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Bread has been a staple food for centuries, and there’s something truly enchanting about the aroma of freshly baked bread filling the kitchen. Whether you’re an amateur home baker or an experienced pastry chef, the choice of flour plays a crucial role in the outcome of your baked goods. While all-purpose flour is a common ingredient in many recipes, using bread flour can take your creations to a whole new level. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why bread flour is a baker’s secret weapon and provide you with a simple recipe to make your own bread flour from all-purpose flour.
What Makes Bread Flour Special?
Bread flour is a high-protein flour, typically containing around 12-14% protein content, compared to the 8-11% found in all-purpose flour. This elevated protein content is primarily derived from hard wheat varieties, which include higher amounts of gluten-forming proteins, namely glutenin and gliadin. When water is added to bread flour, these proteins combine to form gluten, a stretchy network that gives dough its elasticity and structure.
Benefits of Using Bread Flour
1. Better Rise
The higher protein content in bread flour results in a stronger gluten structure, allowing the dough to rise more efficiently. This leads to higher, airier loaves and lighter textures in other baked goods like pizza crusts and bagels.
2. Improved Texture
Bread flour’s ability to create a robust gluten network translates to a chewier and more satisfying texture in bread and other baked goods. This is especially important in artisanal bread, where a delightful chew can make all the difference.
3. Higher Absorption
Due to its protein content, bread flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour. This means you can add more water to your recipes, resulting in a moister and softer final product.
4. Better Shape Retention
The strong gluten structure in bread flour helps your dough maintain its shape during rising and baking, preventing it from spreading too much and losing its form.
Why Make Bread Flour Instead of Buying It?
While bread flour is readily available in most grocery stores and specialty shops, there are several compelling reasons why you might choose to make your own bread flour rather than purchasing it:
1. DIY bread flour provides more flexibility and convenience.
If you’re an occasional baker and don’t use bread flour frequently, keeping a bag of it on hand might not be practical. Instead, having a small amount of vital wheat gluten in your pantry, fridge, or freezer allows you to create bread flour whenever you need it. This eliminates the need to store large quantities of bread flour and ensures you always have fresh bread flour for your recipes.
2. DIY bread flour may be more cost-effective.
Buying vital wheat gluten and all-purpose flour separately can be more cost-effective than purchasing specialized bread flour. Additionally, since you’re only adding a small amount of vital wheat gluten to the all-purpose flour, the gluten powder can last for multiple batches of bread flour, stretching your investment even further.
3. DIY bread flour is customizable.
Making your own bread flour gives you the freedom to adjust the protein content according to your preference or the specific requirements of your recipe. While most store-bought bread flour has a standard protein content of around 12-14%, you can experiment with different ratios of vital wheat gluten to all-purpose flour to achieve the desired protein level.
4. Freshness and Quality Control
Creating bread flour on demand ensures that you are using fresh ingredients for your baking endeavors. Both all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten have longer shelf lives than pre-made bread flour, so you can be confident that the components of your DIY bread flour are at their freshest.
5. Gluten-Free Adaptations
For those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease, making your own bread flour allows you to explore gluten-free alternatives. You can combine gluten-free flours with gluten substitutes like xanthan gum or guar gum to mimic the elasticity and structure provided by gluten. Check out our article on gluten-free baking and our recipe for gluten-free bread flour!
The Power of Bread Flour
Whether you’re an aspiring home baker or a seasoned pro, the benefits of using bread flour in certain recipes are undeniable. Its higher protein content and gluten-forming properties result in superior rise, texture, and shape retention, making it a valuable ingredient for bread and various other baked goods.
By knowing how to make your own bread flour using all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten, you gain the flexibility to bake with bread flour when you need it without the hassle of storage and waste. This simple DIY recipe empowers you to take control of your baking creations, ensuring they are of the highest quality and tailored to your unique preferences.
DIY Bread Flour: Recipe
If you don’t have bread flour on hand and can’t find it at the store, you can easily make your own bread flour using all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten, a concentrated gluten powder available in most baking supply shops and online.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten.
- Whisk the mixture thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the vital wheat gluten.
- Simply use this homemade bread flour in place of regular flour in your bread recipes, and experience the difference in texture and rise. Scale the recipe to fit your needs.