13 Different Kinds of Flour to Use for Cakes, Bread, Pastry & More
For our purposes, this article will describe gluten flours and why they're used for a variety of baking applications, including desserts, bread, pastries and more. You can explore details about grain- and gluten-free options in this article.
1. Plain Flour
What is plain flour?
This pantry essential is a versatile flour that works well for many types of baking and is shelf-stable. Recipes that only call for "flour" can be made with plain flour. A blend of hard and soft wheat, this flour has a medium protein content of 10-13 percent. This "just right" amount of protein makes plain flour a good choice for many baking projects.
What is plain flour used for?
You might still be confused about when to use wheat flour vs. plain flour, so let's clarify that plain flour is wheat flour. It's simply had parts of the wheat grain milled out so it's soft and has a medium percentage of protein, making it ideal for these baking applications:
- Cakes
- Biscuits
- Muffins, doughnuts and scones
- Pies and pastries
- Breading for meat, fish and vegetables
- Thickening agent for gravy, sauce and roux
2. Self-Raising Flour
What is self-raising flour?
Self-raising flour is a convenient plain flour with the raising agent, baking powder and salt added during milling. It has an 8–9 percent protein content and produces a nice, high rise for quick bread type baking. It cannot be used in yeasted bread or as a substitution for other flours..
What is self-raising flour used for?
f you're using self-raising flour vs. plain flour, remember that you do not need to add the recipe's raising agent. Self-raising flour is ideal for baked goods that require a high rise such as these:
- Scones
- Pikelets
- Pancakes
- Tea cakes
- Muffins
You can easily make your own self-raising flour by whisking together 150g of plain flour with 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt. Remember, raising agents will lose their potency over time, so don't store your self-raising flour for longer than six months.
3. Bread Flour aka Bakers Flour
What is bread flour?
You might wonder what is in bread flour that makes it perfect for baking bread. Made of milled hard wheat, it's the strongest flour with a 12–15 percent protein content. Often called bakers flour in older recipes, its high gluten produces the structured and chewy crumb that's ideal for yeasted bread.
What is bread flour used for?
Use bread flour vs. self-raising flour or plain flour when you're baking yeasted bread that should have a chewy crumb and well-formed crust with plenty of lift and air bubbles throughout, including the following:
- Sourdough
- Baguette
- Challah
- Rustic Levain
- Dinner rolls
- Bagels
- Pretzels
4. Cake Flour
What is cake flour?
Cake flour is a low protein flour made from soft wheat that's milled to a fine, silky texture and is bleached to reduce the protein to 6–8 percent. Because it's higher in starch than plain flour, this soft flour absorbs more liquid, fat and sugar and results in a tender, moist crumb that's highly desired in most cakes. Its lighter colour also contributes visually to cake baking, producing whiter cakes when baking a vanilla cake or sponge.
What is cake flour used for?
Cake flour is bleached and more finely milled than unbleached plain flour, which has too much protein for baking cakes with the best results. Cakes made with higher-protein flours will be chewy and tough. Use cake flour vs. plain flour because it has a finer texture for recipes such as these delicious recipes:
- Angel food cake
- Doughnuts
- Chiffon cake
- Sponge cake
- Madeleines
- Layer cake
- Pound cake
- Tea cake
- Brownies (for cakey brownies)
- Pancakes
- Waffles
You can make your own cake flour to keep in your pantry by sifting together 150g of plain flour (minus 2 tablespoons) with 2 tablespoons of cornflour. Sift it together twice!
5. Pastry Flour
What is pastry flour?
Falling between plain and cake flour, pastry flour is also made from soft wheat, but with a 7–9 percent protein content. It produces both the tender crumb and flaky texture that is desired in most pastries. It should not be used for baking bread because it has too little gluten. Yeasted bread made with pastry flour will be too dense and soft.
What is pastry flour used for?
f you're wondering whether you should use cake flour vs. pastry flour when you try a new croissant recipe, keep in mind that cake flour has too little protein to create the ideal flakiness. Pastry flour has a slightly higher protein content, is typically used for recipes that require baking powder and works best for baked goods that should have a flaky texture, including these baked items:
- Danish
- Croissants
- Baklava
- Sweet and savoury pie
- Tarts
- Cinnamon scrolls
- Scones
You can make your own pastry flour by combining two parts plain flour with one part cake flour, sifting it together to combine it well.
6. Type 00 Flour
What is type 00 flour?
This Italian type 00 flour is typically made from Durum wheat milled to the finest grind. It has a medium protein content ranging from 11–12 percent. It has strong gluten that is less elastic than other wheat, producing less chewy baked goods. 00 flour can be substituted with plain flour.
What is type 00 flour used for?
If you're interested in trying different flours, type 00 is a great choice. You can experiment with a variety of recipes for the following baked goods:
- Pasta
- Gnocchi
- Lasagne sheets
- Pizza and flatbread
- Focaccia
- Crackers
- Pierogies
You can make your own cake flour to keep in your pantry by sifting together 150g of plain flour (minus 2 tablespoons) with 2 tablespoons of cornflour. Sift it together twice!
7. Strong Flour aka High-Gluten Flour
What is strong flour?
Strong flour is another name for high-gluten flour used in bread baking that is typically added to other flours to increase the overall gluten level. It's milled more coarsely and has a 13–14 percent protein content that requires a lot of kneading to form a strong and supple dough structure.
What is strong flour used for?
You can incorporate strong flour into recipes that can use a bit more structural support, such as these bakery staples:
- Bagels
- Pretzels
- Shaped pasta such as orzo
- Doughnuts
- Hand-raised pies
8. High Protein Flour
What is high protein flour?
When considering using high-gluten flour vs. high-protein flour or high protein flour vs. strong flour, these terms all refer to wheat flour with high protein percentages. The level of gluten in dough is dictated by the amount of protein because gluten is a type of protein. High protein flour at 14 percent produces more gluten, resulting in a stronger dough.
What is high protein flour used for?
Use high-protein flour when you want to ensure your dough is elastic and that your finished baked goods will hold their shape. High protein flour is best for baking these tasty creations:
- Crusty, chewy bread
- Bagels
- Pretzels
- Crackers
9. Wholemeal Flour
What is wholemeal flour?
Of all the types of wheat flour, wholemeal is the one that's milled using the entire wheat kernel (the germ, endosperm, and bran) and has 13–14 percent protein. Because it contains the entire wheatberry, it is higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals. It's often combined with lighter flours to alleviate its heaviness. Use wholemeal flour vs. plain flour to add more strength and nutrition to your baked goods. Because wholemeal flour is made from the entire wheat kernel, it can spoil more quickly than more processed flours and should be stored in the freezer.
What is wholemeal flour used for?
Wholemeal flour is one of the types of flour in baking that performs better in recipes that have plenty of liquid or fat to help lighten the dense wheat.
Allowing the dough to rest and absorb the liquid in the recipe fully before baking can help with the finished texture. Use wholemeal flour to boost the nutrition when baking breads, bagels and others:
- Bread
- Bagels
- Rolls
- Biscuits
- Crackers
- Pancakes
- Pizza Dough
- Pasta
- Pie and tart crust
10. White Wholemeal Flour
What is white wholemeal flour?
Made with hard white wheat, this paler version of wholemeal also captures the nutrients of the entire wheat kernel and contains 13–14 percent protein. While it is not bleached, it produces lighter, slightly sweeter finished baked goods, but is still a more dense wheat flour vs. plain flour.
What is white wholemeal flour used for?
Treat white wholemeal as regular wholemeal, which can be used the same in recipes. To add nutrition but maintain the taste and texture, use half the amount of white wholemeal to replace plain flour in a recipe. This flour can be used for baked goods such as these baked items:
- Bread
- Muffins
- Tea cakes
- Biscuits
- Crackers
- Pie and tart crust
11. Semolina Flour
What is semolina flour?
Semolina flour is made by coarsely milling the endosperm of Durum wheat and is best known as a pasta flour. It's high in gluten with 13 percent or more protein, has a lightly sweet and nutty flavour and produces a chewy dough with a buttery colour.
What is semolina flour used for?
Semolina flour is ideal for making pasta, but also works well for variety of other recipes that benefit from its high gluten content and unique flavour:
- Long pasta noodles, like fettuccine
- Short pasta noodles
- Stuffed pasta noodles
- Lasagne sheets
- Bread
- Pizza
- Flatbread
- Pie and tart dough
- Cake
- Biscuits
12. Rye Flour
What is rye flour?
Rye flour is made by milling whole rye grain kernels. Light rye uses only the starchy endosperm and produces light, airy dough. Dark rye uses the whole kernel and produces the heaviest, darkest dough as used in pumpernickel bread. It has 8–17 percent protein and, like wheat, contains gluten.
What is rye flour used for?
Rye flour is an ideal choice for a variety of breads, as well as these other delicious recipes:
- Pumpernickel bread
- Rye bread
- Marble Rye bread
- Specialty bread
- Crackers
- Bagels
- Pancakes
- Sourdough starter
13. Barley Flour
What is barley flour?
Barley flour is made by milling whole grain or pearled barley. Similar to wheat, but with less gluten, it contains 11 percent protein and has a mild nutty flavour that works well with other flours.
What is barley flour used for?
Barley flour is best used to enhance other flours in recipes with up to ½ substitution for other flours for baked goods such as these quick and easy recipes:
- Multigrain bread
- Bagels
- Crackers
- Biscuits
- Muffins
- Tea cakes
- Thickener for soup, stew, sauce and gravy
