Types of Wheat Flour
Not long ago, I was having a discussion with our young friend Scotty* about different kinds of flours, and I found I really had no idea what the differences signified. Fortunately, the editors of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook had (on page 2) a brief but useful summary:
The main difference between types of flour is the amount of protein they contain, which varies depending on what type of wheat is used. All-purpose flour (10 to 11.5 percent protein content) is a blend of high- and low-protein wheat flours and, as its name implies, is used in many applications. Bread flour (12 percent protein or higher) is made from hard wheat and contains the most protein of any flour. This high protein content ensures strong gluten development, which is crucial to developing the structure of bread. Cake flour is made from soft wheat and has a very low protein level; this makes it perfect for delicate, fine-crumbed cakes such as Chiffon Cake or Angel Food Cake.
We had wondered whether the difference between hard and soft wheats had to do with whether they were summer or winter wheats, but apparenty hard and soft wheats can come in either variety. Also, Durham wheat is an altogether difference species from the hard and soft wheats.
———-
*I say "young friend" as an informative thing, but also to distinguish him from our somewhat older friend Scotty.