole wheat flour comes from hard white wheat berries which are sweeter! You can use white whole wheat flour interchangeably with whole wheat flour, but the taste will be different.
What is the protein content of white whole wheat flour?
13 to 14% protein
What can white whole wheat flour be used for?
White whole wheat flour is good for cookies, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and more.
What is the best white whole wheat flour?
King Arthur makes the best organic white whole wheat flour.
Gluten-Free Flour
Gluten-free flour can be made from all sorts of ingredient bases, such as rice, corn, potato, tapioca, buckwheat, quinoa, sorghum, or nuts. Xanthan gum can sometimes be added to gluten-free flour to help stimulate the chewiness associated with gluten. Gluten-free flour can’t always be substituted 1:1 for white flour, so be sure to check your specific recipe if you’re thinking about swapping the two.
Gluten-free flour is best used for: cakes, cookies, pancakes, bread, and muffins.
Pastry Flour
With an 8 to 9 percent protein content, pastry flour falls in between all-purpose flour and cake flour. It strikes the perfect balance between flakiness and tenderness, making it the go-to choice for pie crusts, tarts, and cookies. You can even make your own at home by mixing 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour with 2/3 cup cake flour.
Pastry flour is best used for: pie crusts, cookies, muffins, pancakes, cakes, biscuits, and bread sticks.
How Should You Store Your Flour?
Whether you are keeping your flour in your refrigerator or your freezer, you will want to put it in an airtight glass or plastic container.
You can also keep your flour in a zip-lock type plastic storage bag specifically for the freezer. You should mark the date on the bag or place a sticker with the date on it on the airtight container.
How to Choose the Best Bread Flour Brand
Types of Bread Flour
There are different types of flour for bread making. Wheat is the most commonly used flour ingredient, although other options include rye flour, and multigrain flour. Typically, wheat flour contains high levels of gluten. Therefore, if you are keen on gluten-free flour, consider non-wheat types.
Wheat Flour for Bread Making
There are different types of wheat flour for bread making, and the right choice depends on the flour’s characteristics and the bread you make.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Wheat Flour for Bread
Wheat flour is preferred for baking as it has a high protein level, which provides structure to the bread and allows it to rise. The flour’s vital wheat gluten content influences the bread’s texture. Wheat flour produces hard and chewy bread with an extremely high protein ratio of above 15%. On the other hand, a lower protein content produces softer and tender bread.
Lower protein wheat flour is recommended for light and fluffy breads such as brioche, cakes, and biscuits. For breads with an elaborate fermentation process or those with a hard crust, a higher protein content of wheat flour is preferable. For instance, whole wheat flour has higher protein content and is suitable for making crusty breads such as a baguette.
Bleached vs Unbleached Flour
White wheat flour is either bleached or unbleached. Typically, milled flours bleach and turn white over time. However, the bleaching process can take a long time. Therefore, some manufacturers use chemicals such as chlorine dioxide and benzoyl peroxide to accelerate the bleaching process.
Bleached flour is chemically processed to facilitate its aging process. It is softer and finer in texture and whiter in color. In contrast, unbleached flour is left to age naturally. It has a denser and rougher texture. Nutritionally, both types of flour have a similar profile. However, bleached flour may have a bitter, acidic taste.
Although the two types of flour can be used interchangeably in various baking recipes, bleached flour presents better gluten development. It is better suited for making cookies, waffles, and light breads. It is easier to knead and increases volume.
On the other hand, unbleached flour is great for making yeast breads as it provides a denser crumb and texture. Due to its denser nature, it is more difficult to knead, so you may need a bread machine if you make bread frequently or large batches of dough.
Quality of Flour
Some aspects to consider when determining the quality of wheat flour are the method of processing, quality of ingredients used, taste, and packaging. For instance, stone-ground flour generally has better quality than machine-grilled flour.
Also, kosher, organic, Non-GMO flour is preferable. The flour should be packed in high-quality packaging to ensure safe delivery without contamination. It should be airtight to keep moisture out and prevent mold.
Types of Wheat Flour
The most common types of wheat flour include white wheat flour, all-purpose wheat flour, whole-wheat flour, self-rising flour, organic flour, cake flour, pastry flour, etc.
White Wheat Flour vs Whole Grain Wheat Flour
White wheat flour is processed from the endosperm part of the wheat grain. It does not contain bran, germ, or kernel. On the other hand, whole wheat grain contains all three parts. In wheat grain, the endosperm is rich in protein, the germ contains fat and protein, and the bran is rich in fiber.
Whole wheat flour has a higher protein and fiber content than white wheat flour. It is also more nutritious. Due to its high protein content, whole wheat flour is denser and heavier. It is a great option for crustier breads and may be more challenging to knead.
All-Purpose Wheat Flour
All-purpose flour is refined wheat flour used for various baking recipes. It has a medium protein content of 9-12%. When using all-purpose flour, you will need a raising or leavening agent for your bread recipe.
Self-rising flour contains a rising agent. Like all-purpose flour, self-rising flour has mid-range protein content. It is best used for making cakes and other pastries. When baking leavened bread, the leavening agent is used more sparingly than if you used all-purpose flour. If you add too much yeast to your recipe, it inhibits proper gluten development.
Some manufacturers also specify their types of flour as cake flour, pastry flour, or bread flour.
- Cake flour is mainly designed for use in baking cakes. It has a low protein content of about 5-8% to produce light and fluffy cakes.
- Bread flour is particularly produced for making yeast breads and pizza dough. It has a high protein content of 11-13%. It is not suitable for making lighter breads and cookies.
- Pastry flour has a finer texture than all-purpose flour. Like cake flour, it has a low protein content and is best suited for making pie crusts and pound cakes.
Spelt flour is a wheat flour made from a special type of wheat grain. It can be in the form of whole grain or white spelt flour. Whole grain spelt flour is similar to the standard whole grain wheat flour. It has a heavier and coarser texture, while white spelt flour is a great option for all-purpose flour.
The flour has a nuttier flavor and a sweeter taste. It has a similar nutrition profile as regular wheat flour with slightly higher nutrient content. However, it is prone to over-processing, leading to a crumbly texture. It is best suited for making quick breads, such as beer bread, banana bread, cornbread, soda bread, pancakes, muffins, etc.
Multigrain Bread Flour
Multigrain bread flour consists of several grains. Most have 2 or more grains, including wheat, rye, oats, barley, flax, and brown rice, among others. They may also contain seeds such as flaxseeds, quinoa, and buckwheat. The grains are ground whole, including the kernels. This type of flour is dense and heavy. It has a complex flavor and texture.
Rye flour is mainly used for making rye bread. It has a distinct, intense flavor. As such, some people prefer to swap half of the portion of the recommended amount in a recipe with a different type of flour, such as all-purpose flour, to tone down the intense taste of the bread.
Rye flour is not gluten-free. It contains a type of gluten protein known as celican. It has a higher nutrient range than wheat flour and more yeasts. However, its gluten content is much lower than that of wheat.
Types of Gluten-Free Bread Flour
If you want to make gluten-free bread, here is a wide range of flours you can use, including:
- Buckwheat flour
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Millet flour
- Brown rice flour
- Corn flour
- Millet flour
- Oat flour
- Teff flour
- Quinoa flour
- Amaranth flour
Whole Wheat Flour
All flours are made from wheat kernels, which are separated into three components—the endosperm, germ and bran—during the milling process. For white flours, only the endosperm is milled, but with whole wheat flour, some of the germ and bran is added back in, which give it a nutty flavor and dense texture (plus fiber, minerals and vitamins). Whole wheat flour has a protein content around 14 percent, but it doesn’t form gluten as readily as white flour. That means if you want to bake with whole wheat, it’s best to swap for no more than 25 percent of the white flour. (Psst: Whole wheat flour also spoils quicker, so store it in the freezer.)
Use it for: Bread, pancakes, pasta and adding a nutty flavor to baked goods
Buy it: Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour
Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images
Bread Flour
Bread flour has a higher protein content than all purpose flour. It is most commonly used for yeast breads. Due to its higher protein content, bread flour makes dough more elastic which can result in a more chewy texture in your finished baked goods. Be sure to use bread flour if a recipe calls for it.
What is the protein content of bread flour?
12 to 14% protein
What can bread flour be used for?
Bread flour is best for sourdough, buns, bagels, pizza doughs, crusty breads, pretzels, and more.
Instant Flour (Wondra)
If you ask us, instant flour (which is sometimes referred to as Wondra, a popular brand name), is underrated. It’s a finely milled, low-protein flour that’s been pre-cooked and dried out. Because of this, it dissolves instantly and doesn’t clump when added to hot liquids, making it ideal for gravies and sauces. It also means you don’t have to cook out that raw flour taste beforehand, which streamlines your overall prep time. It’s not interchangeable for all-purpose in every recipe, but it can be used in pie crusts for a flakier bite, and it makes for a super-crispy breading when battering and frying veggies or fish.
Use it for: Gravy, pie crust, thin batters
Buy it: Gold Medal Wondra Quick-Mixing Flour
White Whole Wheat Flour
White whole wheat flour is a type of whole wheat flour. The name may be confusing as it may seem that it is a blend of whole wheat and white flour or that it is bleached whole wheat flour. But, neither of these are true. White whole wheat is milled the same way whole wheat flour is, but it just comes from different wheat berries. While whole wheat flour usually comes from red wheat berries, white whole wheat flour comes from hard white wheat berries which are sweeter! You can use white whole wheat flour interchangeably with whole wheat flour, but the taste will be different.
What is the protein content of white whole wheat flour?
13 to 14% protein
What can white whole wheat flour be used for?
White whole wheat flour is good for cookies, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and more.
What is the best white whole wheat flour?
King Arthur makes the best organic white whole wheat flour.
What is the Most Accurate Way to Measure Flour?
If you are an at-home baker cooking for
friends and family, using a good set of measuring cups will work just fine.
Spoon out the flour and use the flat edge of a butter knife to level off the
flour at the top of the measuring cup.
If you are a more serious baking
enthusiast, you might want to consider getting a small baking scale. One cup of
flour equals 120 grams and weighs in at 4 1/4 ounces. This type of measuring
produces precise and consistent amounts for your recipes every time.
It’s always best to use the correct type
of flour called for in your recipe, but if you have to make a substitution, you
may find there is not that big of a difference.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.
All Purpose Flour
All purpose flour is your most standard flour. It’s used in everything from chocolate chip cookies, brownies, some cakes, breads, cinnamon rolls and more! It is most common in cakes where there is a fruit or vegetable that makes the cake very moist, such as carrot cake. The higher protein content in all purpose flour versus cake flour will help with structure when you have a cake that is very moist, such as carrot or zucchini.
If you notice that organic all purpose flour will be accompanied by unbleached, let me explain why. While all flour is bleached in some way, traditional conventional flour is bleached using chemicals to speed up aging. Alternatively, organic unbleached all purpose flour is bleached naturally as it ages. This is why it is important to buy organic unbleached all purpose flour.
What is the protein content of all purpose flour?
10 to 12% protein
What can all purpose flour be used for?
All purpose flour is best for cookies, brownies, pie crust, muffins, waffles, cinnamon rolls, carrot cakes, and more.
Looking for my sweatshirt? Shop the Varsity Flour Sweatshirt now.
What is the best all purpose flour?
The best organic all purpose flour comes from Cairnspring Mills, Central Milling, King Arthur, Guisto’s, O Organics, or Bob’s Red Mill.
Rye Flour
Rye flour is made from rye berries, which are also sometimes called rye kernels. While everyone knows that rye flour is used in rye bread, it can also be used in other baked goods to provide a distinct flavor. Try my Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies! Rye flour is known as a healthier flour option because it is high in fiber, iron, B vitamins and more. Plus, rye flour provides an amazing flavor in baked goods – this is why I love it.
What can rye flour be used for?
Rye flour is good for breads, cookies, sourdough, crackers, scones, and more.
Pastry Flour
Pastry flour is a fine flour made from soft white wheat and soft red wheat. This is a lower protein content flour, which provides a soft texture or light crumb. It is used in pastries like croissants and puff pastry. Pastry flour and cake flour have a very similar protein content, and you can also use pastry flour in cakes as well if a recipe calls for cake flour but you can’t find it.
What is the protein content of pastry flour?
What can pastry flour be used for?
Pastry flour is good for pastries such as croissants, puff pastry, donuts, biscuits, cakes, and more.
What is the best pastry flour?
Guisto’s makes the best organic pastry flour.
Spelt Flour
What’s spelt? It’s just another type of wheat, and spelt flour is a type of whole wheat flour milled from the entire grain of spelt. But unlike regular whole wheat flour, spelt flour is lower in protein and behaves similarly to all-purpose flour (but with a lot more flavor). It tastes slightly acidic and tangy, almost like yogurt.
Use it for: Cakes, muffins, cookies, crumbles, crisps
Buy it: Janie’s Mill Spelt Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
During the milling process, a kernel of wheat is separated into its three components: the endosperm, the germ, and the bran. To make white flour, just the endosperm is milled. To make whole wheat flour, varying amounts of the germ and bran are added back in to the flour. Whole wheat flour tends to have a high protein content around 13 to 14 percent, but the presence of the germ and bran affect the flour’s gluten-forming ability. Because of this, whole wheat flour usually leads to super sticky dough and denser baked goods. The presence of wheat germ also makes whole wheat flour far more perishable than white flour. While white flour can sit in your pantry in an airtight canister for up to eight months, whole wheat flour will only stay at its best for up to three months.
Whole wheat flour is best used for: cookies, bread, pancakes, pizza dough, and pasta.
Cake Flour
Cake flour has the lowest protein content of all flours at 5 to 8 percent. Because of this, it forms less gluten, which leads to softer baked goods—perfect for cake recipes (obviously!), muffins, and biscuits. Cake flour also absorbs more liquid and sugar than all-purpose flour, which helps create super-moist cakes.
Cake flour is best used for: sponge cake, pound cake, layer cake, angel food cake, and muffins.
Why is protein content important in flour?
Protein content in flour is important for baking because baking is really all about texture. Think about if you had a bread that was crumbly and not chewy – that wouldn’t be good. Or if you had a cake that was hard and dense instead of spongy and fluffy.
So, when a recipe calls for a specific type of flour, be sure to use that specific type of flour. Otherwise, you will get a different final product – one that probably doesn’t taste as good as it should!
What is flour protein content?
Flour is made from wheat, and the proteins in wheat are called gluten-forming proteins. The amount of gluten-forming proteins are what determines what that flour does to your baked goods. There are different amounts of these gluten-forming proteins in all the different types of flour. So, not all flour is created equal!
These gluten-forming proteins play a major role in your baked goods. Flours with a higher protein content will make your baked goods chewy and sturdy – think crusty breads like sourdough. Flours with a lower protein content will make your baked goods tender and fluffy – like cakes and cupcakes.
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is a high protein flour. This flour also provides a very hearty and distinct flavor – most of you can probably tell when something is whole wheat flavored! You can use whole wheat flour in some cookie recipes or cinnamon rolls, like my Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls. It can also be used to make breads, crackers, or waffles.
What is the protein content of whole wheat flour?
13 to 14% protein
What can whole wheat flour be used for?
Whole wheat flour is good for: whole wheat breads, crackers, tortillas, cookies, waffles, pancakes, and more.
What is the best whole wheat flour?
The best organic whole wheat flour comes from either Central Milling, King Arthur, Bob’s Red Mill, or Guisto’s.
Almond Flour
Almond flour is made by blanching almonds in boiling water to remove the skins, then grinding and sifting them into a fine flour. This gluten-free favorite is low in carbs and high in healthy fats and fiber. To replace wheat flour with almond flour, start by replacing the flours 1:1 and then add more of a rising agent (like baking powder or baking soda) to accommodate the heavier weight of the almond flour. Note: This will take a little experimenting.
Almond flour is best used for: cookies, muffins, pancakes, biscuits, and bread.
Bread Flour
Milled entirely from hard wheat, bread flour is the strongest of all flours with a high protein content at 12 to 14 percent. This comes in handy when baking yeasted breads because of the strong gluten content required to make the bread rise properly. Bread flour makes for a better volume and a chewier crumb with your bakes.
Bread flour is best used for: artisan breads, yeast breads, bagels, pretzels, and pizza dough.
8 Best Bread Flours
1. Best All-Purpose Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
The Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour is suitable for baking a wide range of recipes, including pizza dough, pasta, rolls, sandwich bread, baguettes, etc. It is also an excellent option for use with a bread machine.
The dough forms and rises easily as the flour has a high gluten protein content. It is Non-GMO, unbleached, and unbromated. Besides, it is organic.
It comes in high-quality packaging that is enforced with plastic to ensure safe delivery and airtight storage. However, Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour is pricier than similar products. Another excellent choice of the best all-purpose flour that is more affordable is the Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Unbleached.
2. Best Organic Flour: Great River Organic Milling Whole White Bread Flour
The Great River Organic Milling Whole White Bread Flour is one of the best whole wheat flours on the market. It is suitable for all your baking needs. Ranging from making noodles to baking bread, pizza crusts, pie crusts, pastries, and cakes. It makes a consistent dough and produces delicious bread with a pleasant texture and flavor. It also rises well and has optimal gluten development.
The flour is made from carefully selected organic hard red spring wheat. The wheat has small bran particles, which add volume and fiber to the flour. It has a 15-percent protein content for enhanced gluten development and health benefits. All the grains are USDA organic and kosher. The wheat flour does not contain any preservatives.
The organic whole grains are stone-ground with a granite millstone at cool temperatures to ensure that the flour has a natural flavor and retains its high protein content.
3. Best Bread Flour Brand for Whole Wheat Flour: King Arthur Stone Ground White Whole Wheat Flour
The King Arthur Stone Ground White Whole Wheat Flour is a healthier substitute for all-purpose white flour, yet lighter and milder flavor than other whole wheat flours. It is an unbleached flour milled from hard white winter wheat. White winter wheat is lighter and tastes than traditional red wheat flour. It is packed with fiber, nutrients, proteins, and vitamins.
4. Best Self-Rising Flour: White Lily Unbleached Self-Rising flour
The White Lily Unbleached Self-Rising flour best suits quick bread, pizza crusts, and rolls. It is low in proteins—6%, which makes it light and easy to knead. It is made from 100% soft red winter wheat with a light texture and delicious taste. It is blended with leavening and salt to simplify your dough preparation process. It offers a high rise for tall, well-held-together bread.
5. Best Pastry Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour
The Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour is one of the best bread flours for a wide range of bread recipes, from artisan breads such as sourdough, rustic breads, flatbreads, and dinner rolls, to regular homemade bread. It is suitable for use by both professionals and home bakers.
The unbleached and unbromated wheat flour is mixed with malted barley flour, which adds a rich, sweet flavor. The flour has a high protein content—14%— for enhanced gluten development, suitable for heavier dough. It also enhances the dough’s ability to rise.
6. Best Bread Flour Brand for Bread Machine: White Lily Unbleached Bread Flour
The White Lily Unbleached Bread Flour is a high protein flour —11%—suitable for the bread machine. It has adequate elasticity and flexibility while remaining stable during kneading. It rises effectively and retains the vital wheat gluten structure even when used in a bread-making machine. It is also enriched with ascorbic acid, a dough conditioner, and malted barley for enhanced flavor. It is kosher-approved.
7. Best Gluten-Free Flour: Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Wholesome Flour
The Cup4Cup Gluten Free Wholesome Flour provides the same dough flexibility, structure, and texture as regular flour. It has a 1:1 substitution ratio as whole wheat flour in your bread-making recipes.
It is rich in fiber and omega fatty acids, incorporating highly nutritious ingredients such as brown rice flour, white rice flour, and golden flaxseeds. It also incorporates xanthan gum to provide structure and hold together the dough.
8. Best Bread Flour Brand for Rye Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Dark Rye Flour
The Bob’s Red Mill Organic Dark Rye Flour is an excellent option for rye flour for your baking needs. It is mixed with other flours for a well-balanced flavor and texture. It is a certified organic flour by QAI, kosher, and Non-GMO. It is an excellent source of iron and fiber.