Harold McGee and Stella Parks both write that there is, in fact, a functional difference between bleached and unbleached flour, especially cake flour. McGee says, "The chlorine treatment turns out to cause the starch granules to absorb water and swell more readily in high-sugar batters. . . . It also causes fats to bind more readily to the starch granule surface. . . . " Parks says chlorinated flour gives batters more time to rise and inhibits the Maillard reaction. Does "using time as an agent have the same effects? I always use King Arthur bread flour and all-purpose flour in my breads, but I'm puzzled about cakes and pastries.

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