All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour is also known as plain flour. It is a general term that umbrellas a range of flours from whole-grain all-purpose, to rye and cake flours.

Use this flour in all types of recipes, from making pasta to baking bread. All-purpose flour varies in ingredients depending on the type, but often has a base of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, with high protein content. When buying, look for words like enriched or unbleached on the package.

In recipes, you can substitute all-purpose flour for plain flour and vice versa However you cannot substitute for self-raising flour, as self-raising flour has adding raising agents so gifts a different result when baking.

What all-purpose flour should I use?

There are many varieties of all-purpose flour available on the market today including whole grain, rye and buckwheat among others.

Wholewheat all-purpose flour is excellent for cookies, muffins and cakes because the added fibre makes them moister. Cake flour, also called pastry flour, is often used in recipes containing eggs only, as wheat flour would be heavier. It should not contain more than 10% protein to avoid giving baked goods too much chewiness.