All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour is a type of flour that is a blend of hard and soft wheat. It is a versatile flour used in a wide range of baking and cooking recipes.

Overview

All-purpose flour, also known as plain flour, is made from a mixture of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat. It is a white flour that is processed to remove the bran and germ from the wheat grain, leaving only the endosperm. This results in a flour that is light in color and has a mild flavor.

Uses

All-purpose flour is used in a variety of baking and cooking recipes. It is commonly used in the preparation of bread, cake, cookies, pastry, pasta, and sauce. It can also be used as a thickening agent in soups and stews.

Nutritional Value

All-purpose flour is a good source of protein, iron, and B vitamins. However, because the bran and germ are removed during processing, it is lower in fiber and other nutrients compared to whole wheat flour.

Varieties

There are several varieties of all-purpose flour, including bleached and unbleached. Bleached flour is treated with chemicals to speed up the aging process, which results in a whiter color and finer grain. Unbleached flour is aged naturally and has a denser texture and slightly off-white color.

See Also

• Bread flour
• Cake flour
• Pastry flour
• Whole wheat flour