Creamy Blender Chicken Pie: Fluffy Batter That Melts in Your Mouth With a Juicy Filling
Salgados Lanches
Glossário Culinário
Wheat Flour
Wheat flour is the staple ingredient of bread baking and pastry: a powder obtained from milling wheat grain, rich in starch and — in common versions — in gluten, the protein responsible for the structure of breads, cakes and pastas.
Characteristics
The most common is refined white all-purpose flour (the equivalent of Brazil’s “tipo 1”). Whole-wheat versions retain bran and germ, with more fiber and a stronger flavor. Protein content varies: higher-gluten flours yield elastic doughs (breads), while weaker ones give delicate textures (cakes and cookies).
Uses in the kitchen
It is the base of breads, cakes, pies, fresh pasta, breaded coatings, roux-thickened sauces and floured work surfaces. In gluten-free recipes, it can be partially replaced — never in the same proportion without adjustments.
Substitutions
For those intolerant to gluten: a blend of rice flour with tapioca starch and xanthan gum. For a whole-wheat version: swap up to half the amount and add a little more liquid, as bran absorbs more water.
Fun facts
Brazil imports most of the wheat it consumes. And the classic pastry-chef trick for fluffy cakes starts here: room-temperature ingredients and sifted flour folded in last, without overmixing.
