What’s What? With so many terms used in bread baking and flour milling, it can be tricky to keep them straight. Our glossary explains common words like autolyse, banneton, W value and wholemeal in plain English, helping bakers of all levels understand artisan bread making.

Some terms, like the Italian 0-system or the French T-system, deserve their own full articles, but this glossary gives you a solid starting point. If you notice something missing, let us know — we’ll keep adding to it over time.

BakeryBits Flour & Bread Baking Glossary

With so many terms used in artisan bread baking and flour milling, it can be tricky to keep them straight. At BakeryBits, we’ve gathered some of the most common terms and given straightforward explanations to help demystify them. Some, like the Italian 0-system or the French T-system, deserve their own articles, but this glossary gives you a handy starting point. If you notice something missing, let us know — we’ll keep adding to it over time.

All-Purpose Flour
A medium-protein flour (around 10–11%), common in the US. Also known as plain flour in the UK. See our plain flours.
Ash Content
The mineral residue left after burning flour. Used to classify French and German flours (higher ash = more bran and germ).
Autolyse
A rest period in bread making, usually after mixing flour and water but before adding yeast or salt. Improves gluten development and flavour.
Banneton
The French name for a proofing basket, traditionally made of cane or wicker. Also known as a brotform (German) or proofing basket. Browse our banneton range.
Bran
The outer layer of the grain. Rich in fibre and minerals, it adds colour, flavour, and nutritional value to wholemeal flour, but can make bread denser if used in large amounts.
Bulk Fermentation
The first long rise after mixing, when yeast and bacteria ferment the dough before shaping.
Brotform
The German name for a proofing basket. Often made from coiled cane or compressed wood-fibre. Also known as a banneton. See our brotforms.
Crumb
The texture of the inside of bread, ranging from open and airy to tight and dense.
Diastatic Malt Flour
Flour made from sprouted grain containing active enzymes that improve fermentation and crust colour. Also commonly called Diax. View our malt flours.
Diax
A common name for diastatic malt flour, used to boost fermentation activity in dough.
Elasticity
The dough’s ability to resist stretching. Essential for dough strength. Find out more about Elasticity.
Extensibility
The dough’s ability to stretch without tearing. Balanced with elasticity for well-structured loaves. Find out more about Extensibility.
Falling Number
See Hagberg Falling Number.
Fibre
Indigestible plant material found mainly in bran. Essential for digestive health and contributes to satiety. Wholemeal flours are naturally high in fibre.
Fortified Flour
Flour, usually white wheat, that has nutrients added, often including calcium, iron, and B vitamins, to replace those lost during roller milling. Find out more about Fortification or see our Unfortified flour range.
German Flour Classification
System based on ash content, e.g. Type 405 (white) to Type 1800 (wholemeal).
Gluten
Gluten is a protein network that traps gas during fermentation, giving bread its structure and chewiness.
Hagberg Falling Number
A measure of enzyme activity in flour. Low values suggest sprouting and weaker dough. Also known simply as falling number.
Hydration
The ratio of water to flour in dough, expressed as a percentage. High hydration creates open-crumb breads like ciabatta. Accurate scales help measure hydration.
Kneading
Working dough to develop gluten until smooth and elastic. Can be done by hand or with a mixer. See our stand mixers.
Levain
A French term for sourdough starter or preferment used to leaven bread. Also known as sourdough starter. Shop our dried sourdough starters.
Malt Flour
Flour made from malted grains. Non-diastatic types add flavour and colour; diastatic types add enzymes too. View our malt flours.
Oven Spring
The rapid rise of dough in the oven during the first minutes of baking. Our baking cloches help maximise oven spring.
Over-Proofing
When dough ferments too long, weakening the gluten and collapsing.
P/L Ratio
A measure of dough elasticity versus extensibility, taken from the Alveograph test.
Plain Flour
A low-protein flour (9–10%), ideal for cakes and pastries, not for bread. Also known as all-purpose flour in the US. See our plain flours.
Proofing
The final rise of shaped dough before baking.
Proofing Basket
A container supporting dough during proofing. Also called a banneton (French) or brotform (German). Browse our proofing baskets.
Retarding
Slowing fermentation by refrigerating dough, improving flavour and flexibility.
Rollermilled Flour
Flour made using industrial rollers that separate bran, germ, and endosperm.
Semolina
Coarse flour from durum wheat, often used for pasta and bread dusting also for rustic breads especially pane di Altamura or pane di semola from Italy. Buy our semolina.
Self-Raising Flour
Plain flour with baking powder added, used for cakes and quick breads.
Slap-and-Fold
A hand-kneading method for wet doughs, slapping and folding to develop gluten.
Sourdough
Bread made with a natural starter of wild yeast and bacteria. Also known as levain. Shop our sourdough cultures.
Stoneground Flour
Flour ground between stones, retaining bran and wheatgerm for flavour and nutrition. Browse our stoneground flours.
Stretch and Fold
A gentle method of strengthening dough during bulk fermentation.
Strong Flour
High-protein flour (12–14%) suited for bread baking. Also known as bread flour in the US. See our strong bread flours.
T-System
The French flour classification system, ranging from T45 (white) to T150 (wholemeal). Find out more about the French T System for flour.
Under-Proofing
Dough that has not risen long enough before baking, resulting in dense bread.
W Value
A measure of flour strength. Higher W = stronger gluten, good for bread; lower W = softer, good for pastries.
Wheatgerm
The nutrient-rich embryo of the wheat kernel. High in B vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, and minerals. Adds a nutty flavour and valuable nutrition to wholemeal flour. .
Wholegrain Flour
Flour containing the entire wheat grain: bran, germ, and endosperm. Also known as whole wheat flour in the US, or wholemeal flour in the UK. Browse our wholegrain flours.
Wholemeal Flour
The UK term for flour containing the whole wheat kernel. Also known as whole wheat flour or wholegrain flour. See our wholemeal flours.
Windowpane Test
A method of checking gluten development by stretching a thin “window” of dough until light passes through without tearing.
0-System
The Italian flour grading system. “00” is very fine white flour; “0” is bread flour; higher numbers contain more bran. Shop our Italian flours and find out more about the Italian 0-System.