Ap Flour Nutrition Info | Baker-Ready Facts

One cup of all-purpose flour provides about 455 calories, 95 g carbs, 13 g protein, and 1 g fat; enriched flour also adds iron and B-vitamins.

AP Flour Nutrition Facts And Label Basics

Let’s put numbers on the pantry workhorse. A level cup weighs 125 g and delivers about 455 calories with 95.4 g carbohydrate, 12.9 g protein, and 1.2 g fat. Fiber comes in around 3.4 g per cup, with small amounts of calcium and potassium. Enriched bags also carry added iron plus thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid per the federal standard.

Measure by weight when you can. Many bakers use 120 g per cup for unbleached brands, while nutrition databases list 125 g per cup for label math. That small gap changes totals a bit, so stick to one convention inside a recipe set.

All-Purpose Flour Nutrition — Per Cup Vs Per 100 g
Nutrient Per Cup (125 g) Per 100 g
Calories 455 364
Carbohydrate 95.4 g 76.3 g
Protein 12.9 g 10.3 g
Fat 1.2 g 1.0 g
Fiber 3.4 g 2.7 g
Iron 5.8 mg 4.6 mg

What Counts As Enriched Or Bleached

“Enriched” means the miller adds back iron and B vitamins to match set amounts. The Code of Federal Regulations lists exact per-pound targets for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron, and brands that use the word must meet them. “Bleached” describes a separate step that whitens the flour and softens proteins for a tender crumb.

Not every bag is enriched. Some unbleached lines skip enrichment and list only wheat flour on the label. Enriched bags will call out added nutrients in the ingredient list and the nutrition panel, which is handy if you want the folate bump.

Serving Sizes That Home Cooks Use

Recipe math often starts with 1 cup, but everyday tracking leans on smaller scoops. A quarter cup is common when logging batter or dough portions; it’s about 31 g and lands near 114 calories. A tablespoon is roughly 8 g and sits near 29 calories. These values help when you want to tally snacks like tortilla chips made from dough or thickeners added to sauce.

Weight varies with measuring style. Spoon-and-level tends to run lighter than scoop-and-sweep. Sifted flour weighs less per cup yet gives the same volume. If a cake feels dry, weighing solves many of those swings.

Macros, Fiber, And Micronutrients

Carbs carry the load in AP flour. The starch is mostly complex carbohydrate with little sugar. Protein ranges near 11–12% by weight, enough to build moderate gluten for structure. Fat sits near the floor. Fiber sits modestly unless you choose whole-wheat versions, which jump several fold.

Enriched flour supplies non-heme iron and specific B vitamins that support energy metabolism. Folic acid stands out for those who want to meet the 400 mcg target through a mix of foods. If you bake a lot, enriched wheat flour can be one of the steady sources in your day.

How AP Flour Compares To Other Wheat Flours

AP flour sits in the middle on protein. Bread flour trends higher, which helps yeast loaves hold more gas. Cake and pastry flours trend lower for tender crumbs. Whole-wheat keeps the bran and germ, so it raises fiber and minerals and brings a nuttier taste. Pick the bag that matches the texture you want, then adjust hydration and mixing as needed.

Wheat Flour Snapshot — Protein And Fiber Per Cup
Flour Type Protein (g) Fiber (g)
All-Purpose (enriched) 12.9 3.4
Bread (enriched) 16.4 3.3
Whole-Wheat 15.9 12.8

Label Reading Tips For Bakers

Scan the ingredient list. “Wheat flour” alone signals a refined product that may be un-enriched. “Enriched wheat flour” tells you the miller added iron and the B-vitamin set. Words like “unbleached” and “bleached” reflect processing but don’t change calories.

Next, check the serving size and grams per cup used for the panel. If the brand assumes 30 g per quarter cup, your home weight math stays tidy. If you weigh 120 g per cup in your kitchen yet the label assumes 125 g, expect tiny shifts in totals.

Portion Ideas That Fit Real Baking

Bread doughs often use 300–500 g of flour for a small loaf. Pancake batters range from 120–200 g of flour for a short stack. Cookies might pack 240–300 g per batch, which divides nicely by the serving count. Knowing the base weight lets you set calories per slice or per cookie without guessing.

For weight-focused recipes, log dry flour going into the bowl. Sauces and batters change moisture as they cook, which muddies “per cup cooked” math. Recording grams at the start makes your nutrition line faithful to the plate.

How Whole-Grain Choices Fit In

Dietary guidance in the U.S. encourages making at least half your grains whole. Swapping part of the white flour for whole-wheat boosts fiber, potassium, and magnesium without changing your pantry too much. For tender bakes, try white whole-wheat, which uses a milder wheat variety.

Not every bake wants 100% whole grain. A 50:50 split keeps structure friendly while moving the fiber needle. If you need loft, rest the dough longer or add a bit more liquid to accommodate the bran.

Protein Percent, Gluten, And Texture

Protein percent shapes chew. AP flour usually lands near 11–12%, bread flour around 12–13%, and cake flour near 7–9%. Higher protein lets dough trap more gas, which helps crusty loaves rise tall. Lower protein makes tender crumbs that slice cleanly. Match the bag to the bake, and you’ll hit the texture you want more often.

Brand-to-brand numbers shift. Some national lines list 10.5–11% while premium lines list about 11.7–12%. If a favorite recipe feels different with a new bag, check the protein line on the package and adjust hydration by a teaspoon or two of water per cup.

Storage, Safety, And Shelf Life

Store flour in a cool, dry spot in a sealed bin. Unopened bags can sit for months; once opened, move to an airtight container. For longer holds, chill or freeze to protect flavor. Keep flour away from strong odors. Raw wheat flour can carry microbes, so bake or cook before tasting dough.

If you see off smells or pests, discard the bag. A quick sniff test before baking saves time and ingredients. Label bins with the date you opened the bag so rotation stays easy.

Converting Cups To Grams

Weighing removes guesswork. Many baking pros map 1 cup to 120 g, while nutrition tables use 125 g. Pick one standard per recipe set and stick to it. When following a pro formula, trust the gram weights printed with the ingredients and skip the cup conversion entirely.

Handy Weights For Common Measures

  • 1 cup AP flour: 120–125 g depending on brand and method
  • 1/2 cup: 60–63 g
  • 1/4 cup: 30–32 g
  • 1 tablespoon: 7–8 g

Smart Swaps In Recipes

Want more nutrients without changing flavor much? Blend in 25–50% whole-wheat. For tenderness in pancakes or muffins, use pastry flour for part of the mix. For extra chew in pizza dough, swap in some bread flour. These swaps change hydration, so hold back a splash of liquid and add as needed.

Gluten-free flours work differently. If you want a wheat-free cookie, reach for a tested blend and binders like xanthan or psyllium. The nutrition line will shift, with many blends bringing more starch and less protein per cup.

Where This Data Comes From

Nutrition numbers in the tables reflect the MyFoodData entry for all-purpose wheat flour, set to 1 cup equals 125 g. Bread and whole-wheat figures use the corresponding entries at the same site for apples-to-apples comparisons. The enrichment standard lives in federal code, which explains the added iron and B-vitamins on labels. U.S. dietary guidance sets the “make half your grains whole” target used by many dietitians.

Bottom Line For Bakers

AP flour is a mid-protein staple with predictable energy, modest fiber, and added iron and B vitamins when enriched. Use weight for accuracy, pick the protein range that fits your bake, and lean on partial whole-grain swaps when you want more fiber. Small changes in measuring style can shift your totals, so keep one standard and your results stay steady from batch to batch.

For grain choices, skim the grains group overview at MyPlate. For cup-to-gram clarity, the King Arthur weight chart keeps measuring consistent.