Finely ground cereal, such as wheat, barley, oats, rye, rice and maize (corn). In Britain, the word 'flour' usually refers to flour produced from wheat. Wheat flour contains gluten, a protein that forms an elastic network that helps contain the gases that make mixtures (such as doughs and batters) rise as they bake. Different types of flour are needed for different products. Bread flour, or strong flour, for example, has a high protein content and good gluten strength. Plain household flour is usually a soft flour and is best for cakes and pastries. Self-raising flour has a standard amount of raising agent already added to it. Varying degrees of processing in the milling of the grain give wholewheat, brown and white types of flour. Spelt flour is made from an ancestor of our wheat and, although it does contain a small amount of gluten, some people who are intolerant to wheat flour can cope with it.

fine powdery foodstuff obtained by grinding and sifting the meal of a cereal grain

convert grain into flour

Whole Wheat Flour

This is the finely ground grain of wheat, corn, rice, oat, rye, or barley. Unless specified, this term refers to wheat flour. Flour is milled from a variety of wheats containing different amounts of protein. The different levels of protein give each flour unique qualities. All-purpose flour is the most commonly used, especially by the domestic market. This flour is milled from both hard and soft wheats, giving it the strength needed in bread baking, but leaving it tender enough for cakes and pastries. Bread flour has a higher protein content so that it may withstand the constant expansion of the cell walls during proofing and baking. Cake flour is milled from soft wheat, thus containing a very low protein content and preventing the development of gluten. Pastry flour is of relatively low protein content, containing just enough to help stabilize the products during leavening. Whole wheat flours are milled from the whole kernel, thus giving it a higher fiber content and a substantial protein content. Semolina is milled from hard durum wheat, being used mainly for commercial baking and pasta production.

Finely ground grain meal. The intentional use of flour is rare in brewing.

Flour is made from finely ground cereal, such as wheat,...

All-purpose flour is a common thickener mixed into liquids. Potato flour (potato starch), which is gluten free, is fine textured flour made from cooked, dried and ground potatoes. When mixed with other flours in bread making, it produces a moist crumbed bread. Flour is also mixed with butter to make another type of thickener referred to as a Roux.

An ingredient used in many foods, flour is a fine powder made from cereals or other starchy food sources. It is most commonly made from wheat, but also maize (also known as corn), rye, barley, and rice, amongst many other grasses and non-grain plants (including many Australian species of acacia). Flour is the key ingredient of bread, which is the staple food in many countries, and therefore the availability of adequate supplies of flour has often been a major economic and political issue.