How many of you use plain old all purpose flour to cook and bake with?

[SC-ChickMom]

America's Test Kitchen found that AP four worked just as well as Bread Flour in their bread recipes. I think it was in the Christmas Baking edition. I think your Challah is beautiful. Good job.

 

[texas75563]

I use all purpose flour for everything! I use it for frying, gravy, light rolls, biscuits, bread, cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. You mean they make other type flours? Dang, back here in the sticks, we always the last ones to find these things out.

 

[Pioneer Lady]

Hello,

I just re-joined BYC this morning. Honestly I'd forgotten about it. I love chickens but my husbands the expert. But I'm learning and trying to get back to basics. I use to the that I was a country girl but after marrying my husband I say now I'm a "county" girl. I was raised in the county but in subdivisions all my life. With the exception of a few tomato plants and pepper plants, I was grocery store feed.

Now, to your subject...I am so desirous to become an expert bread baker (of all kinds) and while I was raised on self rising flour & Colonial Bread from the grocery store, I say... if it works and is more economical that definitely the way to go. I truly is what ever you are use too. I have a couple of friends that never sue self rising flour for anything or any unbleached flours for that matter. Honestly, the texture and flavor is different for us but I know it's much healthier and better for you.

I'm learning, I'm willing to do what ever it takes to get the best results!

So...IMHO, "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it"...LOL!

Carry on and may the Lord Bless you!

 

[Pioneer Lady]

One more thing...

Is there a rule of thumb on the ingredients to add to AP Flour (baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar ??? ) boy does this really show that I'm a true beginner, hmm...what comes before beginner? That might just be right for me...LOL!

 

[Oregon Blues]

The levening you use for all purpose flour depends upon what you are making. Yeast for bread. With baking soda and baking powder, it depends upon whether the batter is acid or not.

Basically, to make it simple, you use whatever levening the recipe calls for

 

[wyoDreamer]

A friend gave us a canister of "dough enhancer". I looked at the ingredients and basically, it looks like the added nutirents that the big bakeries add to their white breads, stufff like niacin and such. It has 20% daily recommended allowance for Vitamin C.

Well, I figured that it was in the pantry I might as well try it out. So I made some Italian Bread.

Hubby says that is the best bread I have ever made! He admits that I have always made great bread, but that was the absolute best I had ever done. He didn't even know that I tried something different! It was way lighter in texture than regular home baked bread.

 

[jreynolds]

I use unbleached AP flour and White Whole Wheat (My DH complains if the bread is from "brown" flour, but I like that it's healthier)...that's it...I've tried Bread flour before and couldn't really tell a difference. So, the cheaper AP it is for me! Why spend more than necessary? Being frugal doesn't make anyone a country bumpkin, it just makes you smart!

 

[micheller1210]

I use good flour, like I love a quality egg,

I have been known to search high and low for a particular ingridient.I prefer KA but cant afford it, I use AP flour but taste the different brands and see how they respond, I also use wheat, and or make my own flour from buckwheat or nut flours too,I use rice flour and potatoe flour too. I have a bag of self rising flour a friend gave me, been eyeing it for a week, its my least favorite because I like to control my leavening agent, but Iprefer a flour that is not proccessed with a lot of chemicals. I have been wanting to try a flour from mexico here that has the cloth bag just to have an old fashioned cloth flour sack to make uh I dont know an apron or tea towel.....lol But it It all comes down to your preference taste and what your family loves. I make a pizza dough and my family just wants me to make it a flat bread because as a bread it taste soo good, drizzled with olive oil and sea salt just a simple flavor.

 

[COUNTRYBOI]

martha white

 

[PlatypusPerry]

I usually use unbleached AP flour. Sometimes I'll buy a small bag of wheat flour and once or twice I've bought wheat berries and ground them. I got fancy and made my own sourdough starter once and then my husband thought it was mold and threw it away...my baby down the drain.

That challah is absolutely gorgeous! I would like to see those bread snobs do a blind taste test. Yeah...we'll see how good their palates are.