Baking a cake? Let's talk cake flour. Specifically, what is it, why use it, and whether it's really as crucial to the success of a cake as recipes make it out to be. Do you bake with cake flour? More

Q: I bought some whole wheat flour hoping to be more healthy in my baking. But most recipes I've found recommend whole wheat pastry flour to prevent baked goods from being too dense. What can I make with my non-pastry flour!?

Sent by Ashley More

Q: I'm just getting into baking, and while I know I need to invest in a scale, I'm not there yet. When a recipe calls for 1 cup of sifted flour, do you sift and then measure out 1 cup or do you take a cup of flour and then sift it? Thanks!

Sent by Virginia-Marie More

Kim Boyce of Good to the Grain (and the best laugh ever) says that if you're new to whole-grain flours and have to pick just one, go with spelt flour. Hear hear! This sweet, mild-flavored flour has become a favorite over the past few years for making everything from sandwich bread to pie crust. More

Almond flour is the star ingredient in a batch of classic macarons and a pantry staple for gluten-free bakers everywhere. Have you ever made anything with it? More

Q: I recently purchased a bag of 100% Whole Grain Organic Sorghum Flour from the local farmers' market, and have had a hard time finding recipes online that call for sorghum flour. Those that I have found also call for many other ingredients and special flours. Any suggestions for some fairly simple recipes that call for sorghum flour?

Sent by Raven More

Q: I bought a bag of Organic Ezekiel flour at my local health food store - it contains wheat, rye, barley, millet, lentils, and soybeans. I have tried adding in a cup of this flour when I make bread or buns but it seems to be lacking gluten (I think) because the bread and rolls don't rise up, they just puff out to the side. How can I use this flour?

Sent by Sarah

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A year ago we weren't sure if grain mills were good investments or not. But after reading a recent LA Times article about the joys of grinding whole-grain flours at home, we're itching to get our hands on a grinder and find out if freshly milled flour is as easy and tasty as it sounds. More

Yes, one is made of flour and the other of corn. But as I stood in the grocery store the other day with one of each in my hands and a foggy memory of what the recipe called for, I had to ask myself if it really mattered which one I bought. Can't we just substitute one for the other? More

We asked you about your favorite gluten-free flours earlier today, and I wanted to chime in with one more: my favorite. Over the last several years as more and more gluten-free recipes worth trying have surfaced, it seems as though I've had a constant stock of coconut flour in my pantry. It's 100% gluten free and is loaded with fiber and packs a protein punch as well. It has quickly become my go-to flour for baked goods, gravies and even smoothies. You heard me — smoothies. More