Bleached Flour vs Bread Flour: Which is Best for Pizza?

Bleached Flour vs Bread Flour

Are you interested in finding out the difference between bleached flour vs bread flour for pizza dough?

Well, look no further. 

We will be talking about the characteristics of each of them and why bread flour is better than bleached flour for pizza.

Plus, if you’re the type of person who loves to eat a bread-like pizza that is mouthwatering, super smokey, and chewier, bread flour is indeed the best option. 

So let’s get started! 

What is Bread Flour?

Bread flour is the most preferred type of flour used by many when making dough for their pizza at home.

When making a pizza, bread flour offers a smokey and chewy texture, perfect if you like your pizza to be in this state.

Bread flour is unique because it contains a significant level of protein and gluten, making the dough rise and stretch. 

Moreover, due to the high gluten content in the bread flour, you should expect to have a fluffy pizza on the inside yet come with crispy edges on the outside.

What is Bleached Flour?

Bleached flour is one of the available types of flour in the market and has been bleached utilizing chemicals to make it more refined and white.

It is mixed with some chemicals such as calcium or hydrogen peroxide to help hasten the oxidization of the flour from a slightly yellow texture and appearance to a polished white result.

In addition, bleached flour offers a much softer dough texture and contains a considerably lower level of gluten content. Other nutrients in the flour are also eliminated, much like germ and bran, rich in nutrients.

Why is Flour Bleached?

Yes, your assumptions are all correct. Bleaching turns the flour from a slightly yellow texture to a pure white pigment.

Just think of the process you’ve made, bleaching your clothes to make them as white as a sheet of paper; it’s almost the same.

Flour has a natural yellow texture that contains a carotenoid molecule, giving the powder a more creamy and slight color.

If you’re familiar with this molecule, and my guess is it’s equally similar to the one in orange carrots, then you’re right.

Although flour is naturally slightly cream-colored, many don’t like to use it, which is why flour is bleached.

Bleached Flour vs Bread Flour for Pizza

Bread flour is made from hard wheat with a high gluten content (12-14%). 

Bread flour contains a significant level of gluten than bleached flour. The higher the amount of gluten, the more it implies that this delivers a smokey and chewier dough crust. 

Also, this flour is the best ingredient for baking bread or any yeast product from the name itself.

On the other hand, bleached flour is the ordinary flour you can find in the market, mainly utilized in the US. It offers a much softer and fluffy texture and is best if you love to bake waffles, cakes, or pie crusts. 

Bleach flour goes through a bleaching process to look more refined and whiter than the usual natural cream color of the flour. Which sometimes may offer a bitter taste.

While bread flour contains a gluten level of around 12-14%, bleached flour only comprises 8% gluten, making it a type of flour with the lowest protein content. 

Bread flour also retains many nutrients, suitable for everyone, while bleached flour has fewer nutrients and does not contain bran and germ due to the bleaching process.

 If you have to choose between the two, bread flour is the perfect ingredient for your pizza dough when you love a fluffy pizza and soft on the side with a crumbly outer. 

And since it never undergoes a bleaching process with some chemicals and is seasoned with ascorbic acid, you would expect that the pizza dough has a much better texture and a higher chance of increasing its volume.

 If you also want a pizza without chemicals, bread flour is more likely a better ingredient. Just think how fluffy and chewy it is on the inside, and a crumbly outer makes it more exciting pizza dough to melt inside your mouth.

Although bleached flour is also a better option, if you like to eat a homemade pizza with natural ingredients, we would love you to try it next time; if you haven’t yet, use the bread flour for your pizza dough.

Do You Use Bread Flour Rather than Bleached Flour?

Folks, before setting foot at the market to buy flour and other ingredients for your weekend pizza party, it is crucial to remember that not all flour works for any serving of pizza. 

Each type of flour has a particular purpose and use. That said, better to decide and come up with the kind of pizza and its flavor you’re craving.

As you can see, numerous types of flour are not meant to be used as substitute ingredients for one another. 

Just like bread flour, it is made of significant amounts of gluten and is a perfect match for yeast products. 

Thus, it is evident that although it is labeled as “bread,” it is still one of the best flour for pizza dough. More significantly, if you love to eat a much chewier and softer dough with mouthwatering toppings.

Here’s What the PROs at Homemade Pizza Pro Use and Recommend

Yes, bleached flour is an ordinary flour and easily accessible in the market. 

If you want to enjoy your pizza in its best texture and yummy flavor, you should never, as in NEVER, use it as an interchangeable ingredient unless if your preference, of course.  

As mentioned, bleached flour may likely offer a bitter taste after the bleaching process.

So, whether still asking if it’s okay to use bread flour instead of bleach flour for your pizza, then absolutely YES. 

We already mentioned a couple of reasons why it’s one of the best flour ingredients for your pizza. 

However, when it comes to bleached flour, if it can replace bread flour or any flour for pizza dough, to be honest, rather than saying NO, we would want you to answer it based on what we’ve mentioned above.

Why Bleached Flour Is Not An Ideal Ingredient For Pizza

Here are a couple of reasons why bleached flour is not an ideal ingredient for your pizza dough:

1. Bitter taste and lack of structure provided by the gluten.

Who would ever enjoy a pizza with a bitter taste of dough? Although you may add some flavorings and toppings, if you have a very sharp taste, you will still notice some distinguishable bitter flavor or, should we say, aftertaste in bleached flour. 

And this is one of the few reasons you sometimes must check the ingredients and their contents before using them on your homemade pizza.

2. There are some chemicals retained in the bleached flour

 Bleached flour is not if you want to eat and enjoy a homemade pizza with natural ingredients.

Note that around 20 chemicals are used to bleach this flour. 

Yes, the bleaching process might have been done a year ago, but higher chances are that chemicals still lingered in the flour.

3. Bleached flour contains fewer nutrients.

If you’re a health-conscious type and do not want only to eat and enjoy your delectable homemade pizza but also to get some nutrients out of it, bleached flour, once again should not be your option. 

Instead, you can use bread flour or all-purpose flour to bake your favorite pizza.

Check our article on the best pizza flour for more.

Why You Should Use Bread Flour for Homemade Pizza

Aside from the chewy and fluffy pizza dough that bread flour offers, it also comes with lots and lots of nutrients good for the body. It contains a significant protein level, even more remarkable than all-purpose flour.

If you love to eat a flavorful pizza with stretchy dough and a crumbly crust on the outer, bread flour is a suitable ingredient. 

The higher gluten in the bread flour makes the pizza dough stretch and rise. 

A smokey and velvety texture makes your pizza so yummy, but yes, of course, it is more addicting because of the flavors and toppings you add.

The Last Slice 

As a whole, bread flour is a more opt ingredient for your pizza dough. It contains more nutrients and offers a delectable, stretchy, fluffy texture, which adds a mouthwatering savory. 

That said, we expect you to use bread flour for your next pizza party. 

Enjoy your own fluffy, stretchy, and tasty version of pizza at home. And if you are not yet a pizzaiolo or have never tried to bake pizza yet at home, it might be a sign for you to bake your version of pizza now. 

Who knows, you’ll be the best pizza baker without your knowing?

Additional Flour Resources

Enjoy!

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