How to choose the right kind of flour?
I love to cook but I'm not too much into baking. My mom is currently visiting from overseas so there is more baking going on in the house. Unfortunately, she doesn't really know English so it's hard for her to evaluate different types of flour that are available in the supermarket. I got her the King Arthur All-Purpose the other day and she baked some rolls with it but said they didn't rise as much despite using baking powder.
I use flour mainly for making frying batter for fish as well as for roux when I cook stews.
I noticed that, in addition to the differentiation between bread and all-purpose, flours also differ in whether they are bleached vs non-bleached.
I would like to learn more about different kinds of flour and what makes them different and what the best kinds are for different uses.
Best Answer
Please see this question and the accepted answer. It has a great deal of information.
Without really knowing the reason why there were differences, I learned several years ago that there are most definitely major differences between brands. In my area, for most uses I buy Gold Medal. However, I will never use that for biscuits or rolls. They turn out way too heavy. For making biscuits and rolls I buy either White Lily or Snowflake.
Not sure where you are located, so I have no idea what brands may be available. This page gives some good information and has this chart that lists info for some brands/types of flour.
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Quick Answer about "How to choose the right kind of flour?"
In short…the finer and more tender you want your end product to be, the “softer” (less gluten) and the finer mill you want in your flour. From highest protein bread flour for hearty and/or chewy breads down to lowest protein pastry flour for short and crumbly shortbread.How do you decide on which flour is best to use?
Every type of flour is milled to have a specific protein content \u2014 the higher the protein, the \u201cstronger\u201d the flour. It's important to use the right flour with the proper protein content for your recipe and also to choose a brand that adheres closely to that number.What are the 4 types of flour?
The Different Types of Flour and Their Uses- All-Purpose Flour. Best used for: anything! ...
- Hard Flour. Best used for: loaves, buns, donuts. ...
- Cake Flour. Best used for: tender cakes and pastries. ...
- Whole Wheat Flour. Best used for: bread, cookies, dense cakes. ...
- Cooking Flour. ...
- Noodle Flour. ...
- Rice Flour.
What is the best flour to use for baking?
Cake Flour: The flour with the lowest protein content (5 to 8 percent). The relative lack of gluten-forming proteins makes cake flour ideal for tender baked goods, such as cakes (of course), but also biscuits, muffins and scones.What are the 3 main types of flour?
In the domestic field, you have 3 main choices when it comes to flours: All-purpose, bread, and pastry.Understanding Different Flours and When to Use Them- Kitchen Conundrums with Thomas Joseph
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