Difference Between Cake Flour and Bread Flour

Cake Flour vs Bread Flour

Cake flour and Bread flour, both have gluten and made out from wheat. But what sets the difference then between cake flour and bake flour? It’s better to take a closer look as to how different they are since we encounter them into our daily routines, whether we are aware of it or not.

Cake Flour

Cake flour is made from a highly specialized type of wheat flour that is solely intended for pastries and cakes. Since cakes need to be fluffy and light, the flour has to be of low gluten content. This is because gluten is enhanced by protein and a large percentage of gluten can result in a harder baked good. It is predominantly made from soft wheat so it has fine texture and high starch content.

Bread Flour

Bread flour has a gluten content of about 12-13%. The high concentration of gluten is important for bread since this allows the dough to capture the gasses made during the cooking and leavening process and also promotes the bread to expand from dense to light. This is used mainly for bread and pizza crusts since the extra gluten provides loftiness and chewiness. It is made from unbleached, high gluten blend of mostly hard wheat.

Difference between Cake Flour and Bread Flour

The main difference falls on the gluten component of each flour. This is due to the protein content which affects the toughness or the fluffiness of a certain bread or cake. It is a given fact that most people who spend most of their time in the kitchen are aware of the dissimilarity. Specific recipes require flours for specific reasons, so it’s really important to check what is needed. Bread flour has that fast rising ability which is the reason why sandwiches spring back after pressing. While the delicate texture of the cake is due to the bleached wheat in which it is made from, albeit chemically altered.

It doesn’t mean that when you are running low on the specific flour, one cannot do their desired dish. It’s just a matter of altering some of the needed ingredients and using a bit of creativity to come up with a new and delectable dish.