Pastry 8–9
Cake 7–8
0 or 00 (Italian soft wheat) 11–12
Type 55 (French blend of soft and hard
wheat)
9–
10
English plain 7–10
Vital gluten 70–85
Because different flours have not only
different protein contents, but different
protein qualities, it’s not really possible to
turn all-purpose flour into pastry flour or
vice versa. However, it’s possible to dilute
the gluten proteins of a given flour by the
addition of cornstarch or another pure
starch, or strengthen them by adding
powdered vital gluten. To approximate
pastry flour with all-purpose, add one part
by weight of starch to two parts of all-
purpose flour; to approximate all-purpose
flour with pastry flour, add one-quarter
part of gluten to two parts of pastry flour.