As many of us have discovered, baking is a lot of fun, but it is also a science so here is our quick guide to ensure you are using the correct flour for successful results!
Plain flour
White flour, also known as plain or all-purpose flour, has most of the bran and wheat germ removed. Usually used for cakes, pastries and biscuits.
Strong flour
Made from 'hard' wheat varieties which are high in gluten, making it ideal for bread-making. Strong flour is not suitable for cakes. It requires kneading, before 'proving' to relax the gluten and increase the stretch & elasticity of the dough which allows it to rise and produce a good loaf.
Self-raising flour
Self-raising flour has the raising agent already added, this is used for cakes and batter, and gives the finished product a lighter texture.
Wholemeal or wholewheat flour
Made from the wholegrain, wholemeal flour produces heavier results than white flour, these are often used in combination with white or strong flour.
'00' flour
A special grade refined flour for making pasta or pizza bases. Italian flour is graded by colour marked* 00-04 where 00 is really really white and 04 is closer to wholemeal. *[resulting from the extent to which the bran and the germ are extracted from the flour]
