heaping tablespoons flour

Flour is a powder produced by grinding cereal grains, most commonly wheat, into fine particles. The milling process removes varying amounts of the grain's bran and germ depending on the flour type, creating products that range from whole grain flour (retaining all kernel components) to white flour (refined to the starchy endosperm). Wheat flour is the most widely used globally, with distinct varieties including all-purpose flour, bread flour (higher protein content for gluten development), cake flour (lower protein for tender crumb), and pastry flour (moderate protein). The protein content, particularly the gluten-forming proteins glutenin and gliadin, directly affects a flour's baking behavior and final product texture.

Non-wheat flours from sources such as rye, barley, corn, and rice are also widely employed in regional cuisines and gluten-free applications, each with distinctive milling characteristics and culinary properties.

Flour is the foundational ingredient in baking and bread-making, used to create structure through gluten network formation in doughs and batters. It is employed in countless preparations including breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, noodles, and thickening agents for sauces and gravies. In cooking, flour serves as a coating for pan-frying or deep-frying proteins and vegetables, and as a binding agent in batters and doughs. Different flour types are selected based on desired outcomes: bread flour for chewy, well-developed crumb; cake flour for tender, delicate structure; and all-purpose flour for general applications. Regional cuisines rely on flour from local grains—rye in Eastern Europe, cornmeal in Mediterranean and American Southern cooking, and rice flour in East and Southeast Asian preparations.