Know Your Flours

Odlums Cream Plain Flour

This is the standard flour used for cooking and baking. It is ideal for making soda breads, cakes, pastry, biscuits, pancakes, gravy and sauces.

Odlums Self Raising Flour

This is a plain flour with added raising agents. It is suitable for sponges, scones and tea breads.

Odlums Wholemeal Flour

This is as it says – the wholegrain with nothing added or nothing taken out. Principally used for traditional Irish Soda Bread. Also called Brown Flour.

Odlums Wheatmeal Flour

This is a mixture of white flour and wheat bran. As it is less coarse than wholemeal it has the advantage of giving baked items greater volume. Primarily used for soda breads and health breads.

Odlums Strong Flour

Normally used for yeast baking, this flour is milled from hard wheats, so it is higher in gluten, which is the protein in the flour. This is the flour used for bread machines and can also be used for rich fruit cakes and pastry.

Note: To convert Cream Plain Flour for a recipe calling for Self Raising Flour, allow 2 teaspoons of baking powder to 450g/1lb of flour.

Raising Agents used in Home Baking

Bread Soda

Also referred to in recipes as Bicarbonate of Soda. Generally used in traditional soda breads and gingerbread. It is activated by using sour milk, buttermilk or yogurt in the recipe. Apart from use as a raising agent it is also used for taste. It is usually used with plain flour.

Baking Powder

This is generally activated with fresh milk and eggs. It is used for cakes, sponges, some scones and breads. This is similar to the raising agent used in Self Raising Flour.

Cream of Tartar

This is also found in shops under the trade name of Bextartar. Generally used with bread soda if buttermilk or sour milk is not available. It is used with fresh milk, resulting in a risen bread with the soda flavour.

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