By now, most people have heard of bread flour and that it’s important for baking bread among other things. However, if you’re like me and trying to bake abroad in a country where the primary language is not English (like when I moved to Spain), you might be a bit lost as to where to find it.
From my first-hand experience, here is how I have found it in countries where I do and do not speak the language.
And of course, the first logical response is to just ask around and see what people say. But, what bakers might not realize is that while bread flour has since risen in popularity on grocery store shelves, most non-bread bakers still might not know that it exists or where to find it. So if you’ve hit a wall there, let me help you with these three ways to identify bread flour, or any other type of flour for that matter, anywhere in the world.
How to Find Different Types of Flour
Find Translations
Look up online common translations for bread flour in the local language. For example, in Spain and when I first started baking I looked up a direct translation of bread flour, which landed me nowhere. Why? Because in Spain, the specific type of flour is translated to strong flour/baker’s flour, harina de fuerza/ harina panadera, rather than bread flour.
For those that don’t know the language at all, what I did was do a little online influencer investigation. When I went to visit my good friend in Norway, she was interested in baking bread but had no idea what bread flour was called. So first, I found the translations for bread and sourdough. I looked up those hashtags on Instagram and TikTok and found various influencers who posted to their websites in Norwegian. On their websites, they had a whole large list of recipes using different kinds of flour available in Norway. Note: trying recipes in a new language is also a great way to practice that language.
Field Research
If you’ve found out what it’s called, your next step is to find it.
Look at the flours at your local grocery stores. First, you’re looking for WHEAT bread flour (so the ingredients should list wheat in that language). Second, take a look at the protein content within the nutrition facts. Wheat flours are good for baking, and while you might find all-purpose options to have about 8 to 10g of protein, bread baking specifically should be at least 11g to 13g of protein. Why? Because the higher amount of protein that it contains results in stronger gluten development. That ultimately leads to a more vertical rise rather than a pancake-type loaf, and the crumb texture is a little lighter and chewier.
When I was searching, bread flour wasn’t readily available at the grocery stores I was looking at. I had to expand my search to smaller specialty food stores as well as larger grocery stores. Eventually, I started searching online for locally milled flours that could be delivered to my house for a very decent price!
A Note About Local Flour and Fresh Milled Flour
Wherever you’re living, if you’re serious about baking with quality ingredients, do a Google search for local or fresh milled flours in your area. I was surprised to find out that there are great options, even in southern Spanish cities. These days, a lot more premium and LOCAL ingredients are being sold online from extra virgin olive oil to flour.
Local Bakers and Online Influencers
If you speak the local language, ask local bread bakeries what the flour is called. You don’t have to ask the specific brand, but simply ask them what goes into their loaves. Every time I ask artisan bakeries here in Spain, they are very excited to tell me about their products!
Bread Recipes
Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, why not try out a recipe?
Prepare an artisanal loaf of sourdough bread or try out a loaf of rye bread with extra virgin olive oil for a soft texture.
If you have any other tips, let me know with a comment down below!