All-Purpose Flour
0.970× absorption · 10.50–11.70% protein · hydration 60–72%
- Protein
- 10.50–11.70%
- Absorption
- 0.970×
- Hydration range
- 60–72%
- Category
- refined-wheat
About All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour (AP) sits between cake flour and bread flour in protein content. At 10.5-11.7% protein, it produces softer sourdough with more tender crumb but less oven spring than bread flour. Absorption is ~3% lower than bread flour baseline. King Arthur's AP is the US reference (11.7% protein); Gold Medal and Pillsbury run slightly lower (10.5-11%). Use AP when you want a softer hearth loaf, a sandwich-style sourdough pan loaf, or when blending into enriched doughs like brioche. AP absorbs less water — recipes designed for bread flour need hydration reduced by ~3% when substituting AP.
Technique
Shorter autolyse (20-30 min) — longer autolyses over-soften the gluten. Fewer stretch-and-folds (2-3 sets) to avoid tearing the weaker gluten structure. Best for beginner hydration range 65-70%.
Hydration guide for All-Purpose Flour
Baker's-percentage workable range: 60% — 72%. Absorption is 0.970× bread-flour baseline, so recipes written for bread flour need 3% less water when substituting All-Purpose Flour.
Used in pizza dough styles
All-Purpose Flour is the canonical flour for the following pizza styles (per their authoritative source citations):
- Chicago Deep Dish — 55% hydration · 10% oil · 425°F
Related references on this site
- All-Purpose Flour at 65% hydration — formula — calculator pre-set with this flour and hydration combination
- All-Purpose Flour hydration range deep-dive — 60-72% workable range with technique notes
- Guide: baker's percentage explained — how protein, absorption, and hydration combine in the math
- Guide: whole-grain hydration adjustments — absorption multipliers for whole-wheat, rye, spelt, einkorn
- All 15 flour types — grouped by category (refined, whole-wheat, rye, ancient-grain)
- Reverse calculator: water → hydration % — you have a flour-and-water weight, want the hydration
The gear that makes the math work
A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.
- Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)View on Amazon →
- Dutch oven / combo cookerView on Amazon →
- Banneton proofing basketView on Amazon →
- Bread lame + bench scraperView on Amazon →
- High-protein bread flourView on Amazon →
- Danish dough whiskView on Amazon →
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