Types of Flours: What Are They & How to Choose Them?
But how many flours are there? Semolina, 00 flour, 0 flour, 1 flour, 2 flour, whole meal flour, spelled flour. What do these names and numbers mean? It all starts with a grain and a mill. Not always a cereal to tell the truth, but in most cases.
First of all, generally when we talk about flour without specifying, we are referring to that of soft wheat (Triticum Aestivum). But as you have probably noticed, there are now many different flours on the market: cereal, oily dried fruit, even legumes.
Let’s see what the types of flour are one by one. But only after explaining what those strange numbers mean!
1. Flour 00
00 flour is the most refined of all and can only be obtained through roller mills, which eliminate bran and germ to preserve and very finely grind only the endosperm, the inner part of the grain.
Also called fine flour, it is free of bran and pure white color, it is very fine and gives the products a great softness. From a nutritional point of view, it mainly contains only starch (68.7 g per 100 g), therefore many carbohydrates (77.3 g) and very few proteins (11 g), fibers (2.2 g) and mineral salts (0.5 %). In the kitchen it is ideal for desserts, creams, sauces and fresh egg pasta.
2. Flour 0
Flour 0 is similar to 00 but contains some bran, while remaining very fine and white. 0 is the most refined type of flour that can be obtained with stone grinding, slow and at low temperatures. However, the law also allows it to be produced from 00 flour with the addition of bran. In this case it is re-assembled 0 flour.
Compared to 00, 0 has a slightly higher percentage of protein (11.5 g on 100 g), fiber (2.9 g on 100 g), mineral salts and slightly less starch (67.7 g on 100 g). The uses are practically the same as for 00 flour.
3. Flour 1
The 1 is slightly less refined than the 0, with respect to which it has a greater quantity of bran (outer membrane of the seed) and bran (intermediate film) and is slightly darker. It is obtained with stone milling and subsequent passage through a sieve (tumbler).
It is ideal for the preparation of bread and pizza, but for desserts that do not have to grow very tall.
4. Flour 2
The 2 is also called semi-whole meal flour, because it does not differ much from the latter. It is considered a good compromise between the supply of nutrients, taste and lightness of the products. It gives results closer to the modern taste than a whole meal.
It can be used in cooking more or less like flour 1, but being heavier it will probably give thicker and less soft products. Compared to whole meal, however, 2 is easier to work and let rise.
5. Whole meal flour
Whole meal flour is the one that contains all parts of the grain – bran, germ and endosperm – and can only be obtained with stone milling. However, many flours called whole meal but obtained by adding bran to flour 00 are on the market: the so-called reassembled or reconstituted whole meal flours.
But returning to real – or complete whole wheat flour: the contributions of vitamins and other elements (such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium) are practically intact and much higher than other flours. The level of starch is the lowest among the different flours (59.7 g on 100 g), as is the level of carbohydrates (67.8 g on 100 g). The quantity of proteins (11.9 g on 100 g), mineral salts (2.2%) and dietary fibers (8.4 g on 100 g) is higher than in all other flours. By sieving the stone-ground whole meal flour, it is possible to obtain flours 0, 1, 2. Most of the best flour mills for home use have the ability to mill this type of flour.
6. Semolina
With the word semolina we usually refer to a durum wheat flour, a type of wheat. The semolina is yellow and fragrant and coarser than soft wheat flour, with very sharp grains. It is mainly used to prepare pasta, but also in rustic breads and pizzas, mixed with other flours.
It is heavier than most soft wheat flours and difficult to work, so we tend to replace it or use it in small percentages. It is not an ingredient of Italian pastry, but appears in some regional sweet recipes, especially in short crust pastry, such as pasta violada.
7. Barley flour
The barley flour has a nutritional profile similar to that of wheat, but much less gluten. Using it alone in the preparation of bread is not a good idea if you want a light and honeycomb product. However, it can be mixed with stronger flours to add flavor and rusticity.
Same goes for desserts: better to use it for those that do not require too much lightness and softness, such as biscuits or donuts.
8. Rice flour
The rice flour is very white, very fine and soft, and does not contain gluten. It can replace soft wheat flour in desserts that do not have to grow very tall, even if the flavor and texture are clearly recognizable. For example: shortbread, biscuits and thick and low cakes such as tarte tatin.
It is also excellent for breading and very crunchy and light frying, such as the famous tempura. In all cases it is best to use brown rice flour, which contains more fiber and has a slightly lower glycemic index.
9. Corn flour
The corn flour is yellow, grainy and flavorful and does not contain gluten. It exists in three variants:
- coveted, the biggest
- foil, of medium grain size
- cartoon, the thinnest
The flour bramata gives crunchiness and is very suitable for breading and insemolatura bread. Fioretto flour is the most used for Polenta, although personally I prefer it mixed with the craved one. Comic flour is the most suitable for dry pastries, biscuits and shortbread. How not to love Piedmontese Meliga pasta? Corn can also be white, but the flour of this cereal is much rarer.
Conclusion
Today in specialized shops we can find all types of flours, including legumes, such as lentils or peas, or very rare cereals such as teff. If you want to experiment, you can make us some colorful and tasty fresh pasta. It won’t have the same texture as that of durum wheat, but it might pleasantly surprise you.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
