I tried out a new white whole wheat flour today in my basic whole wheat bread recipe. I shouldn't stray from my usual; I still have found no comparison to my favorite flour! Every few months, I head over to Eagle Point, Oregon, to visit the Butte Creek Mill. They use a water fed stone-ground method to produce wonderful flours for baking, and also have a nice little shop in which to purchase those flours, other forms of whole grains, and all sorts of specialty food items. (You can also watch the mill in action.) I buy at least four 10 pound bags of their white whole wheat flour at a time, and usually a small amount of seven grain, regular whole wheat, and whatever else grabs my attention that day. The texture of their flour is incomparable, and it produces a consistent, light, airy, quick-rising loaf. While their prices fluctuate with the wheat market, they're very comparable to other high quality brands. Last time I visited, they charged less than $11 for a ten pound bag of white whole wheat flour. (Our grocery store sells 5 pound bags of King Arthur white wheat flour for over $8!)
I was almost out of my favorite flour when I was in Eugene, OR, a few weeks ago. I happened to be stocking up on yummy things in Trader Joe's, and I noticed 5 pound bags of flour for $2.99. White whole wheat flour. Awesome! I am always wary of super low prices, as the lower the price of flour usually means a lower quality product, but this was too tempting to resist. I had to give it a try. I must say, this flour worked just fine for basic recipes, and is certainly a better choice than cheap super market varieties of the regular whole wheat flour, but the ultimate test is that it must pass my usual bread recipe. And it failed. Luckily, my dad was able to stock up at the Mill for me a few days ago!
There are probably a million different choices for flour these days. Every brand offers something different, even if they all say it's the same thing. A person wouldn't think there could be much variation in one brand from another, especially with all-purpose flour, but there is. A HUGE difference. Protein (gluten) levels vary greatly from flour to flour, as does texture of the grind. Bob's Red Mill, for example, uses an electric mill (versus the Butte Creek Mill that's run by water pressure), and they produce flour that's more fine. When I use their regular whole wheat I get a more dense loaf than with the BCM's.
All purpose flour is a blend of both hard and soft wheat and has a protein level varying between 10-12%. Protein levels are determined based on the amount of gluten present; hard wheat is very high in gluten and soft wheat is lower. This flour was developed for home bakers and can be used almost interchangably with other flours, although you will ultimately get better results if you use the flour specified in a recipe. I like Bob's Red Mill a little better than the other brands available in the store, but it's not too noticable if you're not doing a ton of baking.
Cake and pastry flours are made from soft wheat and have a much lower gluten content, ranging from 8.5-10%. They produce a softer, more fine texture due to the high starch content. Pastry flour (even whole wheat) is slightly higher in protein than cake flour.
Bread flour is a product of hard wheat and has a higher protein content. The gluten present allows for more elasticity in the dough and gives strength, rise, and body to awesome loaves of bread. When used in place of all-purpose, King Arthur's brand produces a far superior loaf.
Self-rising flour is basically all-purpose with added baking powder and salt. I'd rather add my own as the recipe states, and I don't keep this in my kitchen.
White flours are enriched with vitamins and minerals that have been added back in after the germ and bran have been removed. These elements can cause the flour to become rancid, and so white flour was developed to be shelf stable for long periods. I buy unbleached white flour and keep it in my pantry for cakes, cookies, and for blending with whole grain flours. Whole wheat (all varieties), rye, spelt, seven grain, oat, barley, and all the other wonderful flours I keep on hand are stored in the freezer. My only exception to this is one bag of white whole wheat that is in the pantry. We use it up so fast that it doesn't have the chance to go bad, and I don't have to wait for it to warm up before baking bread!
I encourage people to experiment with all different types of flour to find the brand, flavor, and results that one likes best. I have tried all the cheaper brands, Stone Burr, Western Family, etc, and I now stick with what works the best for me. Please, please remember that in cooking and baking your final result will only be a good as the ingredients you put into it! Sometimes an extra dollar or two makes all the difference!
*If you find yourself at the Butte Creek Mill, or visiting their website, I also recommend trying their stone-ground cornmeal (medium grind). It produces healthy, hearty baked goods, and a full-bodied delicious polenta. Incomparable to regular varieties, stone-ground cornmeal retains more of the husk and germ, and is a much healthier option.
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