Friday, May 20, 2011

Bleached and Unbleached Flour

The differences between bleached and unbleached flour are very small, but the very small difference- the bleaching agent- made a world of difference for my baking.

Unbleached flour is natural flour, slowly whitened over time.  Flour is bleached to whiten it more quickly than it would occur naturally.  Bleaching cake flour helps it produce stronger starches and helps fats disperse more evenly in the batter.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization find bleached flour to be safe.  However, the European Union does not agree and people in Europe sometimes find it difficult to obtain bleached flour, though I doubt it bothers them.  Many millers are simply impatient and do not want to wait for flour to whiten, which is why bleached flour is much more common in the U.S.  Bleached flour and unbleached flour can be substituted equally.  One cup of unbleached
flour equals one cup of bleached flour.  For more information, check this out: Bleached and Unbleached Flour

I recently made the switch from bleached to unbleached flour and my food tastes so much better!  The most noticeable difference it made was in my cakes.  Try it and see how it works for you!
   

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