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It’s the classic battle: all-purpose flour vs. regular flour. What is the difference? Are all-purpose flour and regular flour the same thing? This guide will help you understand flour a little better and see which flours are best for cooking and baking.

Ready to learn the difference between plain flour and all-purpose flour? Get ready to understand each, why they’re here, and the best flours to use for different baking recipes.
Are you wondering what the difference is between all-purpose and regular flour? We know that baking a delicious cake or bread requires certain ingredients, but when you read a recipe that calls for one, but the store offers another, it can be really confusing!
It is not so easy to tell the difference between these two types of flour.
It’s time to end the confusion! Here, we’ll compare all-purpose and regular flour, providing important information to help guide your culinary decisions.
What is all-purpose flour?
Flour is a powdered substance made from grains, roots, nuts or even seeds. When it comes to wheat flour, all-purpose flour is a favorite.
You can use all-purpose flour in a variety of recipes and cooking methods.
It is made from a combination of hard and soft wheat berries and is the most commonly used flour as it is versatile.
All-purpose flour is very fine, giving it a fine texture and making it perfect for light, airy pastries and cakes or dense and chewy breads.
This flour also has a relatively low protein content, making it great for recipes where a tender crumb is preferred. It is essential for making pizza dough and other types of yeast dough.

What is plain flour?
Plain flour is actually the same thing as all-purpose flour. We can differentiate up to regionalism.
Plain flour is actually the all-purpose flour in Australia and the UK. You see this term more widely used in both Australia and the UK. This is a simple white flour that is a flour for most baking.
Plain flour, also known as all-purpose flour, is a type of wheat flour made from milled wheat grains. It does not contain additional ingredients such as raising agents or leavening agents, so it is commonly referred to as “all-purpose”.
You can use plain flour in baking recipes that require light flour, such as cakes, cookies, breads and pies. Because of its light and airy texture, plain flour is an excellent choice for making batters for deep-frying as well as making thick gravies and sauces.
Comparison of all-purpose flour and regular flour
All-purpose flour is the same as regular flour. Depending on the part of the world you live in, the two flours are the same thing.
This is basically a question that comes due to globalization. If you live in the US and you follow an Australian food blogger, you may be confused when her recipe calls for plain flour.
If you’re in the UK and your favorite recipe blogger calls out for all-purpose flour, you’re in for a treat! You may be asking yourself, is all-purpose flour or regular flour?
Here’s another way to look at it:
- If you live in Australia and the UKYou can use regular flour for all-purpose flour when a recipe calls for it.
- If you live in the United States Or in other parts of the world, you can use all-purpose flour for regular flour when a recipe calls for it.
When to use all-purpose flour
All-purpose flour is one of the most versatile types of flour available. You can make it in different recipes.
It is ideal for baking muffins and cakes, as well as bread and other baked goods.
This type of flour is also suitable for thickening sauces and homemade gravies. Use it as a coating for fried foods such as fried tofu.

Flour tips
- The amount of water absorption of different flours can fluctuate up to 20%. It can change the texture of a recipe, and that’s why it’s so important to use the right type of flour for your recipe.
- Hard flour contains more gluten and absorbs more water. This is another reason why they make all-purpose flour with a mix of soft and hard wheat.
- Gluten adds strength (making it great for bread), but it’s not good for soft baked goods.
- This helps make the dough for recipes like vegan dinner rolls.
- To prevent gluten development in tender baked goods like these vegan scones, handle the flour with ginger (stir less).
- You can substitute whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour to increase the fiber content without changing the texture of your baked goods.
- Dough settles as it sits, so always sift it before measuring it. I recommend spooning the sifted flour into your measuring cup and using a butter knife to even it out.

Delicious all-purpose dough recipe
You can use all-purpose flour in the kitchen to:

Using all-purpose flour in baking
Now that we know the difference between regular flour and all-purpose flour, it’s time to start baking! Here are some favorite recipes that use all-purpose flour:
Now that you know the difference between all-purpose and regular flour, you can tackle any baking challenge!
Use all-purpose flour or plain flour for everyday baking, desserts, savory sauces and breads. With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to choose the right flour for any of your baking needs.