All Things Flour: Wheat Edition

By Iyath Adam

 

Apart from rice, flour is probably the most common staple food in Maldivian households. This flour that we use is wheat flour; white, soft flour that makes wonderfully soft roshi (Maldivian flatbread) and hedhikaa (short eats).

But did you know that there are different types of wheat flour available on the market as well?

Here, we take a look at what wheat flour is and the most common types you might find in grocery stores.

What is wheat?

Wheat itself is a grain that is dried, then milled or ground to make flour from it.

The wheat grain has three main layers to it: the fibrous, outer layer called bran, the middle layer called endosperm, and the germ or embryo inside it. Depending on the variety of wheat and the way it is milled, you can get hard and soft flours and whole wheat or refined flours.

Hard vs soft wheat

The types of flour are usually distinguished by the amount of gluten in it. Gluten is a natural protein found in the wheat that gives baked goods their structure; the higher the gluten/protein content, the harder the wheat and vice versa. 

As the gluten or protein content of flour increases or decreases, the resulting dough becomes ‘harder’ or ‘softer’ which affects the texture, elasticity, and crumb of baked goods. Harder flours with high protein content are used to make denser things like bread while softer flours with lower protein content are usually used to bake cakes and desserts. 

Whole wheat flour

Whole wheat flour refers to flour that is milled with its bran, endosperm, and germ. The resulting flour is typically light brown in colour with a slightly coarse texture. Baked goods made from whole wheat flour are usually harder with a chewier texture.

‘Atta’ flour in South Asian cooking is a stone milled variety of whole wheat flour; but the type of wheat used and the particular way of milling gives atta flour a lower gluten content and finer grind than standard whole wheat flour. This gives atta dough (and flatbreads) a softer, more elastic texture.

 

Refined flour

Refined flour refers to flour that has had the bran and germ removed from it. This results in a fine, soft flour that has an extremely long shelf-life. However, stripping the bran and germ also means that about 70-80% of the nutrients from it has been removed. The commonly used ‘maida’ or white flour in South Asian cooking is refined flour.

Read on to learn about the most widely used refined flours in baking.

All-purpose flour

This is the most common type of flour that you see on supermarket aisles. White, refined, and finely textured, it has a medium level of gluten in it, making it suitable to be used for pretty much all types of baking and cooking. 

 

Self-raising flour

This is just all-purpose flour that has baking powder and salt added to it. It’s usually made with soft or low-gluten wheat.

You can also make your own self-raising flour at home by mixing 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1.5-2 teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of fine salt together.

Bread flour

Bread flour has a very high level of gluten in it. This protein in the flour allows it to absorb more liquid and rise, creating an elastic dough and ultimately, the light, chewy texture needed for good bread.

This type of flour is great to make all types of bread, including bread loaves, buns, bagels, pretzels and even pizza dough.

Cake flour

On the other end of the spectrum, cake flour is one type of flour which has the least amount of gluten in it. This makes it especially suitable for making different types of airy cakes – like chiffon cakes and sponge cakes – pancakes, and scones, as the less gluten allows it to be softer and moister. 

Pastry flour

Pastry flour has a slightly higher gluten content than cake flour, but less than all-purpose flour. This makes it sturdy enough to yield the tender, flaky texture needed for making pie and tart crusts, biscuits, and scones.

00 flour

00 flour (doppio zero or double zero flour) is an Italian flour that has an ultra-fine texture. For context, Italian flours are graded from 00, 0, 1 and 2 with 00 having the finest texture and 2 being the coarsest texture.

00 flour has medium-to-high gluten content in it and is great for making Italian classics like pizza dough, pasta, and focaccia; the fine grind and protein content allow it to be stretched super thin without breaking. 

Bottom line

Knowing the different types of flour and how they work can give you a more nuanced understanding of how to get better results with your bakes. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is to enjoy the process!

Baking is as much about experimenting and learning as it is about the final result, so don't be afraid to try new things, make mistakes, and discover what works best for you.

 

Feeling experimental? For all types of cakes, breads, and other flour bakes, check out our recipes here.