What is the difference between bread flour and all purpose flour?

Question

I used regular flour in my bread machine once and it came out with a poor texture.

Answer 1

Bread flour is a high gluten flour. It provides a chewier type of bread. Because of the additives, you will usually get a better rise along with greater texture.
You can get decent results with bread using AP flour, but using bread flour in things like cakes can be disastrous.
Interestingly, I was just reading a book by Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence) wherein he consulted with a French baker to make bread like in his area of France. In it he recommends a mixture of several flours in order to produce the same product in the US. If you enjoy good bread, you might look for the book, "Confessions of a French Baker." I am including a web site for it below.

Answer 2

I've never used a bread machine before so I can't say why it would make a difference however to my understanding bread flour has a higher gluten content so the bread texture will come out softer and chewier. You can still use all purpose and the results should still be edible. This is assuming you are making bread the old fashion way - by hand. There are special flours just for bread machines but I can't tell you what the difference is.

Answer 3

The person who said knead it a little longer is mistaken, that will get you hard dense bread. The All-Purpose flour does have lower gluten, so you must 'develop the gluten' by working it more, but not at the end... To develop gluten in a low gluten flour: Start will all the liquid, sugar, salt and yeast for your recipe at the proper temp, Add only 1/3 of the flour for the recipe (don't add the rosemary yet) Beat with a whisk until it runs trough it in long strings of goo. At this point the gluten is developed, and you can rest it 5 minutes and proceed with the rest of the recipe as though you had bread flour.

Answer 4

Bread flour has more gluten in it. Gluten helps the bread build structure and give it nice texture everyone looks for in a good homemade bread. You can use regular flour if you want, but you have to add gluten to it. I've seen it in the grocery stores.

Answer 5

Bread flour has more gluten which is the natural living protein structure in flour.....it is the thing that when kneaded or "mixed in your bread machine" will give it that bread like texture.....because it has more gluten in it it needs to be kneaded more......to develop those glutens....if you are going to use AP Flour....thats ok...just don't mix it too much as the glutens will tear and you will have a very tough bread....I'm guessing that's what happened?...

Answer 6

bread flour is best for bread and all purpose flour is good for anything

Answer 7

bread flour is designed especially for bread, all purpose flour is for just about anything else.

Answer 8

bread flour has yeast in it, to make the bread rise. all purpose doesnt have it.

Answer 9

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