HELP! How can I "convert" all purpose flour to bread flour?

[Andrea Barraza]

Hello! Please someone help me.

I'd like to make a recipe that requires bread flour (34 g), but unfortunately it isn't common where I live. Is it possible to add something to all purpose flour in order to "convert" it to bread flour?

Thank you!

 

[PattyCakes]

I've never heard of converting all purpose flour to bread flour, but if anyone call tell me how it's done, I'd be interested to hear it. However, what I can tell you is that the difference between these two flours is the protein content.

For bread making, it's preferable to have a high content of protein as this is what helps to build structure and give you a beautifully light bread. Bread flour is typically 14% protein, and all purpose (or plain flour as we call it here in the UK) is typically 12% protein. As you can see the difference in protein content is minimal, and you can therefore substitute your all purpose flour in place of bread flour in your recipe without any noticeable difference.

I was prompted to look this up a couple of years ago when I first got into bread making; just about every US YouTube video I watched called for all purpose flour in bread making, and rarely did they use actual bread flour. I wondered how they got the same result, and after researching it, I found out that it came down to the protein content.

With just 34g to substitute in your recipe, you'll be absolutely fine using all purpose flour.

Hope this helps!

 

[tangela]

I don't think you can...bread flour, as far as I know, has more ingredients that allows it to rise whereas all-purpose flour doesn't as much. Also the flour will determine the texture and consistency of the baked goods, and I think bread flour makes things fluffier than if you were to use regular all-purpose flour.