Replacement For Flour In Bread Recipe

If you’ve ever rolled up your sleeves to bake bread only to find that you’re all out of bread flour, we feel your pain. Here’s the good news. You can still carry on with everything from a sourdough loaf to cinnamon rolls without any bread flour. Looking for the best bread flour substitute? The ideal swap is simpler than you think.

The main difference between bread flour and other types of flour is protein content. Flour’s protein gives it the power to make dough strong and to help the bread rise. Bread flour’s high protein content ranges from about 12 to 14 percent, meaning it’s great for recipes that need sturdy dough and texture, plus lots of stretchy gluten production.

The protein in bread flour also absorbs more liquid than in other flours, which makes dough stiff and solid. It’s the ideal choice for any bread that uses yeast for leavening, and for giving loaves, buns, pizza dough and beyond height, strength and elasticity.

Sourdough Bread With All Purpose Flour

For a basically seamless bread flour substitution, just swap in all-purpose flour 1:1. While your dessert, pizza crust, bread or other yummy project may come out a smidge less chewy, you’ll barely notice a difference. If you’re making loaves of bread, all-purpose flour may cause the top of the bread to mushroom over the pan a bit instead of rising straight up. But it’ll still taste essentially the same and have similar height. The crumb (aka those tiny holes in slices of bread) will be practically identical, too.

All-purpose flour is meant to be just that: all-purpose. Its protein content is typically between 10 and 12 percent. While AP flour is super versatile and has no true substitute, bread flour is the better choice for recipes that specifically call for it (duh) and any baking projects that would benefit from extra-sturdy dough, like English muffins.

Cake flour is on the other end of the spectrum, with a protein range of 6 to 8 percent. This results in a tender, fluffy, crumby light mouthfeel and texture in more delicate treats like cupcakes, meaning it likely wouldn’t give the results you’re looking for if you used it in place of bread flour.

Almond Flour Bread Recipe

Do you have a bag of flour currently rolled up in your pantry? Same. But it turns out that’s not the best way to extend its shelf life. The USDA considers flour shelf-stable and non-perishable. While refined flours (white flours like bread, AP, cake and self-rising) will stay at peak quality for anywhere from one to two years, air, heat and light exposure will speed up its expiration over time.

Any type of refined flour is better off in an airtight container stored somewhere cool and dark. Use a container with an airtight seal, made of an opaque material that protects against light, like plastic or stainless steel. If you can’t remember how long the flour has been sitting on your shelf, you may want to freeze it for two days to kill any potential weevils (those tiny, pesky pantry bugs) or eggs in the bag before transferring it to a container. You’ll know flour has gone bad if it smells off or sour.

Whole-grain flours can oxidize even faster because they contain more natural oils, so always keep those in the fridge for up to six months or in the freezer for up to a year.

Here Are 11 All Purpose Flour Substitutes That Work In Any Recipe

Taryn Pire is ’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...When I started thinking about doing a post about some of my favorite flours (and flour alternatives) I thought I’d only have a handful to share. But once I started pulling things out of my pantry, I realized I had quite a few flours in there. Some of them are interchangeable and some work best in a few recipes and not so well in others. Some are cheap, some are expensive, and some are harder to find than others. So I thought I’d make you a little guide to the various flours you might see on my blog or across Pinterest. Hopefully this makes it easier for you when you’re at the grocery store!

Whole Wheat Flour- You might already have this at home! Whole wheat flour contains the entire kernel of hard red wheat, which is what gives it a darker color than white flour. It’s high in nutrients and fiber which is why I love using it in recipes! If you’re swapping it out for all-purpose flour start with a half all purpose/half whole wheat blend. If you switch to all whole wheat, it can get sort of chewy and dry.

White Whole Wheat Flour– This has recently become one of my favorite flours. It has the nutrients and fiber of whole wheat flour, but it’s an easier swap for all purpose flour. The wheat flavor isn’t as strong, so depending on the recipe, you can often swap this 1:1 for all purpose flour. This is the perfect place to start when baking for people who think they hate whole wheat flour. I used it in this whole wheat flatbread recipe and they have a great texture!

Grain4grain 1 To 1 Replacement Flour Brazilian Bread

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour- This flour comes from soft white wheat. The lower protein content of this flour makes it great for whole grain baked goods. It’s pretty similar to white whole what flour, but I think it’s a bit better in baked goods. I used it in these chocolate avocado muffins and it was perfect!

Gluten Free Flour: Gluten free flour can be tricky, but I’ve had a lot of success with Enjoy Life Foods all-purpose flour blend. It’s a combination of grains (Millet, Rice, Teff, Buckwheat, Rice Starch, Tapioca Starch, Brown Rice Protein, & Sprouted Brown Rice Protein) and it works well in baked goods or as a general substitute for flour. It measures 1:1 just like regular flour. I’ve used it in this falafel recipe to keep it vegan.

Coconut Flour– I think this is one of the harder flours to work with. Baked goods tend to get pretty dense, but if you’re paleo, this is a popular choice. I’ve it in a recipe for gluten free protein donuts and it worked fairly well. (Although I prefer this recipe for cinnamon sugar mini protein donuts!) Coconut flour isn’t an easy swap but if you play around with it for a bit, it can be a nice gluten free, high fiber flour option.

Spend Grain 1 To 1 Replacement Flour Protein Loaf

Quinoa Flour– I’ve loved playing around with quinoa flour but I’ll warn you, it’s expensive. I like to keep it real over here so I know not everyone wants to shell out $16 for a bag of flour. It’s great for special diets though, since it’s gluten free and quinoa is a “complete protein” meaning it contains all the essential amino acids. That’s helpful for vegans! It also offers more protein than all purpose flour. If you want to try baking with quinoa flour, try these quinoa chocolate chip cookies!

Oat Flour– Technically, you can buy oat flour but you can also make it pretty easily. I just toss rolled oats in the blender or food processor until I get to a flour-like texture. It can be a great gluten-free “flour” for baked goods, but it will definitely change the texture of the final product. If you want to start by substituting part of the flour in a recipe, start with about 20%.

Almond Flour- Again, this one is on the pricy side, but you can make your own with almonds from the bulk bin, or buy some almond flour (somtimes called “almond meal”) from Trader Joe’s where it tends to be a bit cheaper. It’s a great high protein, gluten free substitute but keep in mind that it’s much higher in calories. I love it in these almond flour brownies and these sugar free dark chocolate truffles, but I haven’t used it for things like muffins or bread. It tends to be pretty dense.

How To Substitute Whole Wheat Flour For All Purpose Flour

Who knew there were so many flour options?! If I’m baking for myself, I typically use white whole wheat flour. I personally think it’s the easiest substitute and it offers a good amount of protein and fiber. But if you’re gluten free or you’re following a special diet, there are some great flour alternatives!Flour substitutes are one of the most frequently asked questions I’m asked. With so many types of flour available now, it’s impossible to have every one of them in your pantry. Unless, of course, you’re a professional pastry chef, and it’s part of your job.

Then there are dietary restrictions and gluten sensitivity. If that is your concern, my heart goes out to you. You can use my list of Gluten-Free Flour Substitutions!

I regularly use several types of flour. Each one has a unique texture and contributes to the dish’s flavor or dessert in its own way.

Simple Spelt Bread Recipe

For example, it may be dough or the thickener in a sauce. It may be rich and creamy, light and fluffy, or flaky and sweet.

The most obvious are cakes, bread, and pastries (sweet and savory). But gravies, sauces, and stews can also have