Flour & Baking Ingredients

The difference is protein, which forms gluten. Cake and pastry flour has about 7 to 9 percent protein for tender crumbs. Bread flour has about 12 to 14 percent for chewy, high-rising loaves. Canadian all-purpose flour is milled from hard wheat and runs around 12 to 13 percent protein, which is higher than most American all-purpose flour, so it works for bread as well as cookies. Italian 00 flour, such as Caputo, is very finely milled and is the standard for Neapolitan pizza baked at high heat.

Use about 40 percent of the fresh yeast weight in active dry yeast, or about 33 percent in instant yeast. For example, 30 g of fresh yeast equals about 12 g of active dry or 10 g of instant. Active dry yeast should be dissolved in water at 40 to 46 °C before mixing; instant yeast can go straight into the flour. Fresh yeast must be refrigerated and used within about two weeks. Fleischmann’s sells all three formats.

Store flour in sealed food-grade bins in a cool, dry room, ideally 15 to 21 °C, off the floor and away from strong odours. White flour keeps about 6 to 12 months. Whole wheat and other whole-grain flours keep about 3 months at room temperature, or 6 months or more refrigerated or frozen, because the oil in the germ goes rancid. Rotate stock first in, first out, and freeze new bags for 48 hours if pantry insects have been a problem.

Unopened dry yeast keeps until the best-before date, usually one to two years from packing. Once opened, store active dry or instant yeast in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within about 4 months, or freeze it for up to 6 months. To test old yeast, stir 1 teaspoon of sugar and a packet of yeast into warm water; if it does not foam within 10 minutes, replace it. Fresh yeast lasts only about two weeks refrigerated.

Only blends made for it. Cup-for-cup blends such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour already contain xanthan gum and can replace wheat flour in cookies, muffins, cakes and pancakes. Single flours such as rice or almond flour cannot be swapped directly. Yeast bread and pizza need a blend made for dough, such as Caputo Fioreglut. Kitchens serving people with celiac disease also need separate bins, scoops and prep areas to avoid cross-contact.

Shipping is a flat $16.50 anywhere in Canada and free on orders over $199 before tax. Orders are processed in 2 to 3 business days (cut-off 10:00 AM MST, Monday to Friday) and Canadian transit takes 2 to 6 business days. We also ship to the United States, with duties and taxes shown at checkout. See the Shipping page for full details.