Is there any difference between bread flour and all purpose flour?

Question

I was just looking at some recipes for white bread and some of them called for bread flour while some called for all purpose flour.

Answer 1

Bread flour generally has a higher level of protein which aids in the formation of gluten in the dough...the buildup of gluten in the dough is what gives the dough that "springiness".

The higher gluten is important especially in the baking of "rustic" loaves like french baguettes and italian ciabattas and pizza dough...for they need a longer and more deliberate rising process which forms the large airy holes in their crumb, and therefore a stronger flour compared to something like sliced bread which has a very tight crumb (no holes inside the meat part of the bread).

Higher gluten flour will generally achieve a finished product that will have a little more chew than one that is baked with regular All Purpose Flour.

The reason your recipes recommend different flours is because each flour will result in a different end product. Say for example you'll use all purpose flour for a cookie recipe because you want it to be tender whereas a bread recipe calls for the strength of a higher protein flour so it can withstand the rising process.

Some all purpose flours however have higher protein contents than others such as King Arthur's All Purpose flour which has an abnormally higher protein level for being an all purpose flour.

There are other factors which contribute to selecting a flour in commercial baking such as ash content, density, and absorption rate however for the sake of simplicity we'll ignore them.

Very simply put:
Cake Flour = most tender result
Pastry Flour = still tender with a little chew
All Purpose Flour = middle of the road
Bread Flour = chewier but stronger dough
High-gluten flour = an additive for weaker flours

Answer 2

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RE:
Is there any difference between bread flour and all purpose flour?
I was just looking at some recipes for white bread and some of them called for bread flour while some called for all purpose flour.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has very small amounts of malted barley flour and vitamin C or potassium bromate added. The barley flour helps the yeast work, and the other additive increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes. Bread flour is called for in many bread and pizza crust recipes where you want the loftiness or chewiness that the extra gluten provides. It is especially useful as a component in rye, barley and other mixed-grain breads, where the added lift of the bread flour is necessary to boost the other grains.

All-purpose flour is made from a blend of high- and low-gluten wheats, and has a bit less protein than bread flour — 11% or 12% vs. 13% or 14%. You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour, although your results may not be as glorious as you had hoped. There are many recipes, however, where the use of bread flour in place of all-purpose will produce a tough, chewy, disappointing result. Cakes, for instance, are often made with all-purpose flour, but would not be nearly as good made with bread flour.

Answer 5

All purpose flour's more similar to plain flour. Bread flour is like higher protein flour to help the dough to rise faster. That's what I'm guessing.

Answer 6

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