Unbleached All Purpose Flour
The flour that does almost everything. Unbleached, so it keeps the faint golden color and slightly fuller flavor that bleaching would strip away.
What It Is
All purpose flour sits in the middle of the wheat flour spectrum, milled from hard and soft wheats blended to hit a protein level (around 10 to 12 percent) that works across a wide range of cooking. That balance is the whole point: enough structure for a chewy cookie, enough tenderness for a quick bread, enough strength to hold a roux together without a second thought.
Unbleached means the flour aged naturally rather than being treated with chemical whitening agents. The difference in color is subtle. The difference in flavor, especially in something simple like a white sauce or a plain biscuit, is real.
What To Do
Use it for cookies, muffins, pancakes, pie crust, pizza dough, breading, and sauces. A good rule of thumb: if the recipe just says "flour" without specifying a type, this is what it means. For very delicate cakes, pastry flour will give a lighter crumb. For chewy artisan loaves, bread flour will give more rise. But for most things on a weeknight, all purpose gets it done.
Store it in a sealed container in a cool, dry spot. It keeps well for up to a year at room temperature, longer in the freezer. Bring it back to room temperature before baking.
