The Big-Name Flour Brand We Ranked The Worst

Perfectly swirled cinnamon rolls, mile-high lemon meringue pies, and colorfully stacked cake layers might have you fooled into thinking that baking is an art form, rather than a highly precise science. But the truth of the matter is that the temperature of your eggs, a few grams of flour, or the wrong type of sugar can all spell a less-than-delicious disaster. So before you assemble your next showstopper or throw together your afternoon pick-me-up, it's essential to line up the best ingredients for your bake.

You're probably familiar with the range of flour varieties, like bread flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour, and so on, but did you know that there can be considerable differences within the same flour type? All-purpose flour specifically can actually vary substantially as different types of wheat are often used in the commercial milling process. Because these slight variations can seriously change the results of your baking projects, Chowhound assembled a detailed ranking of nine all-purpose flour brands to discover which you should turn to when stocking your pantry. Using consumer reviews and insights from industry professionals, we determined that Pillsbury, one of the biggest names in baking, was the weakest link.

Because it helps to form the structure of your bake, when it comes to flour, protein matters. Cake flour usually has less protein, bread flour more, and all-purpose in between. However, Pillsbury's all-purpose flour has a low protein percentage, which makes it act more like cake flour. Unfortunately, when following a recipe that calls for all-purpose, that means your perfectly constructed dough or batter will turn out too loose and too liquid-y.

If you're buying one type of all-purpose flour to keep in your pantry, ever-reliable King Arthur Flour is your best bet. But if you just can't quit the idea that Pillsbury does it best (probably thanks to the company's iconic crescent rolls and cookie dough), Pillsbury's all-purpose flour still has its uses. Plus, unlike some of our top-ranked brands, it's very affordably priced.

Since its protein content is more similar to cake flour, try Pillsbury's all-purpose flour out for your next light and fluffy cake recipe. Just be sure to sift it well first to more closely mimic cake flour's consistency. It could also be a good choice for a recipe you've made before that came out too dense and stodgy. Last but not least, while we'd avoid using Pillsbury's all-purpose flour for bread doughs, cookies, or muffins, it's perfectly serviceable in situations where the flour type doesn't really matter, like when breading chicken or tofu before frying.