Soft wheat flour

Bakers generally classify wheat by the hardness of the kernel, that is, by whether the kernel is hard or soft. Hard wheat kernels are high in protein; soft wheat kernels are low in protein.

Flour is the product obtained by grinding wheat kernels or “berries.” Flours milled from soft wheat kernels are whiter in color and finer to the touch than hard wheat flours.

Soft wheat flour is comparatively low in gluten and so results in a finer texture. Soft flour is usually divided into "cake" flour, which is the lowest in gluten, and "pastry" flour, which has slightly more gluten than cake flour.

It produces more tender products, and this is desirable for many in cakes, pastries, cookies, crackers, oriental noodles and pastries. Flour with low protein content, low ash content, and weak gluten characteristics makes good quality sponge cake.

Cake flour has a greater percentage of starch and less protein, which keeps cakes and pastries tender and delicate. Protein varies from 7 to 9 percent.

Pastry flour is milled from soft wheat, generally from soft red winter wheat. It is low in protein—typically 7–9.5 percent—and is not usually bleached. Pastry flour is ideal for cookies and many pastries.
Soft wheat flour

Self-rising flour: Best for tender biscuits and quick breads

Convenience foods are described as problem free preparation and consumption of variety products. Food products that save time and effort in preparation, consumption, or cleanup are omnipresent.

Self-rising flour is a convenience product made by adding baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour. Traditionally, the flour used is from a softer, lower protein types of all purpose flour.

Self-rising flour provides a great convenience for house hold use. Their use saves time and energy to eliminate the hardships of measuring out and provide desirable quality to product.

Self-rising flour is best for tender biscuits, quick breads, muffins, pancakes and some cakes. However, it is not recommended for yeast breads.

Self-rising flour is best stored tightly wrapped in its original box and used within six months of purchase — longer than that and the baking powder in it begins to lose its oomph.

Self-rising flour contains bicarbonate, together with an acid ingredient, when made into a dough and baked, CO2 is generated which causes dough aeration and development.
Self-rising flour: Best for tender biscuits and quick breads

Self-rising flour: Safe time and effort

Self-rising flour is a convenience product comprised of all-purpose flour, salt and a chemical agent such as baking powder. Baking powder is a leavening agent, which is what causes baked goods to rise. And salt is a common ingredient in baking to add some flavor.

Self-rising flour should never be used to make yeast breads. Self-rising flour provides a great convenience for house hold use. Their use saves time and energy to eliminate the hardships of measuring out and provide desirable quality to product.

One cup of self-rising ­our contains 1½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Self-rising can be substituted for all-purpose ­our by reducing salt and baking powder according to these proportions.

It's best for tender biscuits, muffins, pancakes and some cakes. Self-rising flour is best stored tightly wrapped in its original box and used within six months of purchase — longer than that and the baking powder in it begins to lose its oomph.

Self-rising flour contains bicarbonate, together with an acid ingredient, when made into a dough and baked, CO2 is generated which causes dough aeration and development. Self-rising can be substituted for all-purpose flour by reducing salt and baking powder according to these proportions.
Self-rising flour: Safe time and effort

Type of flour

An ingredient used in many foods, flour is a fine powder made from cereals or other starchy food sources. The flour properties of flour are influenced by the raw materials and by the milling process and the treatments applied after milling.

It is most commonly made from wheat, but also maize (aka corn), rye, barley and rice, amongst many other grasses and non-grain plants (including many Australian species of acacia).

The vast majority of today's flour consumption is wheat flour. Wheat varieties are typically known as "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content, and "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low.

Hard flour, or "bread" flour, is high gluten-forming potential forming a very strong and elastic structure, which can hold the air and gases of yeast. It is typically made of hard red spring wheat kernels, with a high protein-to-starch ratio.

Soft flour is comparatively low in gluten and so results in a finer texture. Soft flour is usually divided into "cake" flour, which is the lowest in gluten, and "pastry" flour, which has slightly more gluten than cake flour.

All purpose flour combines the desirable qualities of both hard and soft wheat flour. It does not contain bran or germ, and is known as white wheat flour, or simply ’flour’.

Corn flour is very popular in the southern United States and in Mexico. Coarse whole-grain corn flour is usually called corn meal. Corn meal which has been leached with lye is called masa harina and is used to make tortillas and tamales in Mexican cooking.

Corn flour should never be confused with cornstarch, which is known as cornflour in British English.

Triticale flour: triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye. Triticale fours have protein concentration of 10.7% - 16.3% averaging 13.4%. They generally have shorter dough development tines than do bread flours of wheat.

100% Rye flour is used to bake the traditional sourdough breads of Germany and Scandinavia. Most rye breads use a mix of rye and wheat flours because rye has a low gluten content. Pumpernickel bread is usually made exclusively of rye, and contains a mixture of rye flour and rye meal.

Rice flour is of great importance in Southeast Asian cuisine. Also edible rice paper can be made from it. Most rice flour is made from white rice, thus is essentially a pure starch, but whole-grain brown rice flour is commercially available.

Chestnut flour is popular in Corsica, the Périgord and Lunigiana. In Corsica, it is used to cook the local variety of polenta. In Italy, it is mainly used for desserts.

Chickpea flour (besan) is of great importance in Indian cuisine, and in Italy, where it is used for the Ligurian farinata.

Flour can also be made from soy beans, arrowroot, potatoes, taro, cattail and other non-grain foodstuffs.

Whole grain sorghum flour is used in the making of a bread, roti in India.

Tang flour is a kind of wheat flour used in Chinese cooking that is suitable for making outer layer of dumplings and buns. It is also called wheat starch. You can find it in any Chinese supermarket.
Type of flour