One answer is protein content. Protein adds strength to dough and enables loaves of bread to rise high. Bread flour s high protein content ranges from about 12 to 14 percent meaning it s great for recipes that need sturdy dough and texture plus lots of stretchy gluten production. However in situations when you don t have a choice but to use a substitute all purpose flour if added in the right proportion can help you achieve a similar final product. Bread flour is readily available in grocery stores and ideally if a recipe demands bread flour as a main ingredient it should not be replaced or substituted with any other flour.
The protein in bread flour also absorbs more liquid than in other flours which makes dough stiff and solid. Bread flour is milled from hard spring wheat which has a higher protein content than the hard winter wheat used in all purpose flour. It has a high protein level and bakers report good extensibility and tell us that the dough holds up well during long fermentations. The high protein content of bread flour helps breads develop stronger structure giving it a pleasing chew and helps yeast breads rise faster and higher. Bread flour like all purpose flour can be bleached or unbleached and is used only for breads such as pizza crusts and bagels.
At 12 to 13 percent protein content bread flour is stronger than all purpose flour but it can generally be substituted for all purpose and vice versa. At 12 to 13 percent protein content bread flour is stronger than all purpose flour but it can generally be substituted for all purpose and vice versa. The protein in bread flour also absorbs more liquid than in other flours which makes dough stiff and solid. One answer is protein content.