My diet:

Bleached flour

No E-numberFlour treatment agentsOrigin: Plant
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Pick your family’s diets in the bar above.

Every diet

VeganYes

Bleached flour is still wheat.

Gluten-freeNo

Bleached flour is wheat and contains gluten.

HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoNo

Bleached flour is starch.

Low-FODMAPNo

Bleached wheat flour is high in fructans.

The short answer
Bleached flour is white wheat flour that has been chemically aged. It is not gluten-free. Chlorinated cake flour holds more sugar and liquid than unbleached flour, which is why box cakes specify it.
Use in moderation

Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.

E-numberNone
Comes fromPlant
What it doesFlour treatment agents
Glycemic index71
Daily limitNot set
Also calledBleached flour, Bleached wheat flour

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

The United States allows chlorine gas and benzoyl peroxide as flour treatments. The European Union does not authorize chlorine to bleach flour, so a cake flour chlorinated for high-ratio cakes is an American product. The flour is still wheat.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

Freshly milled flour is yellowish and bakes differently. Bleaching whitens it and, in the case of chlorine, changes the starch so very sweet batters do not collapse. Unbleached flour reaches a similar color by resting.

Where it comes from: Bleached flour is white wheat flour treated to age it fast. In the United States, cake flour is often treated with chlorine gas. Benzoyl peroxide is the other bleach used on some all-purpose flours. The bleach is a processing step, not a nutrient.

Why it’s in food

  • Lifts a cake batter
  • Whitens a crumb
  • Ages flour fast
  • Holds a high-sugar cake

Often found in

Cake flourBoxed cake mixCookiesPastrySome all-purpose floursDonuts

Also listed as: Bleached flour, Bleached wheat flour, Bleached all-purpose flour, Cake flour, Chlorinated flour

Health & gut impact

Chlorine gas on cake flourUnder study

Chlorinated cake flour is a US baking tool. Europe does not allow that gas as a flour bleach, so the same cake formula is built there with a different flour.

EU flour-treatment rules versus US cake-flour practice

The gluten is unchangedConcern

Bleach does not remove gluten or fructans. A person who avoids wheat gets no help from the word bleached.

Protein composition of bleached wheat flour

What can I use instead?

Wheat flour

Ratio: The same grain without the bleach step

Best for: Bread and roux

Rice flour

Ratio: When the recipe has to leave wheat behind

Best for: Gluten-free cakes

Related

More flour treatment agents:

Almond flourAlmond flour is ground almonds. Almond flour is vegan, and the nut itself contains no gluten. It is one of the few baking flours that fits a keto pattern. Large servings are high FODMAP because almonds are.Generally safeAlpha-amylaseAlpha-amylase is the enzyme that clips starch so bread can rise and brown. Baked goods often list it only as enzymes. Fungal amylase is gluten-free. Amylase from barley malt is not.Generally safeAzodicarbonamide (ADA) E927aAzodicarbonamide (ADA, E927a) is a dough conditioner that's banned in the EU but still legal in US bread. Baking turns some of it into semicarbazide, a possible carcinogen, so it's one to avoid.Best to avoidBarleyBarley is a gluten grain with a low glycemic index when it is eaten as the whole or pearled berry. The barley berry fails a gluten-free diet, a keto diet and a low-FODMAP diet. It is vegan. Sprouted barley is the start of malt, which is a different ingredient line.Generally safe

Common questions

Is cake flour always bleached?

In the United States, the cake flour sold for high-ratio cakes is typically chlorinated. The bag says bleached.

Is bleached flour banned in Europe?

Chlorine bleaching of flour is not authorized in the EU. The flour itself, as wheat, is of course a food there.

Is Bleached flour safe?

Use in moderation (60/100). The United States allows chlorine gas and benzoyl peroxide as flour treatments. The European Union does not authorize chlorine to bleach flour, so a cake flour chlorinated for high-ratio cakes is an American product. The flour is still wheat.

Is Bleached flour vegan?

Yes. Bleached flour is still wheat.

Is Bleached flour gluten-free?

No. Bleached flour is wheat and contains gluten.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • EU flour-treatment rules versus US cake-flour practice
  • Protein composition of bleached wheat flour