Is pastry flour the same as cake flour?

Answer 1

Pastry flour is a "weak" flour, meaning it has low-gluten content, while regular flour is "stronger", meaning it has a higher gluten level. Higher gluten makes a chewier item, like bread and buns. Lower gluten makes a more delicate item, like pastries and cakes.

Answer 2

Flour Generally speaking, flour made from hard winter wheat contains 13% to 15% protein (gluten).

Bread flour is made from hard wheat which produces dough that is elastic and can expand well.

Flour made from wheat grown in the hot months of summer is soft wheat with only 4% to 9% gluten.

Cake and pastry flour is made with fine textured soft wheat, producing tender dough with little stretch for products needing a crumbly texture.

All purpose flour is a mixture of the two types, with about 11-12% gluten.

Answer 3

All-purpose flour is made from a blend of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat. It's a fine-textured flour milled from the inner part of the wheat kernel and contains neither the germ (the sprouting part) nor the bran (the outer coating). Cake or pastry flour is a fine-textured, soft-wheat flour with a high starch content. It makes particularly tender cakes and pastries.

Answer 4

From http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/baking-flour-facts.htm The main difference among flour types is in the gluten content, which varies depending on whether the flour is made from hard wheat or soft wheat. Gluten is the protein that helps yeast stretch and rise. To achieve the best baking results, use the type of flour a recipe specifically calls for. All-purpose flour is designed for a number of uses, including cookies, quick breads, biscuits, and cakes. A mixture of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, it comes in both bleached and unbleached forms, which can be used interchangeably. Pastry flour is similar to cake flour but has a slightly higher gluten content. This aids the elasticity needed to hold together the buttery layers in flaky doughs such as Croissants, puff pastry, and pie crusts. 1 cup pastry flour

1 cup minus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon pastry flour

Answer 5

Whole wheat flour contains the entire grain including the bran and "germ" of the wheat berry (grain.) Pastry flour is more highly refined, with the bran and germ removed. Pastry flour also is made from strains of wheat with lower gluten (protein) than all-purpose or bread flour, in order to produce tender pastries.

Answer 6

Bread: Has a higher gluten content to make the bread stick together and form a crust.

Cake: Is sifted more finely to add air to the batter so the cake will rise.

Pastry: Is made from durhum or semolina wheat to promote a flakier crust.

Answer 7

pastry flour is lighter than regular flour

Answer 8

No, they have a slightly different texture and tatse, and will give a different result in the baked goods.