Isn't flour called by any other name just as good?

I still remember when I first started baking, I was confused when one recipe called for plain flour and another called for self-raising. Can I just use one for the other? Does that mean I have to buy both? What if I will only use self-raising flour after that? Due to my inexperience, I had to throw out a carton of plain flour...Yep, it was that bad that I didn't use it till its expiry

Two years later, a recipe called for cake flour. This was another puzzle. Even worse, I couldn't find this flour in my supermarket aisle.

The more I bake, the more flour types I stumble across in recipes. In addition to plain, self-raising and cake, there's biscuit flour, bread flour, glutinous rice flour, pizza (OO) and a few other more specialized flours (and for which I've forgotten their name :D). What in the world are they???

Basically these flours are separated by their protein content. Bread flour has the most because it's needed to make the bread soft as we know it to be and biscuit flour has the least to make them crunchy and hard. The all purpose flour is in between while the cake flour has more moisture from cornstarch to give cakes a softer texture. That's why it's better for sponge cakes or swiss rolls. Self-raising flour is just plain flour with baking powder and salt already added. OO flour is a finer version of plain flour to make the pizza dough malleable and glutinous rice flour makes the dessert more chewy and elastic (hence the mochi!). The list would just go on, but the fun part of baking is learning them as you go on your journey :)

The good news is, if you need cake flour, there is a way to make it in your home! And guaranteed, the rest won't go to waste ;) ('coz there isn't any leftover at all!). Thanks to Joy the Baker for this amazing tip~

How to Make Cake Flour
1. You will need plain flour and cornstarch.

2. Measure out the plain flour as much as your recipe needs.
3. For every 1 cup of the plain flour, take out 2 tbsp and return it into the packet.

4. Replace the flour you've removed with 2 tbsp of the cornstarch.
5. Sieve the mixture 5 times

6. Voila~ here is your cake flour :) Just as much as your current recipe.


If you're wondering why I'm making cake flour at this time, check back soon :) Here's a hint...