Helpful Guide To Baking Flours

Whether you’re an everyday baker or a seasoned pastry chef, the flour aisle can be overwhelming. Dozens of bags, labels, and protein percentages stare back at you, and choosing the wrong one can make the difference between a fluffy loaf and a dense disaster. This helpful guide to baking flours covers every major type of flour you’ll find in shops and online, explaining what makes each unique, how to use it best, and how to choose the right flour for your recipe.

My daughter and I are working on a bread recipe and using different flours, salt, and yeast to fine-tune the texture. I have always used bread flour, and she has always used all-purpose flour. She uses Fleischmann’s rapid rise yeast, and I use SAF Instant Yeast. This is why I decided to update my readers about the different flours we can use to make bread and other bakery goods.

What Is Flour and Why Does It Matter?

At its most basic, flour is a powder made by grinding grains, nuts, seeds, or legumes. The type of grain used, how finely it is milled, and how much of the original kernel is retained all affect the flour’s flavor, texture, nutritional profile, and baking behavior.

The most important characteristic of any flour is its protein content. Protein, specifically two proteins called glutenin and gliadin, forms gluten when mixed with water. Gluten is the elastic network that traps gas bubbles during fermentation or baking, giving bread its chewy structure. High-protein flours produce more gluten; low-protein flours produce less, which is why they’re used for delicate cakes and pastries.

Understanding Protein Content

Flour protein levels generally range from around 5% (very soft cake flour) to 16% or higher (high-gluten bread flour). As a general rule, the more chewy or structured you want your final product to be, the higher the protein content you need. For light, tender baked goods, choose a lower-protein flour.

Wheat Flours: The Everyday Essentials

Wheat flours form the backbone of most Western baking. They are milled from wheat berries and are available in a huge range of types and protein levels.

All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour (also called plain flour in the UK) is the most versatile flour in any kitchen. With a protein content typically between 9% and 12%, it sits comfortably in the middle of the spectrum — not too strong for pastry, not too weak for bread. You can use it for cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, sauces, and even basic breads. If a recipe simply says ‘flour,’ it almost always means all-purpose or plain flour.

Bread Flour

Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, typically around 12% to 14%. This extra protein develops a stronger, more elastic gluten network, which is essential for trapping the carbon dioxide produced by yeast during fermentation. The result is a loaf with better rise, chewier crumb, and a more substantial crust. Use it for yeast breads, pizza dough, bagels, and any recipe where structure and chew are desirable.

Cake Flour

Cake flour is milled from soft wheat varieties and has a very low protein content — usually around 5% to 8%. Less gluten means a more tender, delicate crumb, which is exactly what you want in a sponge cake, chiffon cake, or layer cake. Cake flour is also bleached, which slightly acidifies it and helps the starch absorb more liquid, resulting in a finer, softer texture. It’s not ideal for bread, as it lacks the strength to support a proper rise.

Self-Rising Flour

Self-raising flour (or self-rising flour in the US) is all-purpose flour with baking powder and often salt already added. It’s a convenient shortcut for quick breads, scones, pancakes, and certain cake recipes. The key thing to remember is that you can’t substitute self-raising flour 1:1 for plain flour without adjusting your leavening, and vice versa.

Pastry Flour

Pastry flour falls between cake flour and all-purpose flour, with a protein content of roughly 8% to 10%. It gives baked goods a slightly more tender texture than all-purpose flour while still providing enough structure to hold together. It’s perfect for pie crusts, biscuits, cookies, and muffins where you want flakiness and tenderness without going as low as cake flour.

Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flour is milled from the entire wheat kernel, bran, germ, and endosperm rather than just the starchy endosperm. This makes it higher in fibre, vitamins, and minerals than refined white flour. However, the bran and germ also cut through gluten strands, weakening the structure and potentially resulting in denser baked goods. Many bakers use a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour to balance nutrition with texture. Look for ‘whole wheat bread flour’ if you want to bake a 100% whole wheat loaf with a reasonable rise. Or buy good wheat berries and grind them yourself. For years, I ground my own wheat into whole wheat flour for my homemade bread. I still have the wheat to grind and the equipment to get it done, but I haven’t actually ground the wheat for some time now.

Spelt Flour

It’s an ancient grain, a relative of modern wheat, and its flour has a sweet, nutty flavour. Spelt flour contains gluten, so it behaves somewhat like all-purpose flour, but the gluten structure is more fragile and less elastic. This means spelt doughs can over-mix more easily, resulting in a crumbly texture if not handled carefully. It works well in pancakes, muffins, cookies, quick breads, and even some yeast breads. Many people who experience mild wheat sensitivity find spelt easier to digest, though it is not safe for those with coeliac disease.

Einkorn Flour

Einkorn is arguably the world’s oldest cultivated grain. Its flour has a warm golden hue and a rich, buttery flavour. Einkorn contains gluten but in a different form than modern wheat, making its dough stickier and weaker. It is best used in flatbreads, pancakes, pasta, and dense loaves rather than airy yeast breads. Nutritionally, einkorn is thought to be higher in certain antioxidants than modern wheat.

Rice Flour

Rice flour, available in both white and brown varieties, is one of the most widely used gluten-free flours. White rice flour is neutral in flavour and fairly fine, making it a good base for gluten-free blends. Brown rice flour retains more bran and has a slightly nuttier taste with more fibre. On its own, rice flour can produce a gritty texture, which is why it’s typically combined with other flours and starches.

Almond Flour

Almond flour (or almond meal, which is slightly coarser) is made from blanched almonds that have been ground. It’s naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and high in protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E. Almond flour produces baked goods with a rich, moist, tender crumb and a subtle nutty flavor. It’s a staple in keto, paleo, and low-carb baking. However, because it contains no starch or gluten, it doesn’t rise or bind in the same way as wheat flour. It works best in cookies, brownies, muffins, tarts, and pancakes.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is dried, defatted coconut meat ground into a fine powder. It’s extremely high in fibre and very absorbent; it can soak up many times its weight in liquid. This means you typically need far less coconut flour than other flours in a recipe, and you need to increase the amount of eggs and liquid significantly. It’s popular in keto and paleo baking for its sweetness and fibre content. The high absorption makes it tricky to work with on its own, and it’s usually best in combination with other gluten-free flours.

Oat Flour

Oat flour is simply ground rolled oats. It has a mild, slightly sweet, toasty flavor and works beautifully in cookies, muffins, pancakes, and quick breads. It adds a pleasant chewiness and warmth to baked goods. Oats are naturally gluten-free but are frequently contaminated with wheat during growing or processing, so look for certified gluten-free oat flour if you need to avoid gluten completely.

Buckwheat Flour

Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat — it is actually a seed, making buckwheat flour naturally gluten-free. It has an earthy, robust, slightly bitter flavor that is distinctive in soba noodles, traditional blinis, galettes (French buckwheat crepes), and hearty pancakes. It’s high in nutrients, including rutin, magnesium, and B vitamins. Its strong flavor can be an acquired taste, so it’s often blended with milder flours.

Corn Flour and Cornmeal

These are made from dried maize. Corn flour is used in batters, coatings, and as a thickener, and in Latin American cooking, it forms the basis of tortillas and arepas. Cornmeal gives texture and structure to cornbread, polenta, and johnny cakes. Masa harina, a specially treated corn flour, is specifically used for tamales and tortillas. All corn-based flours are naturally gluten-free.

Millet Flour

Millet flour is milled from millet, a small gluten-free grain common in African and Asian cuisines. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a light, smooth texture, making it one of the more neutral gluten-free flours. It works well in muffins, pancakes, flatbreads, and as part of a gluten-free flour blend. Millet flour is high in magnesium and phosphorus.

Kamut Flour (Khorasan Wheat)

This is the trademarked name for khorasan wheat, a large, hump-backed ancient grain with a rich, buttery, nutty flavor. Kamut flour has a higher protein content than standard wheat, but like spelt, its gluten is less elastic. It produces tender, flavorful baked goods and works well in pasta, bread, and pastry. Some people with wheat sensitivity report tolerating Kamut better than modern wheat, though it’s not appropriate for those with coeliac disease.

Pre-Mixed Gluten-Free Flour Blends

Because no single gluten-free flour perfectly replicates the properties of wheat flour, many manufacturers offer pre-made gluten-free flour blends. These typically combine a base flour (such as rice flour), a starch (such as tapioca or potato starch), and sometimes a binding agent (such as xanthan gum or psyllium husk). Popular brands include Bob’s Red Mill, Doves Farm, and FREEE.

These blends are designed for 1:1 substitution with all-purpose flour in most recipes. While convenient, they can vary significantly between brands, so it may take some trial and error to find a blend that performs well in your favourite recipes.

How to Choose the Right Flour: A Quick Reference

Bread and rolls: Bread flour (strong flour) or all-purpose flour. Add whole wheat for extra nutrition.

Cakes and cupcakes: Cake flour for the most tender crumb; all-purpose flour for a sturdier sponge.

Cookies: All-purpose flour for most styles; bread flour for extra chewy cookies; cake flour for tender, crisp cookies.

Pasta: Semolina or durum flour for firm, traditional pasta; all-purpose flour for softer egg pasta.

Pizza: Bread flour or ’00’ flour (a finely milled Italian flour) for authentic, chewy pizza bases.

Pancakes and waffles: All-purpose, oat flour, or buckwheat flour — each gives a distinctly different result.

Gluten-free baking: Use a blend of rice flour, tapioca starch, and a binder (xanthan gum or psyllium husk), or buy a pre-mixed blend.

Keto and low-carb: Almond flour, coconut flour, or lupin flour.

High-protein: Chickpea flour, lupin flour, or hemp flour.

How to Store Flour Properly

Flour can go stale, rancid, or become home to pantry pests if not stored correctly. Here are the key rules:

White flours (all-purpose, bread, cake, self-raising) have the longest shelf life, usually 1 to 2 years if kept sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.

Wholegrain flours (whole wheat, rye, einkorn) contain more oils from the bran and germ, which can go rancid. Store in an airtight container and use within 3 to 6 months, or refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.

Nut flours (almond, coconut, hemp) are high in fat and go rancid quickly. Keep them in the fridge or freezer and use them within a few months of opening. All flours should be transferred to an airtight container after opening to prevent moisture absorption and infestation.

Final Word

There is no single ‘best’ flour, only the best flour for the job at hand. Understanding the differences between flour types empowers you to make better decisions in the kitchen, adapt recipes with confidence, and experiment with new flavors and textures. Whether you’re reaching for a bag of strong bread flour for a Sunday loaf, almond flour for a keto brownie, or teff flour for nutrient-packed pancakes, knowing your flours is one of the most valuable skills a home baker can have. May God bless this world, Linda