From a 5-star Michelin chef’s kitchen to Pat from Hoboken’s kitchen there is one item in it that they probably have in common, flour. The word flour is a derivative of “flower” and was discovered around 6,000 B.C. Flour is used in multiple recipes in the kitchen, particularly in baking. It is also used in making roux and other sauces, also it can be the base for papier-mâché. It is a powder that is made from grinding various items up like cereal grains or beans. One staple food that is derived from flour is bread. There are multiple forms of flour. Wheat flour is the most common form used in baking.
Two of the most used types of wheat flour are all purpose and bread flour. They are distinguished by their gluten content. Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat and other grains. Gluten is what gives dough its elasticity and helps it to rise. Gluten is a source of protein. How much gluten is formed depends on the flour and the protein content. The amount of gluten created decides how light and airy or even how chewy the end product will be.
What Is All Purpose Flour?
All-purpose flour is designed for all uses hence the name however, professionals tend to not use it much. It is a mixture of high gluten hard wheat and low gluten soft wheat. It comes in two forms bleached and unbleached. Bleached flour is made either naturally by aging or chemically induced. They are interchangeable in their use. This flour comes already prepared and doesn’t require sifting. All-purpose flour is great for making quick breads, cakes, biscuits and cookies.
What Is Bread Flour?
Bread flour is unbleached and has the most protein content out of the two. Which makes the end product heavier and denser. It is designed for yeasted baking and is very sturdy. It creates more gluten and more rise for baking bread creating that chewiness. There are additives in it such as malted barley flour and vitamin C or potassium bromate. This helps it to retain gas as the dough rises and that is where the chewiness comes in. It makes it great a great choice for pizza dough and also great to use to make pastries as well.
All-purpose flour can be interchangeable for the most part in any recipe. It is usually the top choice when it comes to cooking. If need be you can always add different flours to it to get the effect that you want. However, bread flour is most specific because of the gluten content. For instance you would never use it to make a cake. Bottom line, they both make very tasty treats.