Substitutions / pastry flour
What to use instead of pastry flour
Use all-purpose flour in equal amounts. Slightly more gluten, so baked goods come out a touch less tender and flaky.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 1:1 | Slightly more gluten, so baked goods come out a touch less tender and flaky. |
| Cake flour | 1:1 | Lower protein than pastry flour, so results are a bit softer and more delicate — fine for cakes, less ideal for pie crust. |
| Whole-wheat blend | 1:1 | Use half whole-wheat, half all-purpose; adds nuttiness and density, which may noticeably change delicate pastries. |
How much is a cup of pastry flour?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh pastry 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.