If you’re baking a cake, cookies, muffins, or other sweet treats, one of the first ingredients you’ll likely reach for is flour! You might not even put too much thought into it, but have you ever wondered what flour is defined as?
Flour is made by finely grinding grains, nuts, seeds, and other foods into an edible powder.
We’ll talk all about flour in this article – and you’ll likely learn something new!
What is flour?
You probably have some in your pantry right now, but do you really know what flour is?
It’s pretty simple – flour is a fine powder made by grinding grains, nuts, seeds, and other foods. Flour is made from a variety of plant-based foods and is used for cooking and baking.
There are several different types of flours out there, so you’re likely able to find one that suits your nutrition preferences, dietary needs, or allergies!
Flour and gluten
The most popular types of flour are from wheat, which contains gluten. (Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye, and barley and gives baked goods a chewy and elastic texture.
If you’re intolerant of gluten or have Celiac disease, you’ll need to avoid most types of commercial flours. However, there are plenty of flours that are gluten-free, such as:
- Almond flour
- Chestnut flour
- Coconut flour
- Oat flour
(There are many more besides these!)
Allergy considerations
If you have a food allergy, you’ll need to be careful about which type of flour you choose. The most common food allergens include wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, and soy, which can all be present in certain types of flour.
The good news is there are plenty of allergy-friendly flours to choose from if you have food allergies.
Special diets
The vast majority of flours are vegan-friendly, so there isn’t a cause for concern in that department. If you’re on a special diet like Paleo or keto, you’ll have fewer options for flour since most of them are made from carbohydrates like grains and legumes.
Never fear, though – there are several lower-carb flour options for both Paleo and keto diets, such as almond flour and coconut flour. (Some of these flours are considered keto-friendly because they are rich in fiber, which reduces their net carb total!)
FAQs:
White flour is made from a blend of hard and soft wheat (hard means higher protein and more gluten). It is refined (a process that removes part of the grain’s outer fibrous layers) and enriched with nutrients like folate and iron to help prevent nutrient deficiencies.
Some of the most popular types of flour are all-purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, and pastry flour (these all are made from wheat).
All-purpose flour is the most commonly used flour because it’s versatile. However, if you want to make something specific like cake, you’ll likely want to choose a more specific flour like cake flour, which is slightly lower in protein to yield a delicate crumb texture.
There is gluten in all-purpose flour (“regular” flour), but you can also find gluten-free all-purpose flour blends containing gluten-free flours.
The majority of flours are vegan, except cricket flour (yep, it’s made from ground-up bugs)!
Many types of flour aren’t keto-friendly because they are high in carbs. Some low-carb flours are OK on keto, such as coconut flour and almond flour.
Eating too many refined carbs (such as white flour) can be linked to certain health problems, which is why many health-conscious people turn to healthier flours like whole-wheat flour and high-fiber flours like coconut flour and almond flour.
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