I was shopping for flour. I remember “unbleached”, but I don’t recall ever buying “bleached”. My last bag was Gold Medal All Purpose.
Which would be the most versatile? I only bake once in a while, i.e. Banana Bread.
many millers “bleach” the flour to speed up the process of the flour going “pure” white.
flour will, with time, “bleach” itself.
some people object to the ‘chemicals’ used to “bleach” flour.
some countries, especially in Europe, prohibit the sale of “bleached flour”
now that the miracles of modern science can measure things down to parts per trillion, most any food stuff can be found to have “something dangerous” in it.
in terms of function/performance - no difference.
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Thank you.
If I recall correctly, all things being equal, unbleached flour will have slightly less gluten forming ability. But it’s very likely you’ll find bigger differences just between brands. Most (certainty not all) pastry flour that I’ve seen is bleached or ‘bromated’. The box of Softasilk in my pantry clearly says ‘enriched’ and ‘bleached’.
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I don’t know if any of my exploits would depend on “gluten forming ability” What types of examples would be significant? My totally uninformed guess would not be my Banana Bread 
Would it be a factor it comes to thickening ability/making a roux?
I don’t think it has to do with thickening. That’s starch. You can also thicken with corn or potato starch, which have no gluten.
I think you’re meant to note it if you want to avoid overbeating so cakes aren’t rubbery or cookies don’t get tough or chewy.
I.e. if you want to maximize ‘tenderness’, go for bleached. If you want more structure, go for unbleached.
There is an opinion among some that bleached flour is less flavorful, so not preferred for pasta or breads.
There is ALSO the belief among some that bleaching flour destroys nutrients or is actively harmful to people.
I have not observed any noticeable flavor differences. I have no particular opinion on the health claims. I think at least some (all?) of the EU forbids bleaching.
For myself, my stock AP flour is generic unbleached. I use it for cookies of all sorts with no issues. I’ve used pastry flour for cakes and DO notice a lighter, softer texture, but that’s low gluten flour anyway.
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There is a slight difference. This article from Bon Appetit explains it well:
Cakes made with bleached cake flour (and bleached all-purpose, to a lesser extent) are fluffier and taller, with a more even structure. The same cake made with its unbleached alternative is coarse, faintly crumbly like cornbread, and noticeably sweeter because of the lack of acid.
If you are baking delicate cookies or cakes, bleached is best for taste and structure.
But for banana bread (and in general for most kitchen needs), regular, unbleached all-purpose is just fine.
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Thanks!
Can you tell me how to do that special recipe display?
special recipe display? If you mean the fancy box and display around the Bon Apetit link, no special effort is required. The forum software (Discourse) automatically frames up most included links. Just include the link on its own line. For instance, the only thing I typed below was “http://seriouseats.com” (no quotes)
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I think it’s the opposite and bleached flour is more tender/less gluten-y.
Cake flour is usually bleached.
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