Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are fast approaching, which means a whole lot of home cooks are going to be wrist deep in flour, sugar and butter to craft their favorites cakes, cookies, muffins, yeasted breads and pastries for the holidays.

Since most grocery stores have a dizzying number of flours to choose from, you might be wondering: Which flour is the right one for a particular recipe?

It’s a good question, because when it comes to flour, one size doesn’t fit all.

Different grains contain varying levels of protein, and the more protein a flour contains, the more gluten it produces.

Formed when water or another liquid is added to flour, gluten — a protein that gives elasticity and structure — is what holds all the ingredients together. So generally speaking, you want

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