f

The Good Food Glossary

Pile of flour

Flour

Pronounce it: fl-ow-er

Flour is a powdery ingredient made from grounding wheat, maize, rye, barley or rice. It is the key ingredient of bread, which makes it one of the most common and sought after ingredients in the world. There are many different types of flour which are dependent on the degree of processing processing and type of wheat used. Most flour readily bought from supermarkets is steel crushed, meaning it is ground with huge steel hammers that generate heat which strips away the wheat germ, and consequently, vitamins. Stone-ground flour is naturally more nutritious.

Wheat flour is the most popular and versatile flour and there are many different varieties:

White flour, otherwise known as plain flour, contains about 75 per cent of the wheat grain, with most of the bran and wheat germ taken out. It is commonly used for pastry-making, sauces and biscuits. Self-raising flour contains baking powder which raises cakes and scones. Unbleached flour is an off-white colour because it has not been whitened artificially.

Wholemeal or whole-wheat flour is made from the whole of the wheat grain. If the flour is steel crushed the wheat-germ is separated from the white part of the grain and returned to the white flour at the end of grounding.

Store it

In an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Find more recipes at Good Food channel

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy inspired recipes delivered straight to your door every month.

Order today, receive your first 3 issues for just £3.

Events

BBC Good Food shows

Join us in Birmingham, London or Glasgow in November!

Plan your trip and book tickets online now.

On TV

Foodie TV

Good Food Channel - see your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 249, Virgin TV 260.

See all TV listings at radiotimes.com, see all goodfoodchannel.co.uk

listings.

Websites

Shopping Tried and tested recipes from Good Food and olive magazines. bbcgoodfood.com
Shopping

Recipes from the new TV channel and celebrity chefs. goodfoodchannel.co.uk