The table sorts 21 flours into six gluten-strength bands. At the soft end, cake flour runs 7.0–8.0% protein and pastry flour 8.5–9.5%; in the middle, bleached all-purpose flour is 9.8–10.5% and unbleached all-purpose flour 10.5–11.7%; at the strong end, bread flour is 12.0–13.5% and high-gluten flour 13.5–14.5%. The strength ladder above compares them band by band.

Yes, and its protein is higher than all-purpose: whole wheat flour runs 13.0–14.0% in the table. But the bran and germ cut through the gluten network, so the dough feels denser than a white flour with the same protein and rises less, while water absorption climbs to 70–85%. Give it a longer rest so the bran can soak up water, or add 5–10% bread flour for a lighter crumb.

Same durum wheat, different grind. Semolina is the endosperm ground coarse and sandy, at 12.0–13.5% protein and 55–62% water absorption, suited to extruded pasta and couscous. Semola rimacinata is that semolina milled a second time into a smooth flour, at 12.5–13.5% protein and 57–63% absorption, suited to rolled pasta, ravioli dough and southern Italian bread. The table’s former “durum flour” row was the same flour and has been merged into it.

Not 1:1. Flours in the table’s no-gluten band, such as white rice flour at 6–7% protein and buckwheat flour at 11–12%, never form a gluten network; buckwheat is fairly high in protein but still cannot hold up a loaf. They absorb water differently too, white rice flour 65–80% and buckwheat flour 70–90%, so the recipe’s water needs adjusting, usually with a binder or a blend of flours. Wheat starch in the same band is wheat with the gluten washed out, and ordinary wheat starch is not gluten-free.

Water absorption is how much water a flour takes up during mixing, as a percentage of the flour’s weight. The higher it is, the more water the same recipe needs to reach the same softness. The spread in the table is wide: cake flour takes only 52–58%, while whole rye flour can reach 85–100%. Swap flours but keep the old water amount, and a thirsty flour gives a dry, stiff dough while a low-absorption flour turns runny and sticky, so read the absorption in the spec line along with the protein.

Not exactly. The protein ranges, absorption, and gluten behavior here are typical bands for each style, and real values shift with brand, crop, milling, and storage, while recipe hydration changes how the dough behaves. Treat the table as a reference for choosing flour and learning ingredient vocabulary; for production formulas, regulated labeling, allergies, or celiac disease, go by the package label, the allergen statement, and your own test bakes.