Why you get exceptional results with King Arthur Flour

All flour is not created equal. King Arthur Flour is subject to the most precise specifications in the milling industry, and the resulting purity and consistent performance has made it the trusted flour of baking enthusiasts and professionals for over 200 years. We put that care into our products because we believe you deserve exceptional results, every time you bake.

Precise flour specifications

Our flours begin with the highest grade of wheat, selected especially for its baking properties. Our careful milling – which in any given type of flour allows a variance of only .2% (two-tenths of a percent) in protein content and .02% (two-hundredths of a percent) in ash content – results in consistent performance from bag to bag, year to year. And we never add any benzoyl peroxide, chlorine dioxide, potassium bromate, or other unnecessary chemicals to our flour. Because of the wheat we select and the way we mill it, our flour needs no artificial enhancements. The difference shows in the unmatched texture, taste, and volume of everything you bake. Breads rise higher, cakes are moister, and piecrust is more tender.

Careful milling

Our white flours are milled from the innermost heart of the wheat berry, avoiding the dark mineral particles near the bran (outer layer of the wheat kernel) and germ. The heart of the berry contains the lightest color and the richest, gluten-producing protein.

Some flour producers mill closer to the bran so they can get more flour out of a bushel of wheat. Then they bleach the flour to eliminate the darker flecks of bran left in their flour, giving it the appearance of pure white flour. Yet bran left in white flour affects baking performance because its hard, sharp edges cut through gluten strands, making it more difficult to develop good structure in your baked goods.

By avoiding the outer layers of the wheat berry, we both ensure there are no particles of bran to reduce the rising performance of our white flours, and eliminate the need to bleach the flour to mask darker flecks.

Protein content

Protein content refers to the ability of flour to produce gluten, the elastic component of a dough that can capture and hold carbon dioxide; higher protein levels are better for yeast breads, lower protein levels are better for tender cakes and pastries.

The quality and consistency of the protein in flour is as or more important than the wheat’s raw protein content. It is what enables us to assure bakers that our flour will perform the same way today as it did a generation ago, the same in the spring as it does in fall, from season to season and year to year – so your results will always be the same. For serious bakers, that promise means a lot.

Low ash content

Ash is simply an indirect measure of how much bran is in the flour. A higher ash content means more bran. Because bran darkens flour and interferes with the formation of gluten in developing dough, we make sure our white flours have a low ash content.

No unnecessary chemicals

We believe it’s best to offer pure, top-quality flour free of unnecessary chemicals that may be hazardous to your health. In particular, we avoid adding any bleaching chemicals – such as benzoyl peroxide, commonly found in acne treatment products – as well as potassium bromate, a suspected carcinogen banned in Europe in California.