White All Purpose Flour - Bread Flours - Gold Medal Flour (2024)

FAQs

Is Gold Medal All Purpose Flour good for bread? ›

Gold Medal All Purpose Flour is our most versatile flour. Use it for any recipe that simply calls for "flour." It's strong enough to take high-rising yeast breads to new heights and mellow enough to add the perfect texture to a batch of cookies.

Bread flour produces baked goods with more structure and chew than all-purpose flour, as all-purpose only has a protein content of 10 to 12 percent, versus the 12 to 14 percent of bread. All-purpose flour produces tender baked goods (as opposed to chewy ones) and is ideal for cakes, muffins, biscuits, piecrust, etc.

All-purpose flour is the most common flour called for in recipes, for both cooking and baking. But if you don't have any in the pantry, or can't find any in the store, there are other flours you can use in its place. Bread flour and cake flour—on their own or mixed together—can substitute for all-purpose.

So, if you're wondering how to make sourdough bread, you'll probably find most recipes recommend a strong white bread flour over an all-purpose flour. This is because the higher protein content of bread flour will help you create the high rise and rustic crust of an artisan style loaf.

Using bread flour in place of all-purpose flour is tricker. If you're baking high-hydration bread—like a sourdough boule or pan de cristal—which requires a high protein content to develop its gluten network, Shilpa doesn't recommend it. “The resulting loaf will be tight-crumbed and a bit squat,” she says.

The healthiest bread flour is 100% whole grain flour. Whole grain flour could be rye, barley, spelt, oat, or wheat flour - the key is that the flour is made from 100% whole grains. Whole grain breads provide essential nutrients that are lacking in bread made from white flour.

Swapping in bread flour for all-purpose flour in cookies won't change the flavor of your cookies at all. Rather, the switch will impact the texture of your final product. The result? Cookies that are chewier than the all-purpose version.

The rule of thumb here is the more protein, the lower the shelf life. For low-protein types of flour, like all-purpose or cake flour, you have about a year from the date of purchase to use it. For higher protein varieties, like bread flour, the clock runs out quicker; you'll get about nine months.

When originally created, bread flour was designed to be paired with yeast in order to produce the perfect baked good (usually breads). The amount of protein found in bread flour is higher, in order to contain and produce more gluten and achieve the desired rise in bread.

You can use all-purpose flour as a 1:1 substitute for bread flour and vice-versa. For example, for 1 cup of bread flour, you can use 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Bread and pizza crust made with all-purpose flour may have a little less chew than those made with bread flour, but the results will still be good.

How do you adjust all-purpose flour to bread flour? ›

Bread Flour Substitute Recipe

Pour 1 cup flour into a large bowl and remove 1 teaspoon flour (2.6 grams). Add the vital wheat gluten and whisk to combine. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Bread flour is hands down the best option when making cinnamon rolls. Any good cinnamon rolls recipe is going to usually call for bread flour instead of other kinds of flour. This is because bread flour is high in protein, usually containing 11% to 13% more protein than other kinds of flour.

Strong bread flour is made from “hard” wheat varieties and has more protein, from 12 to 14 percent. This creates more rise and structural support in the dough, allowing the final product to lift and hold shape.

There are 4 types of wheat flour that are most used in bread recipes. : all-purpose flour, bread flour, whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour.

The French typically use Type 55 flour for their baguettes, which has a lower protein content than All-Purpose flour (usually 11.5% protein). I know that's not found in your standard supermarket, but you can buy it online from King Arthur Flour.

Two All-Purpose Flours for All Your Baking Needs

For a moderate-protein all-purpose flour, we particularly like and Gold Medal, which has 10.5 percent protein; for a high-protein choice, we recommend King Arthur, which has 11.7 percent protein.

For best results, base your yeast dough on wheat flour — only wheat-based flour provides the type and amount of protein yeast dough needs to support its structure. Whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour are all good choices.

According to the USDA, unopened all-purpose flour (both regular, enriched, bleached, and non-bleached) is best used within a year of the purchase date. Once open, it's best to use all-purpose flour up within six to eight months, if stored in the pantry.