Grandma was right...

With the vast variety of products in stores these days, it can be tempting to want to try a new ingredient for foodies, like myself.  So, when I found myself down the baking isle of a gourmet food store, my brain went into overdrive trying to figure out what I could use tapioca flour for, and agave nectar, etc, etc. 
Unfortunately, when it comes to baking though, Grandma was right, STICK TO THE RECIPE.  I learned very quickly that 100% whole wheat whole grain flour does not work for my fluffy white cake recipe.  YUK.  Hopefully you have not had to experience cake as dense as a rock and as tasteless as cardboard, but if you have, you should know by now to use the proper flour.

photo courtesy of freeshipping.org

What's the difference anyway?  Cake flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour, pastry flour, self-rising?  You would think they would be interchangeable, but everything from cookies to cream puffs requires a certain amount of gluten within their flour mixture in order to create the appropriate texture for the dish.  Therefore, the biggest difference you'll find is the gluten content, and gluten determines texture.  The more gluten, the chewier the texture, the less gluten, the softer your pastry will be.

So, to ease some baking anxiety, I have created a little list to ensure you that flours are indeed different and shouldmay only be used in the recipes they are called for.

Cake flour-   used in cakes; less gluten than average flour, therefore used in cake recipes, hence the name "cake flour, to create a soft, tender cake

Bread flour- used for breads; has a high gluten content which works well with yeast to create the perfect soft and chewy bread texture that we all crave :)

All-Purpose flour; used in a variety of ways;  it is a perfect mixture of both high and low gluten contents, making it appropriate for things like cakes, cookies, biscuits, brownies, etc.

Pastry flour- used in flaky doughs and pastries such as croissants, puff pastries, pie crusts, and biscuits; has a higher gluten content than cake flour, but less than all purpose.

Self-rising flour-  used in breads, biscuits, and rolls; all-purpose flour combined with salt and baking powder; can be made at home by combining 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

Sometimes, it's fun to try something new, but when it comes to baking, listen to Grandma and stick to the recipe to ensure the perfect texture everytime.