Flour Type Conversion Calculator — Substitute Between Flour Types

Yes. Add approximately 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 150g of plain flour to create an equivalent to self-raising flour. Sift the baking powder through the flour two or three times to ensure even distribution. The result is very close to shop-bought self-raising flour.

Bread flour (strong flour) has a higher protein content of 12-13% compared to plain flour at 9-11%. The extra protein creates more gluten when kneaded, giving bread its chewy structure and allowing it to hold gas bubbles for a better rise. Plain flour works fine in bread but gives a softer, less structured crumb.

00 refers to the grind fineness, not protein content. Italian 00 flour comes in different protein levels — 00 bread flour (11-13% protein) is excellent for pizza and bread. Regular 00 flour (8-10% protein) is better for pasta and cakes. Check the protein content on the bag.

Vital wheat gluten is extracted gluten protein in powder form (around 80% protein). Use it when substituting a lower-protein flour for bread flour: add roughly 1.5g per 100g of flour for each percentage point of protein you want to gain. For example, to lift plain flour (10%) to bread-flour strength (12.5%) — a 2.5 point gap — add about 1.5 × 2.5 = 3.75g per 100g, or about 11g per 300g. It improves dough elasticity and rise, and is common in wholemeal bread baking to compensate for bran cutting the gluten strands.