What is heat-treated flour? Learn about this useful ingredient, why raw flour needs to be heated before consuming, and how to heat treat flour at home for edible cookie dough or other no-bake desserts and recipes. I’ll give you the step by step for heat-treating flour in the microwave or in the oven. Both methods are super quick and easy!
What is Heat-treated Flour?
Flour that has been heat-treated simply means that it has been heated/cooked to a high enough temperature (above 165°F) to kill potential bacteria, like salmonella or E. coli. This makes it safe to consume, even if it hasn’t been cooked or baked into another recipe yet.
Why Do You Have to Heat Treat Flour Before Consuming?
Did you know that flour is actually a raw ingredient? Regular flour is made from wheat, which usually is not treated to kill potential bacteria before being packaged and sold. If you check those bags of flour at the store, you’ll see that they instruct you to cook before consuming. This step by step method simply helps to make it safer to eat.
While you can certainly buy heat-treated flour at the store to keep on hand, it’s really easy to do this yourself using regular all-purpose flour if you need to.
I’m showing you how to heat treat flour at home so you can make no bake desserts and cookie dough safe to eat! You can do this in the oven or in the microwave, and you can even make it ahead of time and store.
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What You’ll Need
- Flour: Begin with regular, all-purpose wheat flour. Other types of flour may need to be heat-treated as well (check below the recipe card for more info).
- Rimmed Baking Sheet: If you’re using the oven method, use a rimmed baking sheet to help prevent spillage.
- Bowl: If you’re using the microwave method, use a microwave-safe bowl or container.
- Instant Read Thermometer: To check the internal temperature of the flour, use an instant read food/meat thermometer.
- Sifter: This isn’t strictly necessary, but it helps to sift your flour after heating to remove any clumps.
How to Heat Treat Flour
This is an easy process and won’t take long. Make it ahead of time and store it so it’s ready when you need it! You can do this in the oven or the microwave. The microwave is a little bit faster for quick desserts, but I prefer to use the oven when making larger batches ahead of time. Check the recipe card for full step by step photos and more tips.
In the Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread out flour on a rimmed baking sheet. Try to spread it into a smooth, flat consistency (no mounds) so it heats evenly.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F. To check the temp, push the flour into a mound in the middle of the pan, and insert an instant-read meat/food thermometer.
- Let it cool before using or storing. It can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature.
In the Microwave:
- Place flour in a microwave-safe bowl or container.
- Heat in the microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds, then stir.
- Repeat (heat and stir) in 15-second intervals until the internal temperature reaches 200°F.
- Set it aside to cool before using or storing.
When to Use Heat-treated Flour
Heat-treated flour is most commonly known as the secret ingredient to raw and no bake desserts, like edible cookie dough! Here are some recipes to try with this method.
This process also makes flour better at absorbing moisture, which can add softness to all kinds of baked goods!
How to Heat Treat Flour
Equipment
- Baking Sheet or
- Microwave-safe Bowl
- Sifter optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g)
Instructions
In the Oven:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment papper.
- Spread out flour on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.2 cups all-purpose flour
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 200°F.
- Press heated flour through a sifter to help remove clumps.
- Let it cool before using or storing.
In the Microwave:
- Place flour in a microwave-safe bowl or container.2 cups all-purpose flour
- Heat in the microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds, then stir.
- Repeat this process (heat and stir) in 15 second intervals, until the internal temperature reaches at least 200°F.
- Press heated flour through a sifter to help remove clumps.
- Set it aside to cool before using or storing.
Notes
- This process can be done with any amount of flour. 2 cups is a good amount to make ahead of time, but you can simply use the amount you need for a specific recipe.
- Make heat-treated flour ahead of time and store it, so that it’s ready to use when you need it!
- Push flour into a mound in the middle of the baking pan to measure the temperature using an instant read thermometer. Move it around and double-check that it’s reached at least 200°F.
- While 165°F is a general safe minimum temperature, I recommend letting the flour reach at least 200°F, and/or heating it for a longer period of time for extra precaution.
- Sifting the flour helps remove any clumps that may have formed while heating.
- Let the flour cool completely before using or storing.
How to Store
Let heat-treated flour cool completely, then pour it into airtight containers. A large mason jar works great, or anything you might normally store flour in. Store it in the pantry, or another cool spot.
Heat-treating Alternative Flours
“Regular” all-purpose flour, aka wheat flour, needs to be heat-treated before using in raw recipes and no-bake desserts. But what about other types of flour?
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour generally should be heat-treated. It can be made from a variety of ingredients, often a mix, so when in doubt, heat it!
- Almond flour does not need to be heat-treated, since it is made from ground almonds, which are safe to consume raw.
- Oat flour does not need to be heat-treated, because it is made from oats that have already been processed for safe consumption.
- Boxed cake mixes need to be heat-treated before consuming. These pre-made mixes contain raw flour and other dry ingredients, so they also need to be heated before using in any no-bake desserts.
It’s possible that consuming a small amount of raw flour won’t cause any real harm. However, it’s not worth the risk since it could be carrying pathogens such as salmonella or e. Coli. These foodborne illnesses can cause severe stomach cramps, nausea, fever, and more.
It needs to be heated long enough to reach at least 200°F. Ideally, using the oven you can let it bake longer than 10 minutes, so that it can sit at that higher temperature for a longer period.
Heat treating your flour at home is recommended if you’re going to be making any no-bake desserts. While following this method at home is not a guarantee, it is a recommended precaution. Never use or consume raw flour.
When you buy all-purpose flour at the store, it is NOT heat-treated, unless it is labeled as such. All flour should be clearly labeled as being treated, otherwise it will include a warning that it is raw and should be cooked before consuming.
Many people recommend heat-treating flour to a temperature of 160-165°F for safe consumption. However, I recommend heating flour to at least 200°F for extra precaution. 140°F-160°F is a general safe minimum temperature for preventing foodborne illnesses, but a higher temperature for a longer period is ultimately more effective at killing bacteria.
Heat-treating flour is such an easy process to do at home, and it makes all the difference. Definitely a good secret baking ingredient to have on hand the next time you’re craving cookie dough!
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