Archive Issue - Monthly Tidbits Article
April 2008

Flour Secrets Tidbit
by Jill Jackson

As a baker, I field questions several times a day. One of these is the most common and usually happens right after they take a bite of one of my desserts. How do you get your cake so moist, your muffins so light? Why is this brownie like a cake and not dry? The answer is many times in the flour.

Did you know how many choices there are in the marketplace for flour? Bread flour, cake flour, bleached flour, unbleached flour, wheat flour, and the list goes on. What are the differences you ask? Well, that is a bit more specific, but easy to answer, nonetheless.

Simply, flour consists of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We all know that carbohydrates are a source of energy, but also contain the sugars that break down into fat, especially the starches. However, with bread it is the protein that is the most essential part of the chemical ingredient and formula of the flour. This is what dictates the texture and desired effect of the item you are baking.

For example, if you want a crusty bread like a sourdough or French bread, your best bet is to use a high protein flour, because the higher the protein content, the harder the flour is, creating the bread with a harder crust and more dense body.

If you want a softer, lighter bread or cake, use cake flour, perfect for that light cupcake, moist, light muffins or just an overall less dense product. Perhaps you are watching your fat content. Wheat flour is the best solution for this, as it has more beneficial proteins which in turn contains less fat than your everyday all purpose flour. In fact, whole grain bread, especially multi-grain is the best possible carbohydrate other than fruits or vegetables for your body.

If your head is spinning, don’t worry, because the all-purpose flour is a very nice alternative to all of the choices you face. It is definitely the best for the more everyday items, including cookies and brownies and bakes nicely and evenly, especially when you know what it is you want to get from a recipe, which is success!