You know it’s spring when a warm sunny breeze welcomes you, along with a breathtaking smell of budding flowers rising from every corner. Every flower has its own dazzling shape, color, meaning, and purpose. Roses, for example, are the flowers that symbolize love and romance, dahlias and lilacs are perfect for weddings, sunflowers symbolize health and wellness, and birds of paradise are ideal for graduations and new beginnings. While many people resort to flowers to express their affection, let’s not forget the ones that express them through none other than freshly baked goodies straight from the oven. From savory to sweet, all-purpose all the way to whole-wheat, we’re paying homage to the hero behind all delicious bakeries; the flour. Here are 5 types of flours you should know about.
1- All-purpose flour
An essential staple in every kitchen, the all-purpose flour is a versatile wheat flour that no cook or baker can live without. While the name says it all, this is the pack of flour used for all types of bakeries and pastries like pizza, crusty breads, and sauces that need thickening and volume, like bechamel sauce.
2- Cake flour
While all-purpose flour can be perfectly used for baking cakes, some people like to have their cakes extra soft; that’s why we use cake flour. A flour that’s finely milled, cake flour has a lighter and finer texture than regular all-purpose flour and less protein content, giving cakes a softer and smoother consistency. Cake flour produces less gluten, which could be a favorable choice for those who suffer from gluten-allergies and indigestion problems.
3- Pizza flour
A strong white flour, pizza flour has high protein content and its own self-raising agent. With a higher gluten content than all-purpose flour, pizza flour produces a nice balance of crisp and chew and gives the pizza the doubled size and stretchiness we want to achieve in the dough.
4- Whole-wheat flour
Many of us are trying to look for ways to curb down cravings, that’s where whole-wheat flour comes in. Whole-wheat flour has higher protein content than regular multi-purpose white flour and higher fiber and nutrients, which means it produces rich fulfilling bakeries and takes a slower time to be digested. Whole-wheat flour gives you a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time, that’s why it is considered a healthier alternative to white flour.
5- Corn flour
Made of dried and grinded whole corn kernels, corn flour is famously used in corn cakes and corn dogs. Corn flour is also used to make high-fiber corn muffins and is an excellent choice for baking bread, as it provides a yummy crunchy taste.
6- Pancake mix
If you taste pancake mix before cooking, you’ll find it a bit salty, that’s because of the added salt and baking powder. Made up with flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, pancake mix helps you create smooth and fluffy pancakes easily and can work as a flour substitute in some baking recipes.
With this all-flour special, you’ll be able to identify the type of flour that best suits your needs and the recipes you’re creating. Rule of thumb is to always keep an extra pack of fluffy and smooth multi-purpose flour; it’s a life-saver, just like a blooming flower on a gloomy day!
