Flours & Starches

Plain Flour

Taste Profile Neutral, Bland, Chalky, Raw Cereal (needs cooking)

The universal soldier of the kitchen. Plain flour is milled from the endosperm of the wheat kernel, with the bran and germ removed. In the world of baking, it strikes the perfect diplomatic balance: it has a medium protein content (typically 10–12% in the UK). This means it is strong enough to hold the structure of a pie crust or a cookie, but not so strong that it turns a cake into rubber. It is the blank canvas upon which almost all Western baking is built, defined by its potential to form gluten when wet.

Culinary Notes

The Gluten Switch: Flour contains two proteins (gliadin and glutenin) that are dormant when dry. As soon as you add water and mix, they link up to form Gluten—elastic strands that give dough structure.

For Bread: You want to mix hard to create strong gluten (chew).

For Pastry/Cakes: You want to mix gently and barely touch it. Over-mixing plain flour makes cakes tough and rubbery.

Plain vs. Self-Raising: This is the most common pantry error. Plain flour has no raising agents. If a recipe calls for Self-Raising flour and you use Plain, your cake will be a dense brick. You can convert Plain to Self-Raising by adding baking powder (approx. 2 tsp per 150g).

The Roux: Plain flour is the standard thickener for sauces (Béchamel, Gravy). However, you must cook the flour in fat (butter) for at least 2 minutes before adding liquid. If you don't, the sauce will have a grainy texture and a distinct "raw flour" taste.

Storage: Although it looks dry, flour can spoil. It contains oils that can go rancid after a year, and it is a magnet for weevils. Keep it in an airtight container, not the paper bag it comes in.

Health & Folklore

Energy: A dense source of complex carbohydrates for fuel.

Fortification: By law in the UK (and many other countries), white flour is fortified with Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), and Vitamin B3 (Niacin) to replace nutrients lost during milling.

Note: It is refined and high-GI.