Comments on White Lily Flours
This post is based on both my use of WL flours for the past few years and the chart labeled Flour Characteristics and Ratings on this page.
White Lily All Purpose Flour. Bleached, 8% protein and soft wheat. When you note that KA AP protein hovers around 11.7% you'll therefore see why I consider this flour to act more like pastry flour. IMHO to call this flour AP is a misleading.
White Lily Bread Flour. Unbleached, 11.7% protein and hard wheat, just like KA AP flour. Again I think that labeling this flour a bread flour is misleading. Treat it like AP flour and you'll do alright. I use this flour where the recipe calls for AP flour.
My tarte doughs consist of a 50-50 mix of WL AP and WL Bread flours. Great flakyness.
My typical yeasted bread doughs consist of about 85% WL Bread Flour and the other 15% of either rye, WW or KA Bread Flour. Once I began substituting WL BF for KA BF, my crumb softened a bit and I still got a great ear and oven spring.
but for those that haven't seen it, here's a chart I put together of U.S. supermarket wheat flour by type and protein / gluten content. Most of these flour brands are available at U.S. supermarkets:.
.
FLOUR PROTEIN BY TYPES AND BRANDS (retail flour):
.
CAKE FLOUR - 7% to 9.4% protein
Best Use: cakes, blending with national brands all-purpose flour to make pastry flour or Southern flour substitute.
-King Arthur Queen Guinevere Cake Flour, 7.0%
-King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend, 9.4%
-Pillsbury Softasilk Bleached Cake Flour, 6.9%
-Presto Self Rising Cake Flour, 7.4%
-Swans Down Bleached Cake Flour, 7.1%
.
PASTRY FLOUR - 8 to 10% protein
Best Use: biscuits, cookies, pastries, pancakes, pie crusts, waffles.
-Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 10%
-Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 10%
-Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 10%
-King Arthur Unbleached Pastry Flour, 8%
-King Arthur Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 9%
-Robin Hood Best For Cake & Pastry Flour 10%
.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, SOUTHERN - 8 to 9% protein
Best Use: biscuits, cookies, muffins, pancakes, pie crusts, quick breads, waffles.
-Martha White Bleached All-Purpose Flour, 9%
-White Lily Bleached All-Purpose Flour, 8 to 9%
.
SELF-RISING FLOUR (flour, baking powder, salt) - 7.4 to 10.5% protein
Best Use: biscuits, cookies, pancakes, muffins, quick breads, waffles.
-Gold Medal Bleached Self-Rising Flour, 10.5%
-Hudson Cream Self-Rising Flour 10%
-King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour, 8.5%
-Martha White Bleached Self-Rising Flour, 9.4%
-Pillsbury Best Bleached Self-Rising Flour, 9.7%
-Presto Self Rising Cake Flour, 7.4%
-White Lily Bleached Self-Rising Flour, 8 to 9%
.
ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIXES (flour, shortening, baking powder, sugar, salt) - 6.25 to 12.5% protein
Best Use: biscuits, cookies, coffee cakes, pancakes, quick breads, pastry, waffles
-Arrowhead Mills All Purpose Baking Mix, 12.5%
-Bisquick Original Baking Mix, 7.5%
-Hudson Cream Biscuit Mix 10.5%
-Jiffy All Purpose Baking Mix, 6.25%
-King Arthur Flour All Purpose Baking Mix, 10%
-Pioneer Original Baking Mix, 7.5%
.
INSTANT FLOUR 10.5 to 12.6% protein
Best Use: thicken gravies, sauces, and soups without lumps.
-Gold Medal Wondra Quick Mixing Flour, 10.5%
-Pillsbury Best Shake & Blend Flour, 12.6%
-Robin Hood Best For Blending Flour 13%
.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, BLEACHED & UNBLEACHED, NATIONAL BRANDS - 10 to 11.5% protein
Best Use: makes average biscuits, cookies, muffins, pancakes, pie crusts, pizza crusts, quick breads, waffles, yeast breads.
-Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour, 10.5%
-Hodgson Mill All Purpose Unbleached White Flour 10%
-Hudson Cream Flour Short Patent Flour 10%
-Pillsbury Best All-Purpose Flour, 10 to 11.5%
-Pioneer All-Purpose Flour, 10%
-White Wings All-Purpose Flour, 10%
.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, NORTHERN, BLEACHED & UNBLEACHED - 11.5 to 13% protein
Best Use: cream puffs, puff pastry, yeast breads, pizza crusts.
-Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour 11.7%
-Five Roses All Purpose Flour, 13.0%
-Heckers and Ceresota All-Purpose Flour, 11.5 to 11.9 %
-King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, 11.7%
-Robin Hood Original All Purpose Flour 13%
-Rogers All-Purpose Flour, 13.0%
-Wheat Montana Natural White All-Purpose Flour 13%
.
BREAD FLOUR - 11.7 to 13% protein
Best Use: traditional yeast breads, bread machine, pizza crusts, pasta.
-Gold Medal Better For Bread, 12%
-Hodgson Mill Best For Bread Flour 13%
-Hudson Cream Bread Flour 13%
-King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, 12.7%
-Pillsbury Best Bread Flour, 12.9%
-Robin Hood Best For Bread Homestyle White Flour 13%
-White Lily Unbleached Bread Flour, 11.7%
.
DURUM WHEAT (Semolina) 13 to 13.5% protein
Best Use: Pasta.
-Hodgson Mill Golden Semolina & Extra Fancy Durum Pasta Flour, 13.3%
-King Arthur Extra Fancy Durum Flour, 13.3%
.
WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR - 12 to 16% protein
Best Use: hearth breads, blending with other flours.
-Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour 12%
-Bob's Red Mill Organic Hard White Whole Wheat Flour 11.7%
-Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour, 13.3%
-Hodgson Mill Old Fashioned Whole Wheat Flour 10%
-Hudson Cream Whole Wheat 13%
-King Arthur 100% Whole Wheat Flour, 14%
-King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour, 14%
-Pillsbury Best Whole Wheat Flour, 12.9%
-Robin Hood Whole Wheat All Purpose Flour 13%
-Robin Hood Best For Bread Whole Wheat Flour 13%
-Wheat Montana Prairie Gold Flour 100% Whole Wheat 16%
-Wheat Montana Prairie Gold Hard White Spring Wheat 16%
-Wheat Montana Bronze Chief Whole Wheat Hard Red Spring 16%
.
HIGH-GLUTEN FLOUR 14 to 15% protein
Best Use: bagels, pizza crusts, blending with other flours.
-King Arthur Organic Hi-Gluten Flour, 14%
-King Arthur Sir Lancelot Unbleached Hi-Gluten Flour, 14.2%
.
VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN FLOUR, Bread-making Supplement - 65 to 77% protein
Best Use: Added to raise gluten. Adds extra gluten to low-gluten whole grain flours, such as rye, oat, teff, spelt, or buckwheat.
-Arrowhead Mills Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 65.0%
-Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 75.0%
-Gillco Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 75.0%
-Hodgson Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 66.6%
-King Arthur Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 77.8%
.
--------------
.
Retail Flour Companies - Brands:
-Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, Milwaukie, Oregon -Bob's Red Mill
-C.H. Guenther & Son Inc, San Antonio, Texas - Pioneer Flour, Pioneer Baking Mix, White Wings Flour
-General Mills Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Bisquick, Gold Medal Flour, (sold US Pillsbury Flour , retains Pillsbury frozen goods)
-Hain Celestial Group Inc, Boulder, Colorado - Arrowhead Mills
-Hodgson Mill Inc, Effingham, Illinois - Hodgson Mill
-J.M. Smucker Company, Orrville, Ohio - Martha White Flour, Pillsbury Flour, Robin Hood Flour, White Lily Flour
-King Arthur Flour Company, Norwich, Vermont - King Arthur Flour
-Reily Foods Company, New Orleans, Louisiana - Swan's Down Cake Flour, Presto Self Rising Cake Flour
-Stafford County Flour Mills, Hudson, Kansas - Hudson Cream
-Uhlmann Company, Kansas City, Missouri - Heckers Flour, Ceresota Flour
-Wheat Montana Farms, Three Forks, Montana - Wheat Montana
.
--------------
I think it's worthwhile to note that different countries have very different protein content. I think when we think Europe vs USA for example, we are not surprised by the differences. However between Canada and the US the difference is worthy of note also - something I didn't expect really. In Canada I buy good organic all-purpose flour. According to any material I find, that is the equivalent of the US grade bread flour.
I think one just needs to get to know what's available in their region and work with it.
I am also attempting to put together a list of Australian retail Flour. The data for this incomplete list is from Australian supermarket websites and the protein / gluten data comes from nutritional labels posted on the supermarket websites (usually given as protein grams per 100 grams of flour):
Australian Flour Protein
.
.
-White Plain Flour
Allied Mills Plain Flour 9.5%
Anchor Lighthouse Plain Cake Biscuit & Pastry Flour 8.7%
Anchor Lighthouse Pasta & Noodle Flour 9.6%
Anchor Lighthouse Bread & Pizza Flour 11.5%
Coles White Plain Flour - 10.1%
Coles Organic Plain Flour - 10.8%
FBW Plain Flour 10.1%
Healthy Baker Plain Flour - 9.7%
Macro Organic Plain Flour 11.4%
Millers Foods Plain Flour 9.0%
Wallaby Bakers Plain Flour 11.9%
White Wings Plain Flour - 10.1%
White Wings Organic Plain Flour - 10.8%
Woolworth's Homebrand Plain Flour - 10.9%
.
.
-Wholemeal Plain Flour
.
Coles Wholemeal Plain Flour - 11.2%
Four Leaf Wholemeal Flour 13.0%
White Wings Wholemeal Plain Flour - 10.8%
Woolworth's Homebrand Wholemeal Plain Flour - 11.2%
.
.
-White Self Raising Flour--Wheat Flour, Raising Agents (salt is not added to
Australian self raising flour)
.
Anchor Lighthouse Self Raising Biscuit Flour 8.3%
Coles White Self Raising Flour - 9.8%
Coles Organic Self Raising Flour - 9.8%
Healthy Baker Self Raising Flour - 9.5%
Macro Organic Self Raising Flour - 9.8%
White Wings Cake Grade Self Raising Flour - 10.4%
White Wings Self Raising Flour - 10.0%
White Wings Organic Self Raising - 9.8%
Woolworth's Homebrand Self Raising Flour - 10.4%
.
.
-Wholemeal Self Raising Flour--Wheat Flour, Raising Agents (salt is not added to
Australian self raising flour)
.
Coles Wholemeal Self Raising Flour - 11.3%
Four Leaf Wholemeal Self Raising Flour 16.2%
White Wings Wholemeal Self Raising Flour - 10.5%
.
.
'00' Flour
.
Alpine Special White '00' Flour - 11.5%
Anchor Lighthouse Pasta & Noodle Tipo '00' Flour 12.0%
La Molisana Type '00' Flour - 11.5%
Laucke Type '00' Special White - 10.5%
.
.
- Instant Flour
White Wings Gravy Flour - 10.5%
.
.
Spelt Flour
.
Ceres Organics Wholemeal Spelt Flour 13.3%
.
I am also attempting to put together a list of U.K. retail Flour. The data for this incomplete list is from UK supermarket websites and the protein / gluten data comes from nutritional labels posted on the supermarket websites (usually given as protein grams per 100 grams of flour):
----UK Supermarket Wheat Flour----
.
.
-PLAIN FLOUR-
Allinson Nature Friendly Plain Flour 10.0%
Asda Plain Flour 10.3%
Be-Ro Plain Flour 10.2%
Homepride Plain Flour 10.3%
McDougalls Plain Flour 10.4%
Odlums Cream Plain Flour 10.8%
Odlums Organic Plain Flour 10.1%
.
-STRONG WHITE BREAD FLOUR-
Allinson Strong White Bread Flour 12.1%
Allinson Oatmill White Bread Flour 13.7%
Allinson White Seed & Grain Bread Flour 11.5%
Allinson Bakers' Grade Very Strong White Bread Flour 13.9%
Allinson Premium Bread Flour 13.9%
Asda Strong White Bread Flour 11.5%
Hovis Super Strong Premium White Bread Flour 12.8%
Hovis Strong White Bread Flour 12.0%
Sainsbury's Strong White Bread Flour 13.4%
Waitrose Strong White Bread Flour 12.9%
.
-STRONG WHOLEMEAL BREAD FLOUR-
Allinson Premium Wholemeal Very Strong Bread Flour 13.8%
Allinson Seed & Grain Bread Flour 11.8%
Allinson Wholemeal Seed & Grain Bread Flour 14.6%
Wright's Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour 12.7%
.
-SAUCE FLOUR-
Easy to use flour for sauces, gravies and thickening. Also for low fat recipes.
Carrs Sauce Flour 9.3%
.
-WHOLEMEAL PLAIN FLOUR-
Abbey Stoneground Wholemeal Flour 11.5%
Allinson Wholemeal Plain Flour 11.9%
Carr's Wholemeal Flour 15.2%
Odlums Stoneground Coarse Wholemeal 10%
Tesco Strong Stoneground Wholemeal Flour 13.7%
.
-SELF RAISING FLOUR---Wheat Flour, Raising Agents (salt is not added to UK self raising flour)
Allinson Nature Friendly Self Raising Flour 9.9%
Homepride Self Raising Flour 9.4%
Homepride Extra Fine Self Raising Flour 9.4%
McDougalls Supreme Sponge Premium Self Raising Flour 8.0%
McDougalls Self Raising Flour 9.9%
Odlums Self Raising Flour 10.6%
.
-WHOLEMEAL SELF RAISING FLOUR---Wheat Flour, Raising Agents (salt is not added to UK self raising flour)
Allinson Wholemeal Self-raising Flour 11.9%
.
McDougalls 00 Grade Premium Flour 11.0%
.