Changing Protein Content of Flour

I heard from someone that you can use all purpose flour as cake flour by altering it's protein content by addition of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).

Is this really true? If yes, can someone provide me with a ratio to do so.

flour

Best Answer

Sodium bicarbonate on its own is not baking powder but baking soda. A mixture of such with all purpose flour will not change the content of gluten-producing proteins beyond very slightly lowering their content per equal (to AP flour) weight of mixture.

The way the gluten forms in a dough/batter, and the way the whole product will brown/caramelize while baking, will actually be somewhat altered due to alkalinity, but this would still not mean equivalent behaviour to cake flour. Also, potential extra leavener (if an acid is present) will be there in addition to what the recipe describes.

What such a mixture, if using actual baking powder instead of baking soda, could be intended to substitute for would be self raising flour.

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How do you adjust the protein content of flour?

The rule to follow for increasing the protein content of flour with vital wheat gluten is as follows:

Decide how much you want to increase the protein content.

Divide this number by 0.60; this will give you the percent of vital wheat gluten (VWG) to be added to achieve the desired protein contribution.

How does higher protein in flour affect baking?

A high percentage of protein means a harder (stronger) flour best suited to chewy, crusty breads and other yeast-risen products. Less protein means a softer flour, best for tender and chemically leavened baked goods, like pie crusts, cakes, cookies, and biscuits.

How can I increase protein in wheat flour?

At 12- to 13-percent protein content, bread flour is stronger than all-purpose flour, but it can generally be substituted for all-purpose, and vice versa. However, it's important to remember that bread flour's increased protein could result in a dough or batter that's dry, so you may need to add water.

How Flour Protein Content Affects Bread Dough

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Any Lane, Any Lane, Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen