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Aug 21, 2024 · While unbleached flour is considered all-purpose, it differs from traditional all-purpose flour in a few key ways: Color: Unbleached flour has a slightly grayish or cream color, while all-purpose flour is whiter.
Nov 16, 2023 · Refined wheat flours (i.e., not whole wheat), such as all-purpose flour, cake flour, and self-rising flour, are either bleached or unbleached during production. But what exactly does that mean? In brief: Unbleached flour is naturally aged after milling, during which time it slowly oxidizes and whitens.
- Overview
- What Is Bleached Flour?
- What Is Unbleached Flour?
Learn the similarities, differences, and when to use bleached or unbleached flour.
When you go to buy all-purpose flour in the baking aisle, you're faced with two choices: bleached or unbleached. But what's the actual difference in these two oh-so-similar products? It's all about how each flour is produced.
The aging process of bleached flour is sped up when the chemical components are introduced. The end product is a flour that is more white with a slightly softer texture and finer grain.
These changes in the flour are also reflected in some baked goods: they provide a softer texture and brighter color than unbleached flour.
Unbleached flour is naturally aged after going through the milling process. It has a slightly off-white or yellow-ish color that will continue to fade into light white as it is exposed to oxygen.
Because it hasn't been put through the same chemical treatments, unbleached flour can have a more dense grain. Since it also takes longer for unbleached flour to be produced (the waiting time and storage add costs for the manufacturer), it often is more expensive than its bleached counterpart.
So what do these differences between bleached and unbleached flour mean for your baked goods? In the grand scheme of things, unless you have a sensitive palate and can taste the difference, you shouldn't worry too much about whether you reach for bleached or unbleached flour. The variations between these two are slight, meaning that your baked goods will turn out similar each time.
If you're needing to make an extra-light dessert, like angel food cake, then try to use bleached. Though if you're seeking a structured recipe, like sourdough bread, prioritize using unbleached. No matter which you choose, your baked goods will turn out just fine.
- Hayley Sugg
- 55 sec
Jul 19, 2019 · Bleached flour is treated with chemicals to speed up the aging process, whereas unbleached flour is aged naturally. Both types also differ in texture, appearance, and potential uses.
Apr 12, 2023 · Bleached flour is all-purpose flour in which chemicals, such as chlorine dioxide and benzoyl dioxide, have been added. The chemicals hurry along the flour’s aging process, producing a...
- Food Network Kitchen
Apr 13, 2023 · If the cookbook you’re baking from was published sometime between the 1940s to 2010s, it’s safe to assume the flour in the recipe, whether cake or all-purpose, is bleached.
Some extra benefits of bleaching are that it helps dry the fresh flour faster, leads to a finer grain, and extends the shelf life. Unbleached flour is still bleached… just naturally. The name “unbleached flour” isn’t exactly fitting. This type of flour is still bleached to attain an off-white color.
