6 Day-to-day flours and their usage and health benefits

If there’s one thing in our meal that makes us feel satiated and happy with it’s taste and texture, then it has to be that perfectly cooked bread. No matter what you eat, every meal is incomplete without this one delicacy.

Right from fluffy brown bread to sourdough bread to Indian flatbreads, every cuisine has a unique bread, which is paired with some sumptuous delicacies. Even in India, every region has a distinctive culinary culture and eating habits, but one thing that remains constant is the pairing of flatbreads, but yes every type of cuisine and region has a unique type of bread as a part of their meals. This is also because of the local produce and eating traditions.

Interestingly, not only the types of bread differ, the type of flour used for each bread also differs. Here’s a low down on how these different flours are used and what their health benefits.Gram flourAnother most commonly used flour for cooking in Indian households is Gram flour also known as besan. Made with the goodness of dried chickpeas, this flour has a slight nutty taste and texture. High in proteins, this flour is loaded with the iron, folate, themaine, magnesium to name a few. Right from sweets to curries to pakoras dipped in a batter of gram flour, this magical flour is perfect for all delicious indulgencesAll Purpose flour (Maida)One of the most widely used flours across the world, all purpose flour is undeniably an universal favourite.

All purpose flour is also known as Maida in Hindi and used in several ways. Right from the delicious puri to cakes to white bread to pasta sauce, this wonder flour has a light texture and gives an amazing taste, when you cook or bake it. Moreover, this white flour is loaded with the goodness of nature and has about 10% protein content and is enriched with minerals like iron, thiamin, niacin and folic acid.Refined flour (Atta)A common ingredient in every Indian household, our meals are simply incomplete without this amazing flour.

Also known as whole wheat flour, which is extracted from the durum wheat, which is refined as it has a high amount of gluten. Apart from that, atta has a high amount of bran. Traditionally, this wheat was extracted and refined using a stone grinder called chakki. A perfect flour used to make several Indian flatbreads and can be used for cookies as well.

It is a healthy flour loaded with the goodness of healthy carbohydrates, proteins and fibers. Rice FlourAs the name suggests Rice flour is extracted from grinding rice kernels and is also known as ground rice flour. Typically a staple of South India, this flour is commonly used to make several delicacies. In fact, it is one of the most essential ingredients in the baby food and cereals. It is one of the most easily digestible flours. However, the best thing about this flour is that it is gluten free. This amazing flour is used to make dry fritters, snacks, cookies etc.

Oats flourOats is a one of the most popular superfoods and much like it. Oats flour is also a powerhouse of nutrition. This super fine flour can be used to make several delicacies like breads, cookies and snacks. This gluten free flour is perfect for someone who is planning to shed some weight.Semolina flour (Sooji)Another mostly widely used ingredient in Indian households, th Generally coarsely-milled, refined hard durum wheat flour. Used for pasta, couscous, gnocchi and puddings. High in gluten. Coarsely-milled other wheat varieties or grains also may be called semolina, such as corn semolina (grits) and rice semolina