Ever wondered why flour is needed in almost every baking recipe, and sometimes even in cooking recipes? Well, that is because this indispensable ingredient provides structure to baked goods and is often used as a thickening agent in savoury dishes too.
But if you are a baking novice, you will probably be surprised to find out that there are many different types of flour available on the market, causing you to feel unsure of which to use for your baking.
There is no need to fret though, as this beginner’s guide to the different types of flour will come in handy when you try your hand at baking.
Keep reading to find out more!
1. All-purpose flour
Being one of the most common types of flour, all-purpose flour is versatile enough to be used for just about everything you can think of and works well in most recipes. It is a foolproof option with a mild flavour to start your baking journey with.
Prima Flour’s Plain Flour and Plain Flour Plus are both all-purpose flour that can be used to make cakes, pancakes, pastries and even dumplings and roti prata.
2. Bread flour
The biggest difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is that the former boasts a higher protein content. This high protein content in the flour is needed to make dough with more elasticity so that baked goods end up with a chewy and airy texture.
Prima Flour offers three types of bread flour – all-purpose Bread Flour is great for making all varieties of bread; Artisan Bread Flour comes with a greater aroma and produces bakes with a crispy yet tender crust; Superior Bread Flour has an extra fine, soft and silky texture for even tastier Japanese-style bread. All three types of flour are unbleached.
3. Cake flour
Cake flour, on the other hand, is low in protein to give you spongy bakes that are incredibly soft. Its low gluten content is also perfect for baking muffins and pastries that require a light and tender mouthfeel.
Prima Flour’s Cake Flour has excellent tolerance to a high amount of butter and sugar, making it great for beginners to experiment with.
4. Top flour
Top flour is quite similar to cake flour but with an ultra-fine consistency to help bakers achieve treats with a crumbly texture. This makes it ideal for butter cookies, chiffon cakes and Swiss rolls.
Prima Flour’s Top Flour is unbleached with no additives added.
5. Self-raising flour
As its name suggests, self-raising flour contains leavening agents so that small gas bubbles get released into the dough, adding airiness to the end product. Thus, it is typically used to bake scones and muffins where an even and consistent crust is needed. While self-raising flour is best for baking cakes and cookies, it can also double up as a batter for fried food to achieve a crispier outer layer.
The Prima Flour Self-Raising Flour is just what you need.
6. Hong Kong flour
Hong Kong flour is best for making steamed buns (bao) and dim sum skins, and its name would have already given this away. This extraordinarily soft flour gives your bakes a fluffy and cotton-like texture that will wow any taste bud. But it is also not just reserved for making dim sums, Malay kuehs, Japanese cheesecake and waffles will also taste heavenly when baked with Hong Kong flour.
Consider Prima Flour’s Hong Kong Flour which is made to be especially soft and light to help bakers achieve the best taste.
7. Wholegrain flour
Wholegrain flour is made from whole, unprocessed wheat kernels, grains and seeds with their germ and bran intact to enhance the flavour while retaining its essential nutrients and fibre. Using wholegrain flour has health benefits such as improving digestion, lowering the risk of heart disease and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Its health benefits aside, using wholegrain flour when baking adds a nutty flavour to your treats for something special.
Prima Flour’s Superfine Wholegrain Flour and Wholegrain Flour are specially milled for the health-conscious who want to be able to enjoy their baked goods or food with less guilt.
Bleached vs unbleached Flour
We mentioned above that some of our flour is unbleached so you may be wondering what the difference is between them.
Bleached flour uses bleaching agents (the most common ones are benzoyl peroxide and chlorine gas) to speed up the flour’s ageing process whereas unbleached flour is left to age naturally and has not undergone bleaching. You may also notice that bleached flour comes in a whiter colour as compared to unbleached ones.
Hence, unbleached flour takes longer to produce and will usually cost more. Both varieties can be used interchangeably in most recipes and will not significantly alter the final product – it ultimately boils down to your preference.
Shop different types of flour from Prima Flour
Regardless of whether you are looking for wholesale flour for your business or are a home baker thinking of starting your baking journey, Prima Flour’s wide selection of products will cater to all your baking needs.
Prima Flour and Premixes are available at all major supermarkets, hypermarkets, and ingredient shops islandwide. Get in touch with us here for enquiries!
You may also choose to email us at sales.primaflour@prima.com.sg to reach us directly.
