One cup of bread flour weighs 120 g, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. Bread flour is the strong flour — milled from hard wheat, with a protein content of 12 to 14 percent — and it is what gives bread its chew, its structure and its ability to rise high. The cup weight of 120 g is the same as all-purpose flour, but the two flours are not interchangeable: bread flour's extra protein builds stronger gluten, and stronger gluten holds more gas, which is why a loaf made with bread flour rises taller and chews better than one made with all-purpose flour. This guide covers the weight, the measurement, the substitutes, and the breads where bread flour earns its keep. All weights on this page are approximate; like all flours, the figure depends on spooning and levelling rather than scooping, so verify with a scale when precision matters.
Bread Flour: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of bread flour in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the King Arthur Baking figure of 120 g per cup, spooned and levelled. Every figure is approximate — spooned and levelled is a technique, not a machine setting — so when the recipe matters, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale instead.
| Amount | Weight (approx.) |
| --- | --- |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.5 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 7.5 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 30 g |
| 1/3 cup | 40 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 60 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 90 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 120 g |
| 2 cups | 240 g |
| 100 g | 0.8 cups |
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon and 16 tablespoons in a cup, so you can move between any of these measures by multiplying or dividing. If a recipe calls for 100 g and you only have measuring cups, that is about 0.8 cups. Keep the cups to grams converter open while you cook and you will never need to do the arithmetic in your head.
What is Bread Flour?
Bread flour is high-protein white flour (12 to 14 percent protein) that builds strong gluten networks. It is milled from hard red wheat, and its protein is what makes it different: when bread flour meets water, its proteins — glutenin and gliadin — link into long, elastic gluten strands that trap the carbon dioxide produced by yeast. Those strands are what give bread its structure, its chew and its ability to rise. It is used for yeasted breads, pizza dough and bagels, and it is the flour that professional bakers reach for whenever the dough needs strength. It is not the flour for cakes or pastry — its strong gluten makes cakes tough and pastry hard. It keeps for up to 1 year in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
How to measure Bread Flour correctly
Bread Flour is measured spooned and levelled, and the method matters more than most cooks realise. For dry ingredients, spoon the ingredient into the measure with a smaller spoon, letting it fall loosely, then sweep a knife across the top to level it — never dip the measuring cup into the bag, because dipping compresses the ingredient and adds up to 20 percent. For liquids, pour into a liquid measuring jug and read the level at eye height, or weigh directly into the bowl, which is the most accurate method of all. The King Arthur Baking figure used on this page is 120 g per cup, and it is the figure the site's converters use, so the numbers here and the numbers in the tool always agree. Confidence in this figure is high.
A note on the published figures
Same disputed range as all-purpose flour; King Arthur lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled, while scooped cups can reach 130 g or more.
Worked examples
A sourdough loaf
A sourdough loaf uses 4 cups of bread flour — 480 g — with 350 g of water, 100 g of starter and 10 g of salt. The weight matters because sourdough is a hydration formula: 350 g of water against 480 g of flour is a 73 percent hydration dough, which gives an open, airy crumb. Weighing the flour keeps the hydration exact — a cup too much and the dough is stiff and dense, a cup too little and it is a slack puddle that cannot hold its shape. The dough is mixed, rested, folded over four hours, shaped, and baked in a Dutch oven, where the trapped steam gives it a crisp, blistered crust.
A pizza dough for a Friday night
A pizza dough for four uses 3 cups of bread flour — 360 g — with 200 ml of water, a teaspoon of yeast and a teaspoon of salt. The flour weight is what makes the dough stretchy: bread flour's strong gluten lets the dough be stretched thin without tearing, which is what a pizza needs. Weighing 360 g also lets you scale the dough — a single pizza needs 180 g of flour, and a party batch for eight needs 720 g — and the dough is cold-fermented in the fridge overnight, which develops flavour and makes it easier to stretch. The pizzas are baked at the highest oven temperature, on a stone or a steel, for 8 minutes.
A batch of bagels
A bagel recipe uses 4 cups of bread flour — 480 g — with 300 ml of water and a tablespoon of malt syrup. The weight is critical because bagels are a low-hydration dough: 300 g of water against 480 g of flour is only 62 percent hydration, which gives a firm, dense dough that holds its shape when boiled. Weighing the flour keeps the hydration exact — a bagel dough that is too wet will not hold its hole, and one that is too dry will crack. The bagels are shaped, rested, boiled for a minute a side, and baked until golden, and the bread flour's strong gluten is what gives them their characteristic chew.
Protein, gluten and chew
Bread flour's protein is the whole story. At 12 to 14 percent, it has more protein than any other white flour, and that protein is what builds gluten — the elastic network that traps gas and gives bread its structure. When you knead a bread flour dough, you are developing that gluten: the proteins link into long strands, the strands form a network, and the network stretches to hold the carbon dioxide that yeast produces. That is why bread flour doughs feel different from all-purpose doughs — they are stronger, springier, and more resistant to tearing. The same protein that makes bread flour ideal for bread makes it wrong for cakes: a cake made with bread flour develops too much gluten, and the crumb turns tough and rubbery. The practical rule is to use bread flour whenever the dough needs strength — bread, pizza, bagels, pretzels — and to avoid it whenever the bake needs tenderness. And when you substitute, do it by weight: bread flour and all-purpose flour both weigh 120 g per cup, so the swap is 1:1 by weight, but the result will be chewier with bread flour and softer with all-purpose.
What to use instead
If you run out of bread flour, these are the tested substitutes from our substitution data, with the ratio and the case where each one does not work. Use the ratio by weight where it is given, and check the warning before you commit the batter.
- Bread flour to All-purpose flour: 1:1 (softer, less chewy). Do not swap flours 1:1 in delicate cakes or yeasted breads without adjusting liquid and expecting a different crumb.
The golden rule for any substitution is to match the job, not just the ingredient: a substitute that works in a sauce may fail in a cake, because the two recipes ask different things of the ingredient. When in doubt, use a recipe written for the substitute rather than adapting one written for the original.
Storage
Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 1 year. That is the headline, but the details matter. Store bread flour in an airtight container, away from heat, light and strong smells — dry ingredients absorb odours readily, and a bag of flour stored next to the spices will taste of them within a week. Label the container with the date you opened it, so you know how long it has been there, and check it before you bake: if it smells off, tastes bitter, or shows any sign of moisture or insects, discard it. Buying in smaller quantities and using it promptly is better than buying in bulk and storing it for a year, because every ingredient loses flavour with time, even the ones that never truly go bad.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of bread flour?
One cup of bread flour weighs 120 g, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. A scooped cup can weigh more, so spoon and level. One tablespoon weighs 7.5 g.
How many cups of bread flour are in 1 kg?
There are about 8.3 cups in 1 kg of bread flour (1,000 divided by 120 is 8.3 cups). A standard 1 kg bag holds just over 8 cups.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, 1:1 by weight, but expect a softer, less chewy result. All-purpose flour has less protein (10 to 12 percent), so it builds weaker gluten. It works fine for most breads, but the loaf will not rise quite as high and will not chew quite as well.
What is the difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour?
Protein content. Bread flour has 12 to 14 percent protein, all-purpose has 10 to 12 percent. The extra protein builds stronger gluten, which traps more gas and gives bread a taller rise and a chewier crumb. Both weigh 120 g per cup.
How long does bread flour last?
Up to 1 year in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Discard it if it smells musty or tastes bitter. Bread flour absorbs odours easily, so keep it sealed.
Related pages
If you cook with this ingredient regularly, these pages will help: the cups to grams converter for any amount, the ingredient density lookup for the full table of 120 ingredients, the Bread Flour cups to grams page for cup conversions, the Bread Flour grams to cups page for working backwards from grams, and the Bread Flour tablespoons to grams page for spoon measures. You may also want All-Purpose Flour, Whole Wheat Flour.