Wheat Flours

Most bakers use flour made from wheat for muffins and other baked goods. Wheat flour contains carbohydrates, protein and, in the case of whole-wheat flour, fat. The amount of protein in the flour determines how much gluten the flour produces when mixed with liquid. Most flours contain between 5 and 15 percent protein. The higher the protein content, the more gluten the flour will produce. High-gluten flours, such as bread flour, produce a chewy, dense bread and are best saved for yeast breads. All-purpose flour has a moderate amount of protein and will produce muffins that are tender but firm, without being heavy. Whole-wheat flour by itself creates very dense muffins. For best results, combine it with all-purpose flour. Cake flour and self-rising flour have the lowest amounts of protein. These types of flour are ideal for creating tender, light muffins and cakes.

Specialty Flours

If you're trying to avoid gluten or wheat, you'll find an abundance of alternatives on the supermarket shelves. Flours made from oats, rice, buckwheat, flax, nuts and even beans can stand in for wheat flour -- with mixed results. Gluten helps trap gas and air bubbles so muffins rise and stay tender and fluffy. Without gluten, muffins may be dense, flat and hard. To combat this problem, use recipes that call for 2 cups of flour or less and add xanthum gum or guar gum to the recipe at a rate of 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for each cup of flour.

Choosing a Flour

In most cases, all-purpose wheat flour works just fine for muffins. If you want to use whole-wheat flour, substitute it for up to 50 percent of the all-purpose flour. You can make a healthful oat flour by processing regular oats in a food processor or blender until smooth. Substitute oat flour as you would whole-wheat flour. Whole-wheat and oat flours work best for hearty muffins, such as bran, apple or pumpkin muffins. For a cakelike texture, use cake flour or self-rising flour. These flours work well for muffins that contain few ingredients, such as lemon or poppy seed muffins. If using self-rising flour, omit the salt and baking powder or baking soda.

Tips for Success

The type of flour you use isn't the only thing that can affect muffins' texture. Most muffin recipes call for baking powder or baking soda as leaveners. These ingredients produce carbon dioxide bubbles, which cause the muffins to rise and become light and tender. Both have a limited shelf life and should be replaced within one year. Make sure you have fresh baking soda or baking powder for the lightest muffins. Baking soda requires an acidic ingredient, such as buttermilk, brown sugar, fruit puree or molasses, to work. Beware of overmixing the ingredients, which can cause the batter to form too much gluten and become tough. Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine them gently.