White flour milled from hard wheat or a blend of hard and soft wheat. It gives the best results for a variety of products, including some yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, cookies, pastries and noodles. All-purpose flour is usually enriched and may be bleached or unbleached. Bleaching will not affect nutrient value. Different brands will vary in performance. Protein content varies from 8-11 percent

Although there are dozens of alternative flours available, well focus here on the most common. When experimenting with new or unfamiliar flours, use tested recipes for the best result.

Barley flour has a natural maltiness in flavor, and is low in gluten. Speck recommends letting doughs and batters made with barley flour (and, actually, all whole grain flours) sit overnight. The rest period will soften the bran, make the product easier to work with, and round out the flavors. Best for: Barleys malty-sweet flavor makes it ideal for sweet baked goods and cookies. Do Not Use For: As with other alterna-flours, 100% barley flour does not make for an ideal bread.

With a high protein content, bread flour is made from hard wheat and contains a greater amount of gluten than AP, which is made from softer wheat varieties. When worked by hand-kneading or processing with a dough hook in a stand mixer, the gluten is developed and contributes to a chewier consistency, which is desirable in artisan breads. It brings excellent structure to doughs, making it the underwire bra of the baking world, says Reid. Bois prefers to use it just for extra-chewy baked goods, like pretzels and bagels, due to its dense and heavy texture

White flour milled from hard wheat or a blend of hard and soft wheat. It gives the best results for a variety of products, including some yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, cookies, pastries and noodles. All-purpose flour is usually enriched and may be bleached or unbleached. Bleaching will not affect nutrient value. Different brands will vary in performance. Protein content varies from 8-11 percent

Although there are dozens of alternative flours available, well focus here on the most common. When experimenting with new or unfamiliar flours, use tested recipes for the best result.

Barley flour has a natural maltiness in flavor, and is low in gluten. Speck recommends letting doughs and batters made with barley flour (and, actually, all whole grain flours) sit overnight. The rest period will soften the bran, make the product easier to work with, and round out the flavors. Best for: Barleys malty-sweet flavor makes it ideal for sweet baked goods and cookies. Do Not Use For: As with other alterna-flours, 100% barley flour does not make for an ideal bread.

With a high protein content, bread flour is made from hard wheat and contains a greater amount of gluten than AP, which is made from softer wheat varieties. When worked by hand-kneading or processing with a dough hook in a stand mixer, the gluten is developed and contributes to a chewier consistency, which is desirable in artisan breads. It brings excellent structure to doughs, making it the underwire bra of the baking world, says Reid. Bois prefers to use it just for extra-chewy baked goods, like pretzels and bagels, due to its dense and heavy texture