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Ingredient

all-purpose flour

Also known as: All purpose flour, Flour

Wheat flour milled to a moderate protein content -- versatile enough for most baking and thickening uses without the extra strength of bread flour or the softness of cake flour.

Buying guidance

Buy in a size you'll get through before it turns stale or invites pantry pests -- a high-turnover store is a good sign. For baking, weigh it if your scale allows; a cup of scooped flour can vary by an ounce or more depending on how it's packed, which is enough to throw off a cake's texture. If measuring by volume instead, spoon flour into the cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag, which compacts it and adds too much.

Substitutions

  • Bread flour -- works in most non-yeasted baking and thickening, but its higher protein makes baked goods noticeably chewier.
  • Cake flour -- gives a softer, more tender crumb; fine for cakes and delicate baking, weaker for anything that needs real structure (yeast bread, gravy).
  • A 1:1 gluten-free blend -- can work in many baked goods, but results depend heavily on the specific blend's binders; expect some trial and error.

Tips & common mistakes

Raw flour tastes chalky and faintly bitter -- when using it to thicken a sauce or make a roux, cook it in fat for a minute or two before adding liquid, since flour straight from the bag never fully loses that raw taste no matter how long the sauce then simmers.

Storage

All-purpose flour's low fat content lets it stay stable well past its printed date if kept dry and sealed. The main threat is pantry pests: a resealable container keeps weevils out better than the original paper bag, and freezing new flour for a day or two before it goes into pantry storage kills off any eggs it may already be carrying.

Used in 19 recipes