Substitutions / all-purpose flour
What to use instead of all-purpose flour
Use bread flour in equal amounts. Higher protein gives a slightly chewier, stronger result — great for yeasted doughs, less ideal for tender cakes.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 1:1 | Higher protein gives a slightly chewier, stronger result — great for yeasted doughs, less ideal for tender cakes. |
| Whole-wheat flour | 1:1 | Denser and nuttier; for best results, swap only half to keep texture manageable. |
| Cake flour | 1 cup + 2 tbsp / 1 cup | Lower protein produces a softer, more tender crumb — better for cakes, too delicate for bread. |
How much is a cup of all-purpose flour?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh all-purpose flour in grams →
A word on how to read these
A substitution is a trade, not an equivalence. The ratio gets the quantity right; the third column is the part worth reading, because it tells you what you are giving up. In a stew, most of these are invisible. In a cake — where flour, liquid, fat and leavening are in a fixed relationship — the same swap can change the crumb.
Why baking notices and stew doesn't →
Where these came from
These substitutions were written by Gather's own kitchen model — the same one the app uses when you tap an ingredient and ask what else would work — then checked and saved as a fixed list in July 2026. Nothing on this page is generated while you read it. They are a good starting point and not a substitute for tasting as you go.