Welcome to part one of a new series on my best and most trustworthy cooking and baking tips the blog! This post is a detailed breakdown of the most commonly used flours in my baking recipes - why I use each one, what types of recipes it’s best for, where to find it, some nerdy things about it, and any alternative ingredients that can be used in its place.

Whole-wheat: In this flour, the entire wheat grain is ground and mixed in. That means every component from the bran on the outside, to the endosperm on the inside, and the germ at the very center. By including all of these components, whole-wheat flour retains more nutrients, like fiber, protein, and B vitamins. Of the wheat flours, this is usually the most dense because of the protein (gluten being one of them) and fiber - the gluten is responsible for maintaining structure and the fiber absorbs most of the moisture in the recipe.

Why and when I use it: I use this anywhere and everywhere! Even with the rise of grain-free and gluten-free flours, wheat flour is still likely the most widely used in many recipes because it’s been around for so long. Since this flour is a bit more dense with the fiber and protein, muffins and breads will typically come out less fluffy and a little more hearty than they would if they were made with all-purpose flour. I usually prefer this - especially the nutty flavor that accompanies the heartier texture - over the texture and flavor produced by all-purpose flour. The same goes for cookies and brownies made with whole-wheat flour, and because these are more dense by nature, whole-wheat flour lends itself well to these baked goods. I love whole-wheat flour in my favorite Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and in these Spiced Apple Hand Pies!

Where to find it: Almost all grocery and convenience stores carry whole-wheat flour.

Substitutions: The most important factor to consider when substituting another flour for whole-wheat is the absorbance, since whole-wheat flour is one of the most absorbent of all grain-based flours. Your best bet for substitution would be all-purpose flour because it comes from the same grain, but it’s just missing a few components like the protein and fiber. When I switch from whole-wheat flour to all-purpose, I make sure to increase the amount of all-purpose flour used because it absorbs less moisture than whole-wheat flour. This is where it’s helpful to know what a batter or dough should look like so that you can confidently judge whether you’ve added enough flour. In my Comfort Cookies, when I switch from whole-wheat pastry flour (50% whole-wheat flour and 50% all-purpose flour, which I’ll talk about later) to all-purpose, I increase from 1 ½ cups flour to about 1 ¾ cups, or even closer to 2 whole cups of flour. Refer to my Comfort Cookies IG highlight to see the correct dough consistency so that you can make this conversion if needed.

All-purpose: On the other end of the spectrum lies all-purpose flour. This is the most refined form of wheat flour - the bran and the germ are removed in the milling process, so the flour retains very little protein and fiber. When used for baking, it yields a more tender, moist baked good (mmm, moist). When I purchase all-purpose flour, I make sure to look for the unbleached version. As flour ages, it bleaches naturally, meaning it turns from its original yellow color to the off-white color we’re used to seeing in the bag. To speed up this process, bleaching agents like benzoyl peroxide and chlorine gas are added. Whether these are harmful to our bodies, I don’t know, but I don’t like the sound of them and I’d rather use a naturally bleached flour.

Why and when I use it: If I want a classic baked good - like better-than-Cinnabon homemade cinnamon rolls and super fluffy muffins or sweet breads - I’ll use all-purpose flour. I’ve always used this for homemade bread and pizza dough (sometimes with a small amount of whole-wheat mixed in) and right now, I’m using it to make my own sourdough starter. Though I tend to use whole-wheat or whole-wheat pastry flour, I keep a bag of all-purpose flour on hand just in case. To yield a classic, crumbly, and tender shortbread crust, I use all-purpose flour in these Cranberry Crumble Bars!

Where to find it: Anywhere. I don’t know of a grocery or convenience store that doesn’t carry all-purpose flour.

Substitutions: In any recipe that calls for all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour can be subbed for at least 50% of it. Use caution if you’re thinking about using 100% whole-wheat flour - remember the higher content of protein and fiber. For breads, muffins, and the like, I suggest making the recipe as is with 100% all-purpose flour at first to understand its intended structure, flavor, and texture. After you’ve done that, you can move forward with substitutions. Consider your desired structure, flavor and texture - for a denser texture and nuttier flavor, sub in some whole-wheat flour. Also remember the moisture content - whole-wheat flour absorbs more moisture, so if you want extra gooey cookies made with some or all whole-wheat flour, you’ll need to add more moisture as you increase the amount of whole-wheat flour used.

Whole-wheat pastry: My favorite! You’ll see that most of my recipes call for this flour, and for a good reason. It’s a combination of 50% all-purpose flour and 50% whole-wheat flour, and I think it strikes the perfect balance of flavor and texture in so many baked goods.

Why and when I use it: No need for redundancy here. I love it. I always use it. It keeps these Bakery-Style Carrot Cake Muffins nice and tender, and these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls fluffier than you’d imagine. Oh, and this Classic Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread - unbeatable. Watch my IG stories to learn how it’s made, and why it’s made the way it is!

Where to find it: In my experience, this version isn’t as widely available as whole-wheat or all-purpose. However, if you have both whole-wheat and all-purpose flour on hand, you can easily make it at home by combining equal parts of each flour.

Substitutions: If a recipe calls for 2 cups of whole-wheat pastry flour, combine 1 cup of whole-wheat flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Easy peasy. Again, you can substitute 100% whole-wheat or 100% all-purpose flour in place of whole-wheat pastry flour, as long as you consider the moisture content and desired texture and flavor of the baked good.

Oat: Wheat flour is usually my number one choice, and oat flour follows close behind in second place. I don’t do very much gluten-free baking, but when I do, I can rely on oat flour to act similarly to how wheat flour would in a traditional, non-gluten-free recipe - it absorbs moisture similarly, and is only slightly more dense. The lack of gluten usually makes for more tightly structured baked goods.

Why and when I use it: With that in mind, I typically only use oat flour for recipes in which I want the texture to be a little more dense, like cookies, brownies, and other bars, and sometimes muffins and breads. If I’m feeling confident in the recipe (and myself - let’s be honest), I might add an extra egg and either decrease moisture from another wet ingredient or increase the flour to soak up the additional moisture from the extra egg - this will help make up for the lack of gluten. I have two absolutely delicious recipes that use oat flour: these Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread Muffins and - a personal favorite in the Fall moths - these Pumpkin Blondies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

Where to find it: Anywhere you can find Bob’s Red Mill, you can usually find oat flour. If it’s not on the shelves, grab a bag or container of oats instead and use a food processor or high-powered blender to pulse the oats into a flour-like consistency at home!

Substitutions: Depending on the recipe, gluten-free flour blends and sometimes coconut or almond flour can be substituted in for oat flour, if you can’t find it or prefer not to use it.

Gluten-free flour blends: And, speaking of gluten-free, how about all those gluten-free flour blends? I don’t use these too often, so I’m no expert, but I do have experience and can tell you based on the ingredients in the flour blend how it will most likely perform in a recipe. So, the most popular blend is probably Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour blend. Made from sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum, this blend is made to be used in place of gluten-containing flours in traditional recipes. If you wanted to make my banana bread gluten-free, you’d probably achieve a texture most similar to the real thing by using this flour blend. Starches in the rice flours and potato and tapioca starch act in place of the gluten to do most of the binding work. The only thing missing here is the rise - gluten provides structure in a batter, and along with the air created by baking soda and acid, the bread/muffins/cake/whatever you’re making rises. This doesn’t happen at the same level when using gluten-free flour blends.

When and why I use it: If I’m baking for someone who eats gluten-free and I absolutely must make something fluffy like a bread/muffin/cake/whatever, I’ll use this. Otherwise, whole-wheat pastry flour all day, baby. Though I haven’t experimented much with it, I’d bet with confidence you could easily sub this flour in my Banana Nut Scones!

Where to find it: Most grocery stores carry gluten-free flour blends these days. If not, order online!

Substitutions: A gluten-free flour blend in and of itself is a substitution, so… why would one substitute a substitute…

Coconut: Interesting fact I didn’t know until now: coconut flour is a byproduct of making coconut milk! The meat is soaked and then drained, and the pulp is dried and then ground into the coconut flour consistency. (Another interesting fact: this is still a refinement process, so technically, coconut flour is refined). More than any other macronutrient, fiber is abundant in coconut flour, along with small amounts of fat, carbohydrate, and protein. Such a high fiber content makes coconut flour highly absorbent - for every cup of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup coconut flour absorbs roughly the same amount of liquid.

When and why I use it: Oh man. Coconut flour has sure given me a run for my money over the years. From cupcakes to banana breads to pancakes to muffins to cookies, I’ve tried it all with coconut flour and only a handful of times have I truly enjoyed the outcome. I guess I just don’t love the flavor of coconut, and to me, that is most pronounced in coconut flour. The several failures guided me towards a few successes - and some damn good successes, might I say. I prefer coconut flour when I’m making a baked good with a dense texture, like brownies and blondies. Coconut flour cookies, in my experience, have always come out too soft - I want crispy-edged, gooey-centered cookies with very little cakey-ness. So, I stick to these Salted Cashew Dark Chocolate Chunk Blondies and these Triple Chocolate Fudgey Black Bean Brownies.

Substitutions: Well, I would most likely see a recipe made with coconut flour and want to make it with wheat or oat flour, so (if you’re like me, a coconut-flour-hater 90% of the time) here’s how I would do that, in general: for every ¼ cup of coconut flour, sub in 1 cup of all-purpose flour. I can’t promise that this method will work perfectly for everything from cookies to pancakes, but for the most part, it has worked for me.

Almond: Last, but - well, yeah - kinda’ least in my book, almond flour! On a scale of 1-10 - 10 being the most loved and 1 being the least - almond flour is, like, a 0.5. I’ve had more success and enjoyment with coconut flour than I have with almond flour, so I literally never buy it or use it, and I rarely eat anything made with it. To me, almond-flour breads are dense, and almond-flour cookies are gritty. It’s also far out of my price range when I’m shopping for baking ingredients, so I’m not the person to come to for advice here. Sorry!