How to Tell If It Is Bread Flour?

Identifying unlabeled flour can be tricky for the novice.

There are few things more frustrating for a baker than finding unlabeled bags or containers of mysterious powders in the cupboard. So many ingredients are powders in various shades of white and off-white, it's hard to tell them apart. Even flour can be problematic, if you keep more than one kind on hand. However, different kinds of flour have their own distinct characteristics, and an experienced baker can tell them apart with a few simple tests.

Things You'll Need

• Labeled all-purpose or bread flour
• Measuring cup
• Tablespoon
• Water

Instructions

1. Gather up any known flour you have on hand, whether it be bleached or unbleached, bread flour or all-purpose. An unknown flour is easiest to identify if you have others to compare it with.

2. Compare the unknown flour to bread flour, if you have any. It should appear slightly gritty to the eye, and have a color ranging from pale yellow to off-white or tan. Rub a small amount of both flours between your fingers, and see if the texture is the same. If so, your unknown flour is probably also bread flour.

3. Examine the unknown flour and compare it to all-purpose flour, if you have some. Bread flour will typically be slightly yellower or browner than all-purpose flour, even if it is unbleached. Bread flour will also feel coarser than all-purpose flour, and slightly gritty.

4. Compress a small handful of your unknown flour in a tightly-clenched fist. If it clumps, it is pastry or cake flour. If it doesn't clump, and feels fine and powdery when rubbed between your fingers, it is probably all-purpose. If it doesn't clump, and feels gritty when rubbed between your fingertips, it is probably bread flour.

5. Mix 1/2 cup of the unknown flour with two tablespoons of water. Do the same with a known bread flour or all-purpose flour. Bread flour will make a stiffer dough than all-purpose, because it absorbs more water.

Tips & Warnings

• To avoid this sort of thing in future, transfer your flour into clearly marked, airtight containers as soon as you get it home. If you regularly keep multiple flours on hand, you can also segregate them by using containers of different colors.

References

• "The Professional Pastry Chef, Fourth Edition"; Bo Friberg; 2002
• O Chef: Which Flour is Which?

Resources

• King Arthur Flour: Grains