Discuss the flour types used in baking and what distinguishes pastry flour from other flours. We’ll explain pastry flour, clarify the difference between cake flour and pastry flour, and share a simple substitution for pastry flour when you don’t have it on hand.
Pastry flour is a type of all-purpose flour that is made from wheat. It can be used in place of all-purpose or cake flours in most recipes, but it will produce different textures and flavors than either one.
Unlike cake flour, pastry flour has more protein content, giving baked goods more structure and less crumbliness when baking.
Pastry Flour also absorbs liquid better than other types of flour because it contains less gluten, so you might need to add additional juice if you are using this type of flour for your recipe.
If you don’t have pastry flour on hand, some easy substitutions can make your favorite recipe work with whatever kind of flour you have at home!
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is milled from a blend of hard and soft wheat, making it the most versatile of the different types of flour. All-purpose flour is used in baking, including pies, cookies, cakes, and savory baking.
The different types of flours are cake flour, durum wheat (semolina) flour (for making pasta), pastry (or white) flour (made from soft wheat), whole-wheat or wholemeal flour for bread and breakfast cereals, rye flour for rye bread, soybean oil for frying purposes.
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Cake Flour
Cake Flour is a type of flour with the lowest protein count of all flours. This makes it almost gluten-free, and pastry chefs often use cake flour to bake lighter pastries.
Cake flour goes through a bleaching process, which also changes the starch in the flour to absorb more liquid. Pastry chefs often use cake flour to bake lighter pastries.
Pastry chefs frequently use cake flour to create lighter pastries.
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Bread Flour
Bread flour is a type of flour that is made from hard wheat. It has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, making it better suited for making yeast bread.
Yeasted bread needs a lot of gluten to rise, and bread flour has more gluten than all-purpose flour.
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Self-Rising Flour
Self-rising flour is a perfect choice to avoid the chemical leaveners.
The ingredients used for this type of flour include all-purpose wheat flour and salt. Self-rising flour does not contain any leavening agent, and it is typically used in recipes that call for self-raising flour or all-purpose flour.
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Whole Wheat Flour
Many people are now choosing whole wheat flour over white flour. Whole wheat flour is made from grinding whole grains of wheat, which means it contains all three parts of the kernel: bran, germ, and endosperm.
Bran and germ are high in B vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. They’re also high in protein and unsaturated fats.
But not all flours are alike, as you can tell from their colors. White flour is made from the endosperm, also called the starch of wheat. The germ and bran are removed to make white flour, giving it a lighter color and less nutritious qualities.
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Pastry Flour
Pastry Flour is a type of flour that can be used in various ways. In baking, it’s best used for pastries and pie crusts because it provides a good balance between all the flours.
One of its main benefits is that it produces baked products that are flakey and tender.
Pastry Flour has been developed to produce a product with balanced protein content. Unlike some other types, it does not contain any added leavening agents besides the natural enzymes in the flour itself.
What Does Protein Have to Do With Flour?
Protein levels in all-purpose flour are usually around 10-12%. Higher protein levels, like those found in bread flour (14-16%) and pastry flour (9-11%), mean more gluten.
More gluten means that the dough will be denser and thicker than dough made with all-purpose flour. When you combine and knead the dough, the gluten in the flour clumps together, resulting in a more compact and dense dough.
This is why under-worked dough produces chewy and tough baked goods. Because protein amounts are low, such as those present in pastry flour, you can bake lighter baked foods and pastries.
Substituting for Pastry Flour
If you don’t have pastry flour in your pantry, you can substitute it with 14 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Alternatively, if you have a ½ cup of cake flour and a ½ cup all-purpose flour mix, this will produce a similar result to using pastry flour.
Pastry flour is a low protein flour, so it has less gluten than most other flour. This means that pastries and cakes made with pastry flour tend to be more tender and fluffy than regular flour.
Pastry flour is usually milled from soft wheat as the proteins in hard wheat interfere with its baking quality; this creates an alternate name – cake flower.
It’s best used for making delicate items like chiffon cakes and angel food cakes because of its light and ethereal texture.
But beware: not all recipes meant for pastry flour work well with substitutions; some baked goods may end up dense or rubbery if you use the wrong substitute. If you plan on using one of these substitutes, be sure to consult the original pastry flour recipe for recommendations.
Is Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Different?
Whole wheat pastry flour is a type of flour made from the entire wheat kernel. It differs from bleached and enriched white pastry flour, as it has more nutrients and is less processed.
Whole wheat pastry flour also has a higher nutritional value due to its fiber content and additives such as folic acid, iron, niacin, and riboflavin.
As with white enriched pastry flour, whole wheat also has a low protein count. This means that it can be used interchangeably with white enriched pastry flour.
Due to its low protein count, whole wheat pastry flour has a denser texture when baking. It will add nutrients and flavor without increasing your recipe’s calorie or sugar content.
Unlike enriched white flour, it uses whole wheat and is not increased with the additives above (nor is it bleached). This means that it has more fiber and more of the original nutrients present in the wheat kernel.
Potential Uses for Pastry Flour
Fluffy Muffins
With the pastry flour added to my Banana Nut Oat Muffin mix, I can make them even healthier by baking them in muffin tins lined with parchment paper.
Parchment paper is made of a natural carbon product that is biodegradable and environmentally sustainable for use for this purpose. And since it’s reusable, it’s cost-effective too!
I like using pastry flour when making muffins because it gives them an incredibly light texture. I use pastry flour for my muffins to be soft and fluffy, not goopy or dense.
The pastry flour also enhances the flavor of the banana nut oat muffins, which are pretty flavorful. This creates an outstanding balance between sweetness and nuttiness.
These muffins are pretty easy to make, and I like that they’re healthy too. They’re versatile, too. Of course, they’re great for breakfast, but they also make a perfect snack throughout the day.
Soft, Pillowy Cookies
One of the great things about pastry flour is that the dough stays softer because it has less protein than all-purpose flour.
This makes you enjoy your cookie more with each bite. It also creates a more tender cookie, which can be helpful when you’re using ingredients like chocolate or nuts that may not be easy to chew if they are too complicated.
Also, by baking with pastry flour and less protein overall, you can create a more tender, more delicate crumb. This is important even for recipes that are not necessarily meant to be super-tender, like shortbread or gingerbread.
Tender Tarts
Tender tarts are light and delicate pastry that is perfect for any occasion. They are made with a special flour that gives them their unique texture, and they taste amazing when paired with butter and other sweet flavors.
Tender tarts are a must-try for anyone who loves pastry, and they are sure to become a favorite.
Moist, Delicious Cakes
Moist, delicious cakes are a favorite for any occasion. Cakes can be simple or extravagant, but they always taste delicious. There are many different ways to make a cake, and each recipe has its unique flavor and texture.
One of my favorite cake recipes is a vanilla cake. This cake is soft and fluffy, with a delicious vanilla flavor.
I like to use pastry flour when I make this cake because it gives it a light and airy texture. Another great thing about this cake is that it’s moist and delicious.
Scones and Biscuits
Scones and biscuits are two of the most popular baked goods in the United States. They are both straightforward to make, and they always taste delicious.
Scones are a type of biscuit that is made with butter, sugar, and eggs. Biscuits are a type of scone that is made without butter or eggs. Both scones and biscuits are usually served with jam or honey.