Last Updated on May 28, 2022 by
What is Flour Shelf Life? One pantry staple you are likely to find in just about every kitchen in the world is flour. Depending on how often you bake, this bag of flour may be only a few months old or, more likely, a few years. Considering how long most bags of flour sit between uses, you might be surprised to learn that flour has a shelf life. And this is true no matter what type of flour you are using. So what is flour shelf life?
The actual shelf-life of flour will vary depending on storage conditions. You will achieve the most extended quality shelf life by storing flour in an air-tight container with an oxygen absorber. The oxygen absorber extends the quality of the life of the flour and prevents any insects from surviving in storage.
The Shelf Life of Different Flour Types
Whether you’re a dedicated whole-wheat baker, a Keto devotee, or prefer a gluten-free diet, the flour you use might go bad. However, the speed at which this occurs is determined by your desired kind.
White All-Purpose Flour
White flour is the most prevalent form of flour. This flour is created by removing the germ and bran from wheat before grinding it. Surprisingly, the additional processing makes this kind of flour survive longer.
White flour will last approximately a year in the cupboard if left unopened. Because oxygen and moisture accelerate the rate of decomposition after a bag is opened, it’s best to move unsealed bags to airtight containers.
You may also freeze your white flour to prolong its shelf life to roughly two years. Just remember to defrost the pieces before using them in your recipes.
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour, unlike white flour, still includes the grain’s germ and bran. These additional pieces give a lot of nutrients to the flour, but they also add oils that are more likely to deteriorate. Because of this, whole wheat flour has a shelf life of about three to six months.
Because colder temperatures may assist prevent the breakdown of oils, storing whole grain flour in an airtight container in the freezer is particularly beneficial. This will give the product a year’s worth of shelf life.
Nut And Seed Flour
The fat content of nut and seed flours, or meals, is much greater than whole wheat flours. These have a comparable shelf life or are much shorter.
These flours, including almond meal, coconut flour, and ground flaxseeds, should be stored in the freezer to prolong their shelf life to around a year. Even if you intend to use these flours right away, keeping them in an airtight container in the fridge can help preserve many of the critical minerals and healthful omega fatty acids that these flours are known for.
Gluten-Free Flour
Their composition determines the shelf life of various gluten-free flours. Because of the increased processing and absence of fatty bran and germ, white rice flour has a shelf life comparable to white wheat flour. Brown rice flour, on the other hand, spoils fast and should be stored in the freezer to prolong its shelf life from three months to a year.
Many gluten-free baking flours are made up of various flours, including chickpea, nut, and seed flours, gluten-free oats, and rice flours. While bean flours have a longer shelf life than whole-grain flours like oats, they still only have a six-month shelf life, so it’s best to keep them in the freezer.
How To Identify Rancid Flour
If a bag of flour on your shelf has beyond its expiry date, it does not always imply it has gone bad. This is particularly true with low-fat flours, but whole grain flours may also be kept for a long time if kept in a dry, cold, dark corner of the cupboard. The fragrance of the flour will generally tell you whether it has gone bad in this circumstance.
When white flours are brand new, they usually have little to no odor. Nut and whole-grain flours offer a stronger nutty aroma. That mostly neutral odor tends to become sour or stale if the flour has gone rancid.
If you’re not sure if your flour has gone bad or not, remember that there’s minimal danger of ingesting rancid flour. However, it may alter the flavor of your recipe or baked items, and it is far less healthy than fresh flour. If the flour has begun to mold, it is even more worrying than if it has gone stale or rotten.
Ingesting moldy flour is very harmful and often causes intestinal problems. Mycotoxins are substances produced by mold that may cause significant diseases and liver damage. If you notice mold in your flour, throw it out completely, even if it’s only a little quantity at the bottom of the bag.
To minimize mold formation, always keep flour bags on the top shelves of your cupboard or pantry, away from wet substances and moisture.
It’s preferable to move flour to an airtight, moisture-proof container after opening a bag. If you’re using storage ware or other reusable containers, make sure they’re thoroughly dry before filling them with flour. Even the least amount of moisture may ruin a full bag of flour.
What Happens If You Eat Flour That Isn’t Good?
What might happen if you believed your flour was contaminated but used it anyway? What are the negative consequences of eating poor flour?
It’s possible that eating rotten flour is hazardous to your health. Flour begins to contain mycotoxins as it becomes stale. While ingesting too many mycotoxins is harmless in the short term, it may lead to long-term health problems such as cancer, renal damage, and reproductive issues.
While you’d have to ingest a lot of contaminated flour to experience these adverse effects, it’s always better to be cautious than sorry! When in doubt about the condition of the flour on your shelf, it’s better to avoid using it and replace it with fresh new flour.
As I previously said, eating weevil-infested flour will not affect you. Aside from looking unappealing, these bugs are harmless and will have no negative consequences on your health. They’ll perish in the oven immediately, and you may not even know they’re there. However, no one wants to consume food that has been plagued with bugs once again!
How To Identify Flour Beetles
It would help if you also kept an eye out for flour insects, often known as weevils, and the oils in the flour going rancid.
These microscopic bugs live within the flour and deposit their eggs there. The gees then open up, and the little weevils happily devour the flour until they reach adulthood, at which point the cycle starts again.
If you have weevils in your flour, you will likely see them moving as soon as you scoop them into it. They may not be visible on the flour’s surface right away since they prefer to burrow into it, so you’ll have to move the flour about to observe them.
Weevils are perfectly safe if eaten by mistake, but no one wants bugs in their food! If your flour shows evidence of weevils, the best course of action is to discard it (some people recommend just sifting the bugs out to keep the flour). To keep weevils at bay, store your flour in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How To Store Flour
It’s not difficult to store flour. An unopened package should be stored in a cool, dry location. The pantry is the most excellent option, but a kitchen cabinet would suffice. As with other dry commodities like baking powder, the most crucial thing is to keep the flour away from any water.
That means it’s generally preferable to move the powder into an airtight container that you can close securely after opening the packet. Or a cereal-storage jar with a flip-top lid.
Of course, you may keep the flour in its original container, but it won’t keep water out very well. So I recommend doing so only if you’re certain that the location where you store flour is dry.
If you’re not a frequent baker and only use a certain kind of flour (e.g., whole wheat) every few weeks, it’s probably best to keep it in the fridge or even the freezer.
The flour will last longer if it is kept at a low temperature. This is particularly true for gluten-free flours like coconut and almond flour.
As a result, if you plan on using that particular box of flour for more than a few months, chilling it may be the best option.
When it comes to keeping flour in the fridge or freezer, one thing to remember is that it must be carefully protected from moisture and cold. As previously stated, the flour may be poured into an airtight container. Alternatively, you may keep the flour in its original paper bag and place it in a freezer. That should also work.
Conclusion on What is Flour Shelf Life?
Flour seems to be one of those substances that may stay forever. It’s dry and usually prepared with only one ingredient, so what could go wrong? Flour may go bad, and each flour has its own shelf life.
Aside from wheat flour, there are a few more options, such as corn flour or potato flour. Fortunately, you won’t have to memorize each variety’s shelf life since they are all pretty similar. The difference between “regular” flours and whole-grain flours is the most evident. Because whole grain flours contain more oil than white flours, their quality declines more quickly.
