Pastry Flour shouldn't impart a gluey or dense texture in your baked goods if the proper amount of it is used in a recipe. (1 cup of Pastry Flour weighs 3 3/4 ounces, which is less than 1 cup of all-purpose flour which weighs in at 4 1/2 ounces, so make sure you're adjusting your recipes appropriately if making a substitution.) Also, Pastry Flour actually has a lower protein content than our Cake Flour (or All-Purpose Flour). We'll give you the run-down here of the protein content of these flours (noting that these numbers are specific to King Arthur Flour brand): Pastry flour (8.0%), Cake Flour (10%), Pastry Flour Blend (10.3%), and All-Purpose Flour (11.7%). The lower the protein level, the softer and more tender (and potentially more crumbly) your baked goods will be. Pastry Flour is especially nice in recipes like scones and muffins, where you're looking for that extra-special texture. We hope that helps, and happy baking! Kye@KAF

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