Flour is one of the most essential ingredients for many wholesale bakeries. The type you choose can significantly affect the outcome of your baked goods, depending on what you’re making. Understanding the common confusion between bread flour and all-purpose flour can help you select the right option for your wholesale baking needs.

What’s the Difference?

Learning the core difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour can help you decide what type you need to bake. 

The main difference between the two types of flour has to do with protein. Bread flour typically has a higher protein content, which results in higher-rising bread and creates a more chewy texture. Many uses of bread flour include pizza dough, bagels, and artisan bread. All-purpose flour (also commonly referred to as “regular” flour) has a lower protein content and is more versatile, used for a tender, softer texture found in cookies, cakes, and many pastries.

When to Use Bread Flour vs. Regular Flour

When deciding what type of flour is needed for your recipe, consider the density of the baked good you’re making. If you are aiming for a thicker, chewier texture, use bread flour for high-rising dough. If you are trying to create a soft, flakier result, using all-purpose flour is the common choice.

Can I Substitute All-Purpose Flour for Bread Flour?

If low on stock or in a pinch, yes, you can substitute the two flours. If substituting all-purpose flour in place of bread flour, use a one-to-one ratio and expect your final product not to be as chewy as it would be using bread flour. To try to mimic the texture, consider adding vital wheat gluten or a little bit of cornstarch to add more protein to the all-purpose flour. 

If you have bread flour but no all-purpose flour, use bread flour in place of all-purpose by using a one-to-one ratio and adding about 2-5% more liquid to your recipe. Expect a bit of a chewier texture to your usual tenderness that all-purpose flour produces.

Why the Difference Matters: Wholesale & Commercial Baking

For wholesale bakeries producing high volumes daily, selecting the right flour ensures reliable dough performance, consistent texture, and efficient production across every batch. 

At Bremer Authentic Ingredients, we provide you with a variety of flours to choose from for all your wholesale baking needs. Contact us for any questions on our offered flours, and purchase in bulk to receive fast distribution deliveries throughout Michigan and Northern Indiana.

There are many types of flours to consider when baking in small batches or in bulk. For the best of breads, bread flour is an important ingredient to distinguish when it comes to quality and customer satisfaction. From bakeries to restaurants to at-home cooking, using a high quality bread flour ensures that your bread-based products bake into a satisfactory result. Learn more about the variety of bread flour, what makes it different from all-purpose flour, and how to choose one that works best for your needs.

What is Bread Flour?

Bread flour is a special type of flour made specifically for the purpose of making bread-based recipes. The ingredients of bread flour include a high-protein content and an increased amount of gluten. Typically, it is a white flour that is milled from hard red spring wheat grains, which are specific grains that contain a higher gluten content. The higher gluten and protein contents in the bread flour results in a flour that produces more structure and a better chew for a quality bread product.

Types of Bread Flour

Bread flour can be found in a variety of types. At Bremer Ingredients, a highly popular bread flour choice includes the bulk winona flour, due to its great fermentation and machining tolerance. Other exceptional choices include artisan bread flour and King Midas. Each different type of bread flour allows for varying results. For example, artisan bread creates a pleasant aroma and flavor, and results in a crustier, crisper bread with a softer inside. The unbleached winona flour – known as a durable bulk flour – is used for this product due to its premium quality and strength. Discover the variety of Bremer’s bread flours to find the option that works best for your bulk ingredient needs.

Bread Flour vs All-Purpose Flour

There are many distinct differences between bread flour and all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is good to use for a wide range of baked goods, commonly known as H&R (hotel and restaurant) flour. All-purpose flour is the better choice for simple, tender baked goods like cookies, biscuits, or as a thickening agent for sauces and gravies. However, it lacks the high protein and gluten content that bread flour consists of to make quality bread, pizza dough, pretzels, and more. Bread flour creates a more structured, chewy texture, while all-purpose flour results in flakey, tender texture that is not sustainable for some types of dough.

Discover Quality Bread Flour at Bremer

When you’ve chosen bread flour for your baking needs, purchase bulk bread flour at Bremer for guaranteed quality and satisfaction. In need of all-purpose flour, pastry flour, or gluten alternatives instead? Be sure to check out the other types of bulk flours offered at Bremer for all of your flour needs.