John Myers
It doesn’t matter whether you want to bake cakes, bread, or biscuits – in addition to the right type of flour, the different types of flour also play an important role in ensuring that you are completely satisfied with the baking result. We will show you which flour you can use for what, explain which types of wheat flour, spelled flour and rye flour are available and whether you can mix different types of flour.
What are flour types?
You probably noticed that when you went shopping, didn’t you? There are numbers on the flour bags (with the exception of wholemeal flour). 405, 630, 997, 1150 – these are the so-called flour types. You will also receive information on the mineral content in the different types of flour and also on which flour is suitable for what. If you want to conjure up light, airy baked goods, low flour types are ideal. If you want the pastry to be a bit darker and heartier, it is better to use flour with a high type.
Rule of thumb: the higher the number of types, the more minerals the flour contains – 405 wheat flour, for example, has 405 milligrams of minerals per 100 grams. 1050 spelled flour contains 1050 milligrams of minerals per 100 grams.
If you use flour with a high number of types, it not only contains more minerals but is also significantly darker in color. This is because the shell is not completely removed from the endosperm before milling and is also included in the finished flour.
Nice to know: The flour types we know only exist in Germany. In Italy, for example, wheat flour Tipo 00 is used: It roughly corresponds to our 405 variant, but is a bit finer and is perfect for original Italian pizza dough.
Types of flour: overview
At least, in theory, flour can be ground from all types of grain, including oats and barley, for example. In this country, however, the following types of flour lead the hit list and are used most frequently in the kitchen:
- wheat flour
- spelled flour
- rye flour
This is not only due to the often regional availability but also to the good baking properties of these cereals.
Wheat flour
Wheat is probably the most well-known of all types of flour and can therefore be found in most kitchens. It is particularly suitable for cakes, yeast dough, and cookies.
Type 405:
This is the flour that is by far the most commonly bought from us and is also the cheapest. It is very light in color because the shell is completely removed from flours with a low type number before grinding. 405 wheat flour has optimal baking properties due to its high wheat gluten content. It is ideal for fine baked goods such as cakes, biscuits, and biscuits. It is less suitable for baking bread.
Tip: Would you like to bread schnitzel or prepare a sauce with a roux? You can do this particularly well with Type 405 wheat flour.
Type 550:
This is the classic in bakeries but is also popular at home. If you want to prepare a yeast dough or a quark-oil dough, for example for a delicious filled plaited plait, or bake light bread and rolls, 550 wheat flour is the right choice for you. Like all wheat flours, it can be easily mixed into elastic, easy-to-process doughs, with which you can not only bake fine sponge cakes but also squares, hearty quiches, and other delicacies.
Type 812:
This flour is quite rare to find on the supermarket shelf. It is ideal for bread that is not too dark and where you want to mix different types of flour – for example, for mixed wheat bread with 60% wheat and 40% rye. If you want your cake to be a little darker than usual, you can also use 812 wheat flour.
Type 1050:
may we introduce This type as your ideal partner in the kitchen if you want to bake hearty? It has a stronger taste than the light varieties but is not as rich in content as wholemeal flour. It also rises much better than whole wheat flour. It is often used for mixed bread, but it also works wonderfully with quiche or vegetable cakes. Quite apart from pizza – which is no longer typically Italian, but incredibly tasty, hearty, and a bit healthier.
Spelled flour
Spelled can not only be used for special recipes such as dark bread but can also replace wheat flour. Both types of flour can be interchanged and have disadvantages when baking.
Type 630:
The light spelled flour, like its 405 wheat counterpart, can be used for fine cakes and is also great for Christmas baking. It can also be used in light mixed bread and gives your home-baked rolls a very slightly nutty flavor that distinguishes spelled as a type of grain. Yeast dough made from spelled does not have to be kneaded as long as wheat dough. This flour is also particularly suitable for our quick bread rolls without yeast, for example.
Type 812:
This flour is a bit darker and has more minerals. In addition, it has a stronger bite than white flour. It is used in particular when preparing mixed bread but also works very well for savory small baked goods.
Type 1050:
Belonging to the most popular spelled flours in Germany, the 1050 type is mainly used for baking bread with or without grains. Spelled bread has more and more fans – if you would like to bake one yourself, we recommend spelled flour type 1050 with a hearty, nutty taste and a relatively high mineral content.
Tip: With a spelled sourdough, the baking properties of this type of flour improve – although it involves a bit of work, it is definitely worth it.
Rye flour
Rye behaves a little differently when processed and is not a substitute for wheat flour or spelled flour. It is mainly used for baking bread and savory rolls.
Type 610:
This flour is quite rare. Bakers occasionally use it to coat rolls with it. This rye flour is only rarely used in recipes at home. It’s a pity really because it’s ideal for light mixed rye bread, honey cake, and lard if you want to do without wheat flour.
Type 815:
The lightest representative among the common rye flours is used when it comes to mixed rye bread. You can also use the flour very well for rye rolls.
Type 997:
Much darker, this rye flour is also mainly used for baking bread.
Type 1150:
This is the “classic” for all bread made from rye flour. A sourdough with 1150 flour, a long dough maturation, and a bit of bread spice, … do we need to say more?
Type 1370:
Going in the direction of wholemeal flour, this very dark rye flour is particularly well suited for hearty, hearty rye bread.
Tip: If you want to bake something sweet, rye flour is always a bad choice and will not produce the desired result. For sweet baked goods, you can use flour made from wheat or spelled, as they bring the best baking properties with yeast or baking powder.
A mixture of flour types
Wondering if you can mix different types of flour? Yes, you can if you follow a few rules.
Wheat and spelled flour can be interchanged and mixed without any problems – half wheat, half spelled is easy if you have run out of one of the two types of flour.
If you want to bake a little healthier and prefer to use one of the darker types of flour instead of light flour, you can mix both types of flour. About a third to half darker wheat flour or spelled flour (when baking bread also rye flour) is usually possible without any problems. Depending on the situation, you may have to increase it a bit by adding water or other liquids.
You have 405 and 1050 wheat flour in the house, but need the 550 version? No problem – just use 2/3 of the light and 1/3 of the dark flour. It’s not the same thing, but it works in an emergency.
Adding rye flour is not a good idea though! It has completely different baking properties than wheat and spelled and the recipe would no longer work in the known form.
“Special case” wholemeal flour
Whether wheat, spelled, or rye – all three types of grain can also be ground into wholemeal flour. The entire grain including the husk is processed. These flours do not have a type number, as the number of minerals they contain can vary due to natural factors such as the specific type of grain or the year of harvest. They are simply referred to as whole wheat, spelled as rye flour, and contain all the healthy ingredients of the whole grain.
Tip: Would you like to eat particularly healthy and bake with wholemeal flour? In many recipes, you can replace at least part of the flour you need with the whole grain version, but then you have to add more liquid to the dough.
Types of flour for special cases
If you are concerned with which flour you can use for what, you should know that there are also a few “special flours” with which certain dishes turn out particularly well:
- Pizza flour: particularly suitable for dough that should not contract in a mold
- Spaetzle flour: as the name suggests, for spaetzle and all doughs that are cooked in water
- Instant flour: ideal if you want the dough to be particularly fluffy
Beware of gluten intolerance
If you or someone for whom you would like to bake something has celiac disease, i.e. cannot tolerate wheat gluten, you must not use the types of flour presented, wheat flour, spelled flour, and rye flour. Regardless of the type of flour, all three contain gluten. Gluten-free alternatives made from cereals, pseudocereals, almonds, or chickpeas are available in health food stores and supermarkets, with which you can bake cakes as well as biscuits or bread, which people with gluten allergies can eat without any problems.
Be careful – you cannot simply exchange gluten-containing flour 1:1 for the gluten-free variant, as these can differ greatly in their baking properties.
Tip: Mixed with starch or locust bean gum, the baking properties of gluten-free flours improve significantly.
Popular gluten-free flours are:
- buckwheat flour
- oatmeal
- almond flour
- coconut flour
- chickpea flour
