What is Bread Flour: Everything You Need to Know About This Key Ingredient

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Bread flour is the most important ingredient in baking bread, known for its unique properties and a higher protein content than all-purpose flour: typically ranging from 12% to 16% depending on the brand of flour, which creates perfect chewiness and structure. You may have worked with it before, but do you know what is bread flour? What is  the difference between it and all-purpose flour? Which is better for bread baking, bleached or unbleached flour?

Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your bread making journey, using bread flour is a game changer. And in this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about bread flour, from its unique properties to how it can elevate your baking game to unlock the full potential of your loaves.  

What is Bread Flour?

Bread flour is a type of flour specifically created for baking bread. Its high protein level typically ranges between 12-16%  making it produce the gluten network that creates more stronger dough structure giving most types of bread a chewy texture with perfect volume. This makes it ideal for a variety of baked goods including bagels, yeasted and white bread types as well as pizza and sourdough bread.

Bread flour is made by milling hard wheat grains, primarily hard red and white wheat grains that have more protein content than other types of wheat, removing the bran and germ and leaving only the starchy endosperm.

What is Strong Flour?

Strong flour and hard flour, are both two other names for bread flour that are often used by bakers around the world to describe a high quality flour used in making bread.

Bread Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour: Key Differences Every Baker Should Know

Bread flour and all-purpose flour are two common flour options in making baked goods. The main difference between bread and all-purpose flour is in their protein level, which can affect the structure in the final baked goods. Bread flour is made from hard wheat, resulting in a high protein content (12-16%), while all-purpose flour is made from a blend of hard and soft wheat grains, resulting in a flour with lower protein content (8-12%). This high protein level gives bread flour the necessary physical property of trapping gas during the bread-making process that provides the desired crumb structure for the most types of bread.

When choosing the best flour to use for bread recipes, such as sourdough and white bread types, look no further than bread flour due to its higher protein content that produces sufficient gluten to create a light loaf with good volume and slices that hold together instead of falling apart. While all-purpose flour has a longer shelf life and can be used for all baked goods, especially those that have a more tender texture.

Bleached Flour vs Unbleached Flour: Which is Better?

Bread flour has two main options: Bleached and unbleached flour. Bleached flour is chemically treated using benzoyl peroxide, chlorine, or potassium to speed up aging, resulting in a bread flour with white color and soft texture. Unbleached flour, on the other hand, naturally ages with time (Between two weeks and a month depending on the weather) and exposure to air, during this time bread flour slowly oxidizes and whiten on its own, resulting in a flour with off-white color and more denser texture.

While both types are nutritionally similar, according to King Arthur Baking Company many bakers prefer unbleached bread flour due to its slightly denser texture and natural flavor. However, both flours can be used in making bread without any big difference.

Bread Flour Substitutes: Finding the Right Alternatives

Although bread flour is the primary option for bakers when making bread thanks to its high protein content, which contributes to a strong gluten structure that is ideal for bread. There are different types of flour that can be  used as alternatives in your bread baking project. 

All purpose Flour: The most common substitutes for bread flour and the most versatile flour type that can be used in all baking recipes include pancakes, quick bread, pizza crust and yeasted bread. It’s generally made from a blend of wheat with a protein content rage between 8-11%. You can substitute ap flour  for bread flour in a 1:1 ratio. However, since it has a less protein level, the resulting bread may have a slightly different texture and rise compared to loaves made with bread flour. To compensate, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid, kneading time and rising time.

Whole Wheat Flour: Milled from the whole kernel and one of the healthiest types of flour. Whole wheat flour produces a heavy, compact, dark bread when used alone, as it contains  germ and bran that cut the developing gluten stands. Therefore, it is recommended to replace up to 1/3 of your bread flour with whole wheat flour. You can also use whole wheat bread flour that is ground from hard wheat and has a higher gluten content, or make your own flour by adding 1 tablespoon of gluten to each cup of whole wheat flour.

Rye Flour: is available in three different types. White rye as its name suggests, is the lightest version of rye flour as it contains only the starchy endosperm of rye kernel, while medium rye contains the bran, and dark rye milled from the whole rye kernel (all of the bran, germ, and endosperm). Rye flour produces a denser, chewier crumb with nutty flavor thanks to its low gluten content and it is commonly used in traditional European bread such as Pumpernickel and Vollkornbrot. When substituting rye flour for bread flour, start with a ratio 1:3 and adjust as needed based on your desired texture and flavor

Semolina Flour: Made from durum wheat and well used in pasta and Italian bread types like ciabatta and focaccia. Its coarse texture and high protein content contribute to a chewy crust and sturdy crumb that is similar to bread flour. Although you can substitute it for bread flour in 1:1 ratio with some adjustments to the amount of water and kneading time, which produces a slightly different texture and color. But for best results,  it is recommended to use semolina flour up to 1/4 of the total amount of flour in your bread dough recipe. 

Barley Flour: A versatile and nutrition option, barley flour adds a nutty, malty flavor to your loaves that pairs particularly well with whole grains, seeds and nuts. Derived from the barley grain, this flour is high in fiber and often used in combination with other flours to create hearty, rustic loaves. When substituting barley flour for bread flour, use no more than 1 cup of barley flour for 3 cups of bread flour. This will ensure that your dough retains enough gluten structure for proper rising and shaping. 

Spelt Flour: An ancient grain variety that contains enough gluten to be a substitute for wheat flours, making it an ideal option for those with wheat allergies. When used as a substitute, spelt flour adds a nutty flavor and offers a slightly denser texture to your bread. In addition, it gives you the freedom to substitute bread flour at ratios ranging from 1:4 to 1:1.

Kamut Flour (Khorasan flour): is an relative of durum wheat that imparts a rich nutty flavor to baked goods. Although it is high in protein, kamut flour has a low gluten content, so it must be combined with higher gluten flour to produce an acceptable bread, or used as a partial substitute where it adds a unique flavor and a slightly denser crumb.

Remember, when substituting bread flour. Strat always with a small amount and adjust the recipe as needed until you achieve your desired result. Each flour has its own unique characteristics, allowing you to explore new flavors and texture in your daily bread baking. Experimentation and practice are the key to mastering the art of bread making. Other flours, such as cake or pastry flour are usually made from all-purpose flour by adding a small amount of cornstarch, or by mixing cake and ap flour to make pastry flour. Neither is used as a substitute for bread flour.