Flour is pretty much the most used ingredient in baking. It acts mainly as a binder in goods. It contains gluten which basically determines how strong it is. The four main types of flour are all-purpose flour, bread flour, cake or pastry flour and whole wheat flour. The different levels of gluten and protein in these flours determine what they are best used for.

All-purpose flour can be used for anything because it has a gluten content that is in between bread flour and pastry flour, making it suitable for breads and cakes and pastries… or just about anything else. This is the flour you would want to buy when you make a wide range of recipes that use flour.

Bread flour has a higher gluten content so it holds its shape the best when baked, making it best for breads. It creates a tougher texture and so is not the best for cakes and pastries. If you make a lot of bread, this is the best flour to use.

Cake and pastry flours have low gluten contain so they create lighter, fluffier batters making them unsuitable for bread but good for pastries and cakes. If you make a lot of these this is the best flour to use for the optimal fluffiness.

Whole wheat flour usually isn’t quite strong enough to be used on its own so it is often used in combination with another type of flour. It just adds a little more nutrients to things like breads and muffins.

If you do a lot of baking (or cooking) but not just of one type of thing, I definitely reccomend all-purpose flour. Unless you are a professional cake maker or bake bread every day, all-purpose flour will do a great job in any recipe.

You should also remember the proper way of measuring flour. When it gets shipped, it often gets a little packed down and condensed so when meauring out your flour, use a spoon to get it into the meauring cup rather than just scooping it with the cup. This will help ensure you aren’t getting too much flour.

-peanut butter and jelly