Anyone trying to bake baguettes, ciabatta or naan bread with Type 405 flour is bound to fail. This is because different countries have different types of flour. Read on to find out how flour types differ around the world. IMAGE: Pexels

Flour classification in Germany—a brief review

But first, here’s a brief recap of my last flour insight article. In Germany, flour is classified based on its raw materials, types, and particle size. The type of flour indicates how much bran and minerals it contains. Type 405 flour contains little bran and minerals, Type 1050 flour contains more, and whole-grain flour contains the most.

This is measured using an ash content test. In this test, 100 grams of flour are burned at 900 °C. All organic components, such as starch, protein, and vitamins, burn completely and turn into gas. The remaining ash closely approximates the flour’s original mineral content since minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc can withstand the heat.

Grind size describes how finely the flour is ground (e.g., fine or coarse).

Types of flour around the world – the differences

Now, let’s venture into the international jungle, which is unfortunately less standardized than one might hope.

Europe

In Germany, Austria, Italy, and France, the types are based on the aforementioned ash content test. The only difference is in their designations.

In Italy, for example, wheat flour’s ash content is indicated by Tipo 00, 0, 1, or 2. Here, 00 indicates the lowest ash content, while 2 indicates the highest. In Austria, on the other hand, types 480, 700, and 1600 are commonly used for wheat flour. In France, the designation is one-tenth as large—45—which would be expressed in Germany as Type 450 and is similar to Type 405.

Anglo-Saxon world

In English-speaking countries such as the U.S. and England, however, things are different. There, flour is classified primarily based on its protein content and intended use. The more protein a flour contains, the stronger the resulting dough will be. This is because a higher protein content means more gluten, which has excellent binding properties. For instance, flour referred to as “bread flour” has a protein content of about 12.7%, while “cake flour” has a content of about 10%. Incidentally, their “all-purpose flour,” with a protein content of about 11.7%, corresponds to our Type 550 flour.

India

Just as in Anglo-Saxon countries, there are no standard classifications for flour in India. Instead, each type has its own name. The most common types are atta, which is similar to whole wheat flour, and maida, which is more finely ground and typically used for delicate baked goods, such as cakes. You can find more information about Indian flours in this Dassanas Veg Recipes article.

Can you bake foreign pastries with local flour?

Many types of flour, such as Indian flour, have no exact equivalent in Europe. This is why your baking results will always be different.

However, with a little online research, you can approximate foreign flour types by mixing different flours or figure out which flours most closely match those used in Europe. The safest option, though, is to use the original flour. Of course, the environmental impact of imported goods is worse than that of regional products.