Wheat flour is a staple ingredient in most kitchens and bakeries. It is a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet items and savory dishes, including bread, and pastries—or sometimes used with water, and egg, such as in gnocchi—or with sauces. Wheat flour quality varies from flour to flour, according to the size of the grain being used.
To make the right choice of wheat flour, and to increase the quality of every bakery item, one needs to follow a proper guide. In this article, we are going to talk about the types of wheat flour that good wheat flour suppliers supply to the market.
Knowing the Types of Wheat Flour
1. All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is the most common category of wheat flour. It forms a mixture of hard and soft wheat, which makes it quite versatile in application, from bread to cookies and cakes. Almost all vendors of wheat flour offer all-purpose flour for sale as their main product on offer.
Protein content: 10-12%
Best for: General baking, bread, cakes, cookies
2. Bread Flour
Bread flour, by the name, is best for the preparation of bread. It is very high in terms of protein in comparison to all-purpose flour, thereby helping in the development of gluten so much, thus making it have a chewy texture, which is just right for loaves and the many other kinds of yeast bread.
Protein content— 12-14%
Best for— Yeasted bread, pizza dough, pretzels
3. Whole Wheat
Whole-wheat flour is made from the whole wheat kernel—they grind the entire wheat berry, which is composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Whole-wheat flour is high in fibre and nutrients and has a moister, denser, nutty flavour compared to refined flour. Whole-wheat flour is popular with most health-conscious consumers and is provided to the market by the best wheat flour suppliers.
Protein content: 13-14%
Best for: Whole grain bread, muffins, pancakes
4. Pastry Flour
This pastry flour has less protein, so it works perfectly in tender baked goods such as pastries and biscuits. It evidences a tender crumb and flaky texture that is mostly required at the level of bakery shops and home bakers who focus on intricate recipes.
Protein content: 8-9%
Best for: Pastries, pie crusts, cookies, scones
5. Cake Flour
Cake Flour is very finely milled and has the lowest protein content among wheat flour. This, when used, is said to create cakes that are soft, short, and with fine crumb structure. The best wheat flour brands are reputed to supply cake flour to professional and home bakers as well.
Protein: 7-8%
Useful for: Cake, and muffin, but not for biscuits or flaky pastries
FAQ
1. How do I determine which wheat flour is the most suitable for using any particular recipe?
Picking the right kind of wheat flour can be recipe-texture-specific. For baking most general things, use all-purpose flour. For bread, choose bread flour for a more-developed gluten. For pastries, select pastry flour, and for cakes, use cake flour.
2. Can I replace one kind of wheat flour type with another?
"Although you can substitute one for the other, this usually affects both the texture and rise in your baked goods. For example, bread flour swapped in place of all-purpose flour in bread recipes will lead to a loaf that is not as chewy. If one looks for that exact texture, then it's better just to use the flour type the recipe suggests."
3. Then where can I get the best wheat flour supplier?
High-quality wheat flour is available in professional customers' food stores, especially those within the said area, by recommendation or online. Some will qualify, however, by receiving positive reviews from users and customers, offering a large variety of products, and practising sourcing transparency.
CONCLUSION
Knowing the different kinds of wheat flour and its uses will allow you to avail yourself of better results in your bakery activities. And with professional and reliable wheat flour suppliers wheat flour suppliers, you can take the quality of the bakery goods to a whole new level.
Do you want to bring your baking to a completely new level? Learn more about the best suppliers of wheat flour and their proposals on our site.