How to Substitute Flour for Bread Flour

All-purpose flour can be easily substituted for bread flour in most recipes.

Bread flour is ideal for making yeast breads. Bread flour contains between 12 and 14 percent protein, whereas all-purpose flour only has between nine and 11 percent protein. Its higher protein content and gluten strength make it easier to create substantial breads. Bread flour is available in most grocery stores, but not all. If you can't find bread flour, use an unbleached all-purpose flour. Other flours can be used as well, but you may need more or less yeast and flour to create yeast breads.

Instructions

1. Use all-purpose flour in a recipe calling for bread flour. You can use the exact same amount of flour but may find that breads take longer to rise or do not have the same density they would have if you had used bread flour.

2. Add a teaspoon of vital wheat gluten, available online and in health food stores, to each cup of all-purpose flour if you'd like to make it closer to bread flour. Sift the gluten into the flour and use as you would bread flour.

3. Replace some of the bread flour with other flours like rye, buckwheat or barley is possible, but you can't replace all of it. Other grains simply don't have the gluten that wheat has and so the bread will not hold together.

References

• King Arthur Flour: Baking Tips
• The Cook's Thesaurus: Wheat Flour
• Wheat Flour: FAQs