Toasted Flour: How to Toast Flour for Recipes

You can toast flour on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave until the flour becomes golden brown and the raw flour taste is gone. The darker the color of the toasted flour, the nuttier the flavor. Toasted flour also adds a soft and velvety texture to foods. Multiple types of flour benefit from the toasting process, including all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, whole grain flour, and gluten-free flour.

Additional reasons for toasting flour include the practice of good food safety measures. Flour is technically a raw ingredient, and with raw dough comes a risk of pathogens such as E. coli. Heating raw flour kills any bacteria that might be on it and prevents it from spreading.

Toasted flour only takes a few minutes and can be a good make-ahead ingredient to have on hand. Here are three different methods for toasting flour:

• In the microwave: In a large microwave-safe bowl or on a large plate, spread a cup of flour in an even layer. Microwave the flour in thirty-second increments, mixing it with a fork at each increment. Keep microwaving until the flour reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which should take about five minutes.
• In the oven: Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour onto it two cups of flour (or one cup for a toaster oven sheet pan). Shake the pan so the flour is in an even layer. Bake the flour for about five minutes. Let it come to room temperature before you use it.
• On the stovetop: Add one cup of flour to a dry skillet on the stovetop. Give the pan a shake to make sure the flour is in an even layer. Cook the flour over medium heat for about five minutes, whisking constantly.

Many cookie recipes and other sweet treats call for flour but you can use toasted flour instead. Try swapping in toasted flour for the following kinds of foods:

1. 1. Brownies: Toasted flour will add to the already rich flavor of brownies, complementing the cocoa powder, brown sugar, and melted butter. It will also make the crumb of the brownie lighter and softer.
2. 2. Cookies: Chocolate chip cookies, shortbread cookies, and sugar cookies can all benefit from toasted flour. Cookies with toasted flour will have a deeper flavor, and toasted flour helps to bring out the other flavors, such as those of brown butter or brown sugar.
3. 3. Edible cookie dough: It is unsafe to eat raw cookie dough unless it contains non-raw ingredients. For edible cookie dough, choose a recipe that omits eggs, raw flour, or any other raw ingredients, which would pose a health risk, and use toasted flour.
4. 4. Pizza dough: Adding toasted flour to pizza dough helps to re-create the flavor of an oven-cooked pizza crust. It also adds a soft texture to the pizza dough.
5. 5. Roux: Using toasted flour to make a roux—a mixture that is equal parts flour and fat (such as unsalted butter or olive oil)—expedites the cooking process. Normally, you prepare a roux by gradually cooking out the raw flour taste. The longer a roux cooks, the less thickening power it has, so using toasted flour in the roux can shorten the cooking time and preserve the mixture’s ability to thicken.

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