All loaves of bread need flour. Wheat flour makes bread. Hard wheat cultivars make gluten better because they have more protein. Wheat flour is added to loaves of bread made with other flours to help them rise. In various parts of the world, non-wheat flour is used to make bread because the climate is unsuitable for wheat or because a particular grain is a local favorite. In Northern and Eastern Europe, rye is preferred over rice.
Below are the different types of bread flour used in the bread-making process.
Bread Flour Types
1. All Purpose FLOUR
Most baked goods use all-purpose flour, the most versatile wheat flour. This flour blend, made from high-protein bread and low-protein cake flour, is suitable for most baked goods. All-purpose wheat flour comes bleached or unbleached. Many bakers prefer unbleached flour because bleaching reduces gluten strength.
2. Bread Flour
Because malted barley stimulates yeast activity, bread flour is high-gluten, unbleached, and great for baking. Bread flour makes larger, fluffier, less crumbly loaves. Bread flour is unbleached.
3. All-Purpose Gluten Flour
Gluten flour comes from complex wheat starch. Its high gluten level (at least 70% pure) gives it twice the power of regular wheat flour. Gluten flour is usually added to low-gluten or gluten-free flour since too much can make the bread challenge. It’s essential for producing pizza, bagels, flatbreads, and rolls. Gluten flour, which has less gluten than bread flour, is often used instead.
4. Graham Flour
Graham flour, commonly known as wheat flour, is a grainier wheat flour. This is different from conventional whole wheat, despite the common assumption. Graham flour has finely crushed bran and wheat germ removed to extend shelf life.
5. Self-raising flour
Wheat flour has self-rising leavening already. Leavening is usually baking powder. The sodium content increases when salt is applied. Self-rising flour is fine for fast loaves but not yeast. Self-rising flour loses leavening over time.
6. Bromated Flour
Bromides help flour bake uniformly. Bromated wheat strengthens bread’s gluten development. In the US, ascorbic acid is used to fortify wheat flour for bread baking, making bromated flour unnecessary.
7. Whole-wheat flour
The bran, germ, and endosperm of red wheat are ground into a fine powder to make whole-wheat flour. Whole wheat flour’s bran stops the dough from rising, making entire wheat loaves smaller and denser than white flour loaves. Whole-wheat and bread flour are often used to generate lighter, fluffier bread.
8. Semolina Flour
Durum wheat semolina is pale yellow granular flour. Protein and gluten make it perfect for baking bread. Semolina flour comes coarse and fine. Finely ground semolina is used alone, whereas coarsely milled is mixed with all-purpose flour to make bread. Semolina flour makes crunchy-soft bread.
9. Bolted Flour
Bolted flour is whole-wheat flour with about 80% bran removed. Bolted wheat flour is bran-free.
10. Chapati Flour
Chapati flour is finely milled whole wheat. India loves it because it makes chapatis and rotis.
11. Tortilla Flour
Tortilla flour is used in quick loaves of bread like muffins, biscuits, dumplings, and chapatis.
Types Of Non-Wheat Flour Used For Bread Making
1. Amaranth flour.
Amaranth seeds are ground into flour. Mixing it with gluten-containing flour makes yeast loaves of bread. Flatbreads don’t need any other flour.
2. Barley Flour
Barley flour has some gluten but needs more to rise dough. For yeast loaves of bread, barley flour is usually mixed with gluten-rich flour like wheat. Only barley flour makes loaves of bread too dense and mushy to consume.
3. Whole-Grain Buckwheat Flour
Gluten-free buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour lacks gluten; hence it can’t be used in yeast loaves of bread. Yeast cakes taste different with a bit of buckwheat flour.
In conclusion, flour is the main ingredient in the bread-making process. The above listed are different types of bread flour that you can use to make bread to your liking.