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Out of all-purpose flour or looking for a healthy alternative? When it comes to flour, there are few things to consider. Generally, flour is made from finely ground wheat. For making something like bread, you want a flour that’s high in protein like bread flour, so the dough will be strong.
That’s where all-purpose flour steps in. While most flour refers to wheat flour, you can also find flours made from other grains, like oats and rye, or even made from alternative ingredients, like almonds, potatoes, and coconut. Cooking and baking with these other flours can be just as good—and in some cases, it can even be healthier! Similar to all-purpose flour, cake and pastry flours are made from milled wheat, but they have a lower protein content.
Cake flour makes baked goods light and tender—and it’s the key ingredient in Ree’s Perfect Pancakes. Unlike cake flour, bread flour is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to protein. It has a higher protein content that forms even more gluten when the dough is kneaded. You can use bread flour in place of most flours on a 1:1 ratio, but be careful not to over-mix.
First things first: Don’t use self-rising flour in place of all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour is made from a mixture of AP flour, baking powder, and salt, so if you tried to use it in place of AP, you would need to adjust the amount of leavening agent and salt—and that just seems too complicated! Unlike refined all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour retains its nutrients and fiber by keeping the grain’s germ and bran intact. It’s made from red wheat, which gives it a darker color, coarse texture, and hearty taste. Instead, try using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose. You can also find white whole wheat flour in some stores. It’s made from white wheat instead of red, but still has that same nutty flavor as whole wheat.