Differences

• Use the right flour for the recipeImage by Flickr.com, courtesy of Michela Mongardi
  
  Bread machine flour and bread flour are the same thing, according to KingArthurFlour.com. Bread flour and all-purpose flour are not. According to TLC Cooking, the main difference between types of flour is the gluten content. All-purpose flour is made from a blend of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, with up to 14 percent less protein than bread flour. Bread flour is an unbleached blend of mostly hard wheat, giving it a high gluten content. All-purpose flour can be used for bread baking, but the resulting loaves won't be as successful as those made with bread flour.
  
  

Uses

• All-purpose flour is the most commonly used flour. A mixture of soft and hard wheat, bleached and unbleached all-purpose flour is adaptable to many recipes including cookies, muffins, quick breads, pancakes, brownies, biscuits, scones and pie crusts. All-purpose flour allows bakers to make many recipes using only one type of flour. Bread flour is made from hard wheat and is coarser in texture than all-purpose flour and contains additional nutrients. It is used for making yeast breads.
  
  

Gluten

• Gluten is a protein found in wheat flour. It's what gives bread its structure, according to Allrecipes.com. Mixing bread dough joins gluten strands together, and the addition of yeast expands those strands and makes the bread rise.
  
  

Bleached or Unbleached?

• All-purpose flour is either bleached or unbleached. Unbleached all-purpose flour contains more protein and nutrients. Bleached and unbleached all-purpose flour are interchangeable in recipes. Bread flour contains more nutrients than either type of all-purpose flour.
  
  

Storage

• Infrequently used flour should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. This storage method helps prevent the flour's natural oils from turning rancid.