Flours of the worldAsh · Grind · Protein
What can I use in place of cake flour in the United Kingdom?
The recipe asks for America's cake flour. On a shelf in the United Kingdom the closest designation is plain / soft flour — limited as a substitute. Below: the figures side by side, what changes in the bake, and the standards both come from.
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Find the flour to buy
Say where the recipe is from and what it calls for, then where you shop. You get the designation to buy, the figures side by side, and what might change in your bake.
Recipe from
United States
The recipe calls for
cake flourCommon wheat
Ash / mineral contentA roller mill not only cracks the grain, but also sorts the fragments and re-combines and re-grinds the separated fractions. This allows to control the amount of the outer layers vs inner parts of the grain that end up in the flour. Because the core of a grain is almost entirely made of starch, and the outer shell has almost all the minerals, this choice determines the mineral content of the finished product. This property of the flour is also called 'extraction': lower extraction means less of the outer shell is in the finished product.0.30–0.40 %typical market range, not regulatedProteinProtein (both total mass and quality) are determined by the grain variety, the soil and the amount of nitrogen fertiliser. The mill cannot change this, but will blend different lots for product consistency. Protein content is mostly watched in wheat varieties, because of its relevance in bread making.6.0–8.0 %typical market range, not regulatedGrind / particle sizeWhen sorting the grain fragments, the mill can also control the particle size of the product. Note that this is different from extraction: Flour of the same extraction grade (i. e., with the same mineral content) can have different particle size.finefixed by the standard
Shopping in
United Kingdom
Buy type
1/5
plain / soft flourCommon wheat
Limited as a substituteAsh / mineral contentA roller mill not only cracks the grain, but also sorts the fragments and re-combines and re-grinds the separated fractions. This allows to control the amount of the outer layers vs inner parts of the grain that end up in the flour. Because the core of a grain is almost entirely made of starch, and the outer shell has almost all the minerals, this choice determines the mineral content of the finished product. This property of the flour is also called 'extraction': lower extraction means less of the outer shell is in the finished product.0.40–0.55 %typical market range, not regulatedProteinProtein (both total mass and quality) are determined by the grain variety, the soil and the amount of nitrogen fertiliser. The mill cannot change this, but will blend different lots for product consistency. Protein content is mostly watched in wheat varieties, because of its relevance in bread making.8.0–10.0 %typical market range, not regulatedGrind / particle sizeWhen sorting the grain fragments, the mill can also control the particle size of the product. Note that this is different from extraction: Flour of the same extraction grade (i. e., with the same mineral content) can have different particle size.finetypical market range, not regulated
cake flour→plain / soft flour
Limited as a substitute
Ash / mineral contentA roller mill not only cracks the grain, but also sorts the fragments and re-combines and re-grinds the separated fractions. This allows to control the amount of the outer layers vs inner parts of the grain that end up in the flour. Because the core of a grain is almost entirely made of starch, and the outer shell has almost all the minerals, this choice determines the mineral content of the finished product. This property of the flour is also called 'extraction': lower extraction means less of the outer shell is in the finished product.
+0.13 %
0.30–0.40→0.40–0.55 %
typical market range, not regulated→typical market range, not regulated
ProteinProtein (both total mass and quality) are determined by the grain variety, the soil and the amount of nitrogen fertiliser. The mill cannot change this, but will blend different lots for product consistency. Protein content is mostly watched in wheat varieties, because of its relevance in bread making.
+2.0 %
6.0–8.0→8.0–10.0 %
typical market range, not regulated→typical market range, not regulated
Grind / particle sizeWhen sorting the grain fragments, the mill can also control the particle size of the product. Note that this is different from extraction: Flour of the same extraction grade (i. e., with the same mineral content) can have different particle size.
about the same
fine→fine
fixed by the standard→typical market range, not regulated
Where the figures come from
Ash / mineral content
0.30–0.40→0.40–0.55 %
typical market range, not regulated→typical market range, not regulated
Protein
6.0–8.0→8.0–10.0 %
typical market range, not regulated→typical market range, not regulated
Grind / particle size
fine→fine
fixed by the standard→typical market range, not regulated
What you might have to change
- Much stronger, about 2.0 pp more protein. Raise water by 4–6 %, extend mixing or bulk, expect more oven spring and a chewier crumb. Too tough for cake and shortcrust.
- About 0.13 pp more ash, so more bran. A little more water is needed. Bran particles also interfere with the gluten network. Mix gently, shorten bulk, expect a darker and denser crumb.
- US cake flour is normally chlorine-treated, which no European class allows. Chlorination changes how the starch sets and lets the recipe carry far more sugar and liquid, so those recipes do not transfer exactly.
- United Kingdom: protein itself is not regulated, so two bags of the same designation can vary significantly. Read the nutrition panel for the actual number.
Practical implications of these numbers
Higher ash content More water absorbed, faster fermentation, more flavour. The bran particles can impair the gluten network. Mix gentler, ferment shorter.
Protein up More water needed, longer mixing, better gas retention and oven spring, chewier crumb. Wrong for sponge and shortcrust.
Grind coarser Slower hydration. The dough firms up over the first twenty minutes after mixing, as the water is absorbed.
Practical implications of these numbers
Higher ash content More water absorbed, faster fermentation, more flavour. The bran particles can impair the gluten network. Mix gentler, ferment shorter.
Protein up More water needed, longer mixing, better gas retention and oven spring, chewier crumb. Wrong for sponge and shortcrust.
Grind coarser Slower hydration. The dough firms up over the first twenty minutes after mixing, as the water is absorbed.
Other options
- strong white bread flour Limited as a substitute Ash / mineral content 0.50–0.65 % Protein 11.5–13.5 % Grind / particle size fine
- very strong white Limited as a substitute Ash / mineral content 0.50–0.68 % Protein 14.0–15.5 % Grind / particle size fine
- brown flour (~85 %) Limited as a substitute Ash / mineral content 0.90–1.30 % Protein 12.0–14.0 % Grind / particle size fine
The standards behind these figures
-
US
United States
- 21 CFR 137.105 — Flour Non-durum wheat, at least 98 % through a No. 70 sieve, moisture max 15 %, and ash capped at one twentieth of the protein plus 0.35 — a formula, not a band, which is why the US ash ranges here are market practice. Chlorine bleaching is permitted.
- 21 CFR 137.220 — Durum flour Durum wheat, at least 98 % through a No. 70 sieve, moisture max 15 %, and a flat ash ceiling of 1.5 % — the only US ash figure that is neither a formula nor tied to a coarse grade. No lower bound, so the floor here is market practice.
- 21 CFR 137.300 — Farina Non-durum wheat, ash max 0.6 %, passes a No. 20 sieve with at most 3 % through a No. 100.
- 21 CFR 137.320 — Semolina Durum, ash max 0.92 %, same sieve spec as farina — the two differ by wheat species and ash, not coarseness.
- 21 CFR 137.225 — Whole durum wheat flour Whole wheat flour milled from durum: the section fixes the sieve spec and moisture only and no ash figure at all, so the band here is market practice.
-
UK
United Kingdom
- Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, Schedule 1 Fortification only — calcium carbonate 235–390 mg/100 g, iron at least 1.65, thiamin 0.24, nicotinic acid 1.60. No grades, type numbers, ash, protein or granulation are defined anywhere, so every UK band here is market practice.