Bread flour substitute

Use all-purpose flour, cup for cup. King Arthur suggests a little less water and gentler, shorter mixing, and the bread will be less chewy and tall. For more chew, swap 1 1/2 teaspoons of each cup for vital wheat gluten.

3 options, scored for what you are making · Checked

Out of bread flour mid-recipe?

Tell Sous Chef what you are missing. It swaps the ingredient and rewrites the steps that use it, and keeps your original recipe.

Download Sous Chef on the App Store

What are you making?

  1. All-purpose flour + vital wheat gluten

    Great fit

    1 cup all-purpose flour, with 1 1/2 tsp of it removed per cup and 1½ tsp vital wheat gluten

    For this dish: The extra protein brings back most of bread flour's rise.

    How: Measure the flour, take out 1 1/2 teaspoons per cup, and whisk in the same amount of vital wheat gluten. Gluten soaks up water, so the dough may need about a tablespoon more.

    What changes: Closer chew and rise than all-purpose alone. There is no agreed amount: published figures run from 1 teaspoon per cup to a tablespoon or two, so start low.

    Contains wheat.

  2. All-purpose flour

    Works

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    For this dish: A good loaf, a little shorter and softer than with bread flour.

    How: Use the same amount. Hold back a little of the water and add it only if the dough feels stiff, and mix more gently and for a shorter time.

    What changes: Softer, less chewy bread with a tighter crumb, and the dough is harder to shape. Protein varies by brand, so a higher-protein all-purpose flour comes closer.

    Contains wheat.

  3. Gluten-free bread flour

    Works

    1 cup gluten-free bread flour blend

    For this dish: It works with the extra liquid and rest, with a different crumb.

    How: King Arthur says its Gluten-Free Bread Flour swaps 1:1 by weight or volume. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons more liquid per cup of flour, and rest the dough 20 minutes before kneading.

    What changes: Makes the bread gluten-free. The dough starts out like a batter and handles differently, and results depend on the blend you buy.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

Scores are our editorial judgement from the sources below, not lab tests.

What bread flour does in a recipe

Bread flour is milled from hard spring wheat and has more protein than all-purpose flour: 12.7% against 11.7% in King Arthur's flours. More protein builds more gluten, which traps gas so loaves rise tall and chew well, and it soaks up more water. A substitute needs enough protein to hold that structure.

Swap it in your recipe with Sous Chef

A substitution is more than one ingredient line. The steps that use it change too. Sous Chef edits both on a working copy of your recipe, so the original is always one tap away.

You ask Sous Chef

"I don't have bread flour."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

1 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
Added to the steps: Use the same amount. Hold back a little of the water and add it only if the dough feels stiff, and mix more gently and for a shorter time.
Download Sous Chef on the App Store

When not to substitute

For very wet doughs like ciabatta or pan de cristal, and for chewy bagels, use bread flour if you can. King Arthur notes that all-purpose flour with the same amount of water makes these doughs too loose to shape, and they can bake up gummy.

Common questions

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Yes, cup for cup. Use a little less water and mix more gently. Expect a softer, less chewy loaf that rises a bit less. Bob's Red Mill says the result will not be exactly the same but will still be good.

What is the difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour?

Protein. Bread flour is milled from hard spring wheat; King Arthur's is 12.7% protein against 11.7% for its all-purpose flour. Other brands can differ more.

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour?

Often, yes. Gold Medal says bread flour swaps cup for cup for all-purpose for chewier results, and works well for quick breads and cookies, but not for cakes and pastries.

How much vital wheat gluten do I add to all-purpose flour to make bread flour?

One common method removes 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour from each cup and adds 1 1/2 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten. Bakers disagree on the amount, so start there and adjust.

Is there a gluten-free substitute for bread flour?

Yes. King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour swaps 1:1 for bread flour by weight or volume. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons more liquid per cup and rest the dough 20 minutes before kneading.

Related

Sources

Cook with what you have.

Import any recipe into Sous Chef and ask for the swap. It rewrites the ingredient list and the steps, and never loses the original. Free on iPhone.

Download Sous Chef on the App Store