BREAKING DOWN THE BASICS
To understand how flour will perform, it’s helpful to first know how it’s made, as well as its most important components.
GRAIN
Most flour is made by milling grains, usually wheat. Similar to corn, you must strip the husk (or the bran) of the wheat berry for it to be edible. The wheat berry is then in its purest form of the wheat kernel, still containing the endosperm, which makes up much of the kernel, and the germ, which makes up a small part of the kernel, before it goes through the refinement process. Essentially, bran-on milling will result in whole wheat flours, and bran-of will result in white flours. You can also find flours made of other grains like spelt or rye, which are also members of the wheat variety, or you may even come across alternative flours made from nuts, rice, and more.
MILL
The milling process is what turns the grains into flour, and there are two standard ways to achieve this: stone-milled and roller-milled. These methods are done exactly as they sound. The former grinds grains between two stones, but because temperature regulation (key to preventing grain spoilage) was not dependable, the search for another means came about, resulting in roller-milling options. It’s the standard commercialized way for modern-day operations and runs on electricity, which allows the temperature to be controlled. Once milled, the flour’s texture can vary from fine to coarse. Coarsely ground provides more texture, while finely ground makes for a lighter bake.
PROTEIN
The protein content in flour can vary from about 5 to 15 percent, which is a big range. This percentage is determined by the class of wheat, growing conditions, and more. The protein content in flour has a direct correlation with how tender your baked goods will be. Lower protein means a softer flour that doesn’t develop much gluten, thus creating a tender bake for foods such as cakes, cookies, and biscuits. Conversely, higher protein content means a harder, stronger flour that develops more gluten for a structured bake, such as chewy, crusty breads.
