what is so special about white lily flour

Unless youre from the South, White Lily could well be the most famous brand of flour youve never heard of. Southern bakers who learnt the art of making biscuits from their grandparents swear that White Lily is the reason why biscuits in the Northern part of the United States have never been able to achieve the lift and the lightness of their counterparts in the south. As award-winning baker Cheryl Day put it, “Biscuits are the croissants of the South. Theyre more complicated than you think, and they keep me busy every day” (via NPR).

“If youve ever had the misfortune of eating a biscuit outside of the South, you start might ask yourself why other regions of the country fall short on the road to biscuit goodness,” writes chef Jeffrey Gardner n his blog for Southern Kitchen. Part of this, he said, had to do with the fact that biscuit-making is a craft that goes back generations. The other part of that equation is White Lily flour, which calls itself a “Southern pantry staple.”

So what is it that makes White Lily the southern bakers secret to top notch biscuits?

Founded in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1883, White Lily® Flour is milled from 100% soft red winter wheat, which has a lower protein content and a finer texture than conventional all-purpose flours. These features ensure delicate pastries like biscuits achieve a higher rise and flaky, fluffy, pillowy-like texture.

White Lily flour undergoes a unique milling proceess

White Lily has changed owners several times – and its changed production locations once – but it has stayed true to its milling processes. Its legendary All-Purpose is milled and bleached in a way that produces a product that puts it in a different category from all-purpose, cake, and pastry flours. It only uses the heart of the endosperm, which sits well below the bran. Like cake flour, White Lily is bleached with chlorine, which further weakens its protein bonds – but it isnt bleached as much as cake flour is, and veteran bakers tell New York Times that that subtle difference makes White Lily taste less acidic. Pastry Flour may have the same amount of protein as White Lily All-Purpose, but it isnt chlorinated. Because of the subtle differences in White Lilys manufacturing process, the brands most loyal fans say they cant deliver when theyre asked to use a different flour, and recipes formulated specially for White Lily dont work as well with any other brands.

Whereas conventional all-purpose flour contains a protein content of 12 percent, White Lily flour boasts a modest 9 percent, making it more similar to pastry flour than actual all-purpose. As White Lily flour hydrates, the gluten development will never reach the full potential of brands like Gold Medal or King Arthur. The result is a lighter, fluffier biscuit with a greater rise. Fundamentally, there is little to no difference in buying White Lily’s self-rising flour and adding additional salt and baking powder to White Lily’s all-purpose flour. Although if you favor more consistency in the blend, go for the self-rising.

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of eating a biscuit outside of the South, you start might ask yourself why other regions of the country fall short on the road to biscuit goodness. We can likely attribute some of it to tradition: Southerners have been making biscuits for generations and have had ample time to hone our craft. However, any chef with good technique can produce a decent biscuit.

While the protein and gluten content of the flour holds greater importance than the actual brand, White Lily flour provides one of the most user-friendly blends on the market, worthy of the lavish praise it receives from chefs and home cooks alike.

If you happen to live in a part of the country where White Lily flour is unavailable, you still have options. First, just order it off the internet. Big-box suppliers like Amazon can easily ship dry goods throughout the country, and you can order enough to keep your shelves biscuit-ready for quite some time. Is your biscuit craving more immediate, even beyond the scope of overnight delivery service? You can make your own White Lily facsimile by replacing half of your conventional all-purpose or self-rising flour with cake flour. Cake flour has a 6-percent protein content, which, when mixed in equal proportions with 12 percent all-purpose flour yields a total of 9-percent protein. In the immortal words of Thomas Dolby, “Science!”

What’s so special about this revered Southern flour? Essentially, it all comes down to protein, or lack thereof. White Lily flour is derived from soft winter wheat, which is low in protein and gluten. When a liquid is introduced to flour, the proteins in the flour—glutenin and gliadin—swell and develop an elasticity that becomes enhanced when worked by hand or machine. Gluten development provides flour-based foods with structure and a toothsome quality, beneficial for foods like French baguettes or homemade pasta that need to hold together. Conversely, biscuits fall under the quick bread category, which are much more soft and tender than their well-kneaded cousins. Even if the amount of kneading or physical work to the dough is minimized, biscuits made from all-purpose flour can still emerge tough and dense.

Bread Making Tips with White Lily Flour

FAQ

What is White Lily flour best for?

What is the difference between King Arthur and White Lily flour?

What’s the difference between White Lily flour and gold medal flour?

What is White Lily food famous for?

What’s so special about White Lily Flour?

Unlike other flours, White Lily is milled from the purest part of 100 percent soft red winter wheat, once grown primarily in Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, and has a lower protein and gluten content.

Is white lily flour gluten free?

Unlike other flours, White Lily is milled from the purest part of 100 percent soft red winter wheat, once grown primarily in Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, and has a lower protein and gluten content. While some brands have 11.7 percent protein, White Lily has 9 percent, meaning less gluten forms when the flour interacts with liquid.

Is white lily a low-protein flour?

White Lily makes an all-purpose flour, but I am partial to the self-rising variety. It uses the same exact low-protein flour but also includes salt and a rising agent. That means it is possible to make a two-ingredient biscuit similar to our cream biscuit recipe: I don’t need to add salt or baking powder, and I omit the sugar.

Does White Lily Flour make a good biscuit?

However, any chef with good technique can produce a decent biscuit. If butter or shortening and buttermilk are the controls in our experiment, the real variable lies in the flour. Ask any Southern chef or sagacious biscuit grandma and you’ll hear a pattern emerge: they all swear by White Lily flour.