by Mary Quast

Created on: December 01, 2008   Last Updated: May 09, 2012

Giving baked goods from your own kitchen is giving a gift from your heart. Everybody loves receiving those delights. For the bakers, though, looking at the many different kinds of flour on the grocery shelves can be confusing.

Shop for a good flour for your holiday baking. Here are a few tips on choosing the best flour to make those exceptional cookies, cakes, breads or just fantastic pizza.

First determine what you are going to make and how much money you want to spend on the baked good. Then decide on whether you want to make it from organic flour, wheat flour or white flour.

Most markets carry the usual store brand flours and local flours. Purchasing local flours helps the local economy and you may know about any pesticides or blights that may have gone through the area. Moisture and protein content vary from year to year and may affect the performance of some of your favorite recipes, so watch news reports regarding wheat crops.

All-Purpose Flour
The most popular flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat that produces a constantly dependable flour and gives the best results with a wide variety of baked goods. It is a favorite for baking cookies and quick breads. This flour contains only the endosperm (the nutritive plant tissue) of the wheat and sometimes will be enriched. However, this type of flour doesn't have enough protein to produce a quality bread.

Stone-Buhr Washington White All-Purpose Flour is the next generation of white flour. It's organic, locally grown and milled. This unbleached, shepherd's grain wheat is fantastic for cupcakes and muffins. $3 for a 5-lb bag. Visit www.cheftools.com.

Self-Rising Flour
This is an All-Purpose Flour to which baking powder and salt have been added. One cup of self-rising flour contains 1 teaspoons of baking powder and teaspoon of salt. Not many recipes use self-rising flour because adjustments need to be made and isn't preferred by those watching their salt intake.

Whole Wheat Flour
Sometimes referred to as Graham Flour, it contains the entire wheat kernel - the bran, germ, and endosperm (the nutritive plant tissue). This flour packs a nutritional punch. King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour is the newest addition to King Arthur's line of flours. It is made from white wheat as well as being less course and milder in flavor than most whole wheat flours. It costs around $5.95 for a 5-lb bag. Visit www.kingarthurflour.com.

Rice Flour
This is a specialty flour milled from brown or white rice and used most frequently

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>