The last few weeks or so I’ve been thinking about dusting off my old bread making machine and putting it to use again. I tend to go in spurts when it comes to kitchen machinery. I’ll spend a few months using something all the time (whether it be my juicer, or blender, or Magic Bullet, or what have you), and then I just seem to fall out of the habit.
But then a few months later I’ll pull one of my gadgets back out of the cupboard and it’s like having something new all over again. Sort of like an unexpected Christmas! I guess I’m like a kid that way. I have to keep rotating my toys to keep them interesting. Next thing you know I”ll just be playing with the box it came in. 🙂
So currently it’s my sturdy old bread machine that I’ve had for many years that’s come back on my radar. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve used it and lots of questions started popping up.
Where are my bread machine recipes?
Was I just using the recipes that came in the instruction manual?
Umm, where’s that stupid little instruction manual anyway?
Do you suppose those recipes would turn out better if I used bread flour?
Does my grocery store stock bread flour?
And then of course . . . the question that ALWAYS seems to pop into my head . . .
Hey, can I make my own bread flour ??
The DIY Hack To Make Your Own Bread Flour
Some time ago I realized there was a simple solution to make your own self rising flour. It was just a matter of adding some baking powder and salt to your all purpose flour. So I had a hunch there might be some sort of quick answer to the question of how to make bread flour from all purpose flour too. And I was right – there is! Here’s the magic formula:
{{ For every 1 cup of All Purpose Flour add 1 teaspoon of Vital Wheat Gluten }}
Umm, OK. But what is that weird ingredient up there? Vital Wheat Gluten? Never heard of it. Can you find that at a grocery store? How much does it cost? Am I going to have to run all over creation looking for this? Maybe just order it online? Ugh, more questions.
The Difference Between Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour
To understand why this method works, I first wanted to understand the difference between bread flour and all purpose flour. Bread flour is made from wheat with a higher protein content, thus enabling better formation of gluten. With a little more gluten the bread dough will have more elasticity and the crumb can hold together better. This post on the King Arthur Flour blog has some comparison pictures of breads cooked with both types of flour and there’s not a huge difference, but some cooks swear that bread flour really does make for a better loaf of bread.
So if we want to achieve the same thing with our all all purpose flour, we need to raise the protein level, so we can raise the gluten level, and we do that by adding a little bit of Vital Wheat Gluten.
I Found It, But I Didn’t Buy It
I was all set to give this homemade way to make bread flour a try and went off to my local grocery store (Meijer) to see what I could find. Sure enough, Vital Wheat Gluten was right there on the shelf in the baking aisle by flour, baking soda, baking powder, etc. That was a nice surprise! There was no need for a special trip to an expensive health food store or to pay shipping to order it online. The Vital Wheat Gluten was on sale for $5.99 (normally $6.79) for a 22 oz package.
Now, I was really hoping for some kind of tiny package that only cost a buck or two. Maybe something like those little packets of yeast. After all, I was only going to need a few teaspoons. The 22 oz package looked like it probably had enough in it for 100 teaspoons.
If I was baking bread every day for a big family, well then it would probably make sense. But for an occasional play time with the bread machine? It didn’t seem like the right solution.
Then I wandered a little farther down the aisle and looked at the bread flour that was for sale. It was $2.89 for a 5 Lb bag. That seemed like a more practical answer for someone like me who just wants to bake the occasional loaf of bread. I set the Vital Wheat Gluten back down on the shelf and went away without buying it.
What’s Your Situation?
I do think this quick homemade method of adding a teaspoon of Vital Wheat Gluten to your cup of all purpose flour has some merit and could still be a good trick to have up your sleeve. But I don’t think it’s the right solution for everyone (like me). It’s probably the most useful if you bake a lot of bread, are somewhat particular about your finished loaves of bread and/or you can find Vital Wheat Gluten for sale in a smaller quantity or could perhaps share it with a friend who also likes to bake bread.
For me, if the occasional mood strikes to experiment with my bread machine and I want to give some bread flour a spin, I’ll just pay the $2.89 and buy myself a bag of bread flour. That feels like the best solution for me.
How about you? Do you think bread flour makes a difference? Would you pay the price to buy some Vital Wheat Gluten? I’m always curious to hear what others think and love your comments!
I think for us, this will be something we will do. I can buy all purpose flour for cheaper than bread flour, but we prefer the texture of breaded flour over all purpose for breads. We are a family of 5 and consume about a loaf per day, so I am always baking bread. And buying bread flour. ?
In my country (Uruguay) I haven’t found bread flour commercially. Probably there’s a market for bakery’s, but not for general public. So fortunately I found packages of 200g of Gluten, so I bought it. Realy anxious to give it a try.
I use VWG to make seitan so I always have some lying around. I use all-purpose flour for many things, and at my shop, the all-purpose stuff is just over half the price of the bread flour, which I only use for bread… So for my situation, converting all-purpose to bread works out way better! =) Thanks for sharing this tip!
Is the Gold Medal flour non GMO.?
I did some quick research on this and unfortunately decided there’s not a real clear answer to be found on the internet for this question. You may find it’s best to contact them directly and ask this question.
For myself, my house is spatially challenged, so it makes more sense to have a small bag of Vital Wheat Gluten around in the freezer instead of a bag of bread flour in addition to a big bag of regular flour. It’s more convenient. If I want to make some bread, I just grab the VWG and add some to the flour. I like the density the bread flour creates.
With 3 diabetics in the house, I use a lot of whole grain flours. 100% Whole wheat, white whole wheat and whole grain rye etc. For pizza crust I use white whole wheat flour and always add 2 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten into the bread machine with the flour. Makes excellent pizza dough. With whole grain flours vital wheat gluten makes for a lighter less dense dough so I use it a lot, once a week alone for pizza.
I belong to the pantry in bay saint louis ,ms. which I get free al-purpose flour, but I need bread(for sandwhiches). That is why seasoned you about the converson from one flour to the other. I propably have 20 2pd. bags….need help. …james
A Google search says there are about 6-2/3 cups of flour in a 2 pound bag of flour. So I would add 2 tablespoons of the vital wheat gluten to each two pound bag.
Thanks for the tips. I’m planning to make pizza dough today, so will pass on buying wheat gluten and just buy the bread flour
If you like to make (mostly) whole wheat bread, or any other whole grain such as oat or rye, vital wheat gluten vastly improves the texture of the loaf as these grains are low in gluten. It makes the difference between light and airy and dense and gummy. It makes for a nice whole-grain loaf without having to cut it with bread flour. A bit added to regular bread flour doesn’t hurt either, but of course, it’s not required.
By the flour.
For UK readers try wholefoodsonline .co.uk they sell it by the kilo but you would need either to buy direct from them or make an order over £20 on Amazon UK
I agree with you! Am going to the store to get bread flour! Have already had to buy powdered milk, that I don’t usually use, to have 2 Tbl for my bread machine basic recipe. It cost close to $5.00!
Yes, it always helps to do the math to make sure we are making the decisions that are the most economical for our situations!
Several years ago, my (now late) husband and I were doing the low carb thing, This is when I was introduced to vital wheat gluten I found it in the bulk food section of my local Sprout’s . I was able to buy a small amount for what I needed. I think if you use all purpose flour most, having the vital wheat gluten in an air tight container for the occasional use would be better then having a 5 lb bag of bread flour taking up space, if you don’t use it very often. 🙂
Thanks Dee – Maybe I need to check out more stores to find some Vital Wheat Gluten in bulk. Maybe then I can get it in a size that is practical for me!
I bought a small bag at an Amish market several years ago to use in a bread recipe. I put it in the freezer, wandering what to do with it. I buy a lot of bread flour, so I’ll use your recipe, putting it into the cheaper regular flour. Thanks!
I’m glad I was able to give you a practical way to put it to good use Anita!
Ah! This is awesome for me to know as I actually bought one of those big bags of gluten for a specific recipe and didn’t know what to do with the rest of it. Now I know to just add a teaspoon to regular flour when I make breads to use it up. Thanks!
My question would be, is there any other use for the gluten? Otherwise, you solution is better. Thanks for keeping us informed!
Here in NYC bread flour goes for 5.99 a bag and the vital wheat “Red Mill” goes for a whopping $7.99