White Wheat Flour

White wheat flour is milled from wheat kernels after the outer covering, called bran, and the germ are removed. Wheat flour normally contains 63 to 73 percent starch and 6 to 15 percent protein. The rest is moisture, fat, sugar, and minerals.

Wheat flour is the source of the protein called gluten, which you remember is one of the essential elements in baking. Bakers select flour on the basis of its gluten content. Flours high in protein are called strong, and those low in protein are called weak. (Note: Rye, barley, oats, and some other grains also contain gluten proteins, but these proteins do not develop into a gluten structure as do the proteins in wheat flour. Thus, for the baker, these other grains in effect do not contain gluten, but people with gluten intolerance may still have to avoid them in their diets.)