Flours

Flour decides how your bread tastes, how it rises and how long it stays fresh. In this category you will find the Swiss classics – white flour, half-white flour and Ruchmehl (Swiss dark wheat flour) – plus spelt, rye, wholemeal and pasta flour, all in 1 kg packs.

Which bread flours do we stock?

• Wheat: white flour, half-white flour, Ruchmehl and fine wholemeal wheat flour.
• Spelt: light spelt flour and wholemeal spelt flour.
• Rye: dark rye flour and coarse rye meal.
• For pasta: pasta flour made from durum wheat semolina.

Which flour for what?

White flour is the one for Zopf, soft rolls, croissants and sandwich bread – fine, light and nicely stretchy. Half-white flour makes the typical Swiss everyday loaf. Ruchmehl contains more of the outer layers of the grain, so it is darker and fuller in flavour; use it for rustic dark loaves and farmhouse bread.

Spelt flour is used much like wheat flour, but the dough is more delicate: knead it for less time and more gently. For rolls with bite, try our wholemeal spelt rolls with a seed crust.

Dark rye flour and rye meal make bread moist and dense. Rye doughs need acidity to work – you will find the right starter under Sourdough & yeast.

Wholemeal flour absorbs more water. Give the dough a little more liquid and time to soak, and the crumb will not turn out dry. With baking malt the loaf also gets a lovely colour.

Pasta flour made from durum wheat semolina gives pasta bite and structure. The equipment is in our Pasta category.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ruchmehl?

Ruchmehl is a typically Swiss dark wheat flour. It contains more bran than white and half-white flour and gives bread a robust flavour.

Can I swap white flour for spelt flour?

In most cases, yes. Spelt dough softens more quickly, so knead it for less time and add the water gradually until the consistency is right.

How should I store flour?

Cool, dry, away from light and well sealed. More bread-baking ingredients are under Flours & Ingredients. And if you would like to practise braiding with a professional, our Zopf course takes place in Adliswil.