Wheat flour

All-purpose wheat flour is one of the most widely used basic ingredients in cooking, especially in the preparation of breads, cakes, cookies, and a wide variety of baked goods. It is obtained from the milling of wheat, an ancient cereal that has been cultivated for thousands of years in various regions of the world, with origins dating back to the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East.

This type of flour is characterized by its fine texture and moderate gluten content, a protein that helps provide elasticity and structure to doughs, allowing baked goods to have a spongy and well-formed texture. All-purpose wheat flour is often enriched with vitamins and minerals to improve its nutritional value.

Main properties:

• Important source of energy-providing carbohydrates.
• Contains proteins, especially gluten, essential for the formation of elastic doughs.
• Rich in fiber when whole grain, although all-purpose flour is more refined and has less fiber content.
• May be fortified with iron and B-complex vitamins.

In the Hispanic world, all-purpose wheat flour is also known by different synonyms depending on the region, including wheat flour, white flour, and in some countries simply flour. It should not be confused with other specialized varieties such as whole wheat flour or self-rising flour.