What is the difference between Regular Flour and Bread Flour?

The major differences between bread flour and regular flour are in terms of the ingredients, classification, composition, and uses. In terms of the ingredients or composition, regular flour actually has no additives, but bread flour has different additives of vitamin C and malted barley flour. Since regular flour has no additives, it can be replaced in recipes that require bread flour; while, bread flour cannot be used to replace regular flour because the additives are already added.

Bread flour is actually made from hard winter wheat, but regular flour, in contrast, is produced from a mixture of summer and winter wheat. Regular flour can either be bleached or unbleached, while bread flour is usually always unbleached. Regular flour is a very popular type of flour, which can be accessed easily, and it is cheap in price. While bread flour on the other, is very expensive and it is also not readily available for home cooking.

Flour is a cream color powdery substance that is created by grinding cereal grains, seeds, beans, and roots. The most prevalent flour on the market is all-purpose wheat flour, and other types of flour include maize, cassava, and rye flour. Wheat flour is made from a mixture of high gluten hard wheat and low gluten soft wheat. All-purpose flour is smooth and finely ground, as it does not contain the bran or germ of the wheat kernel.

All-purpose flour does not possess the vitamins and minerals that give it nutritional value. It is stripped of its nutrient’s niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and iron. Bread flour, on the other hand, has a sufficient amount of protein, which assists in baking the bread. This type of flour is very stable, as it is used to create soft, warm loaves of bread, pizza dough, and rolls that are thick and sturdy. However, bread flour is also high in gluten, and it is not a good source for nutrients other than protein.