Flour

Flour's gluten traps air, structuring baked goods.

Flavor

How to use it

Baking Bread. Gluten proteins align during kneading, forming an elastic network for rising.

Thickening Sauces. Starch granules swell and gelatinize in heat, thickening sauces.

Common mistakes

• Overmixing creates tough dough by overstretching gluten.
• Rancid old flour affects both texture and flavor.

What goes with flour

• Butter. Butter enriches flour with fat, creating tender pastries.
• Egg. Egg provides structure and richness to flour in cakes.
• Milk. Flour cooked in milk thickens it as the starch swells and gels, the base of white sauce.
• Sugar. Sugar tenderizes flour's gluten, softening baked goods.
• Salt. Salt tightens gluten and flavors dough, giving bread structure and taste.
• Honey. Honey browns flour doughs faster and keeps them moist.
• Oats. Oats add chewy texture to flour doughs and cookies.
• Vanilla. Flour's neutral taste lets vanilla's aroma show in cakes and cookies.

Try tonight

• Homemade bread
• Pancakes
• Breading for frying

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.