# Difference Between Bread/ap Flours?



## KIMMYM73 (Nov 12, 2006)

Can Anyone Tell Me What Is The Difference Between Bread Flour And All Purpose Flour? I Have Every Flour Know To Man In My Cabinet, But Of Course, No Bread Flour!!! Help!!


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## bethzaring (Nov 12, 2006)

the difference is the variety of wheat.  Bread flour is milled from hard wheat berries, cake/pastry flour is milled from soft wheat.  All purpose flour is a blend of the two wheats.


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## Andy M. (Nov 12, 2006)

Bread flour is a higher protein flour made from hard wheat. The protein produces gluten when made into a dough. The higher gluten dough produces a different bread texture, it's more chewy and 'tougher' in texture.

Cake flour is a lower protein flour made from soft wheat. The lower protein produces less gluten resulting in lighter, softer baked goods. 

As bethzaring explained, AP flour is a blend of hard/high protein and soft/low protein flours that provides a compromise flour that works in a lot of different recipes.

You can make cake with AP flour that will not be as light as a cake made with cake flour and you can make bread with AP flour that won't be as chewy as bread make with bread flour.


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## Michael in FtW (Nov 12, 2006)

AP (All Purpose) flour is a _blend _of hard and soft wheats ... the blend depends on where you live (in the North it tends to contain more hard than soft - in the South it is the other way around).

Bread flour is a high gluten flour ... think of the gluten content as the difference between chewing gum and bubble gum ... the bubble gum will hold more gas bubbles than the chewing gum (very simplistic example).

Have you checked our previous discussions on this subject?

If you want to start from scratch ... you might want to explore here. There is a fantastic page on flour ... but I'll let you explore the site and find it.


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## KIMMYM73 (Nov 13, 2006)

I just tried to reply, but I have no idea where it went, so I will try this again  I am a newbie to this awesome site, so I just jumped right in and posted a question before I looked around and explored! I have found the answer to my question in several places, but I really appreciate the help offered by all of you, thanks! Look forward to many many more great discussions!!


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