What You Need To Know About Strong Flour And When To Use It In Your Bakes

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What You Need To Know About Strong Flour And When To Use It In Your Bakes By Cassie Womack Nov. 26, 2025 1:20 pm EST

If you've ever come across a recipe that calls for "strong flour," you might've found yourself at a loss. Strong flour isn't a widely used term stateside, so Americans most likely won't find it in stores. But what is strong flour? And what should you use as a substitute? The Takeout asked Ed McCormick, founder of Cape Crystal Brands , to explain. According to McCormick, strong flour is pretty much the same thing as the bread flour you see on supermarket shelves.

"Bread flour is actually a type of strong flour with a high protein content and specially formulated for bread making," McCormick said. " ... Bread flour usually has 12 to 14% protein co