The Vintage Flour That Disappeared From Kitchens Over The Years

Struggling to replicate Grandma's silky-smooth gravies? You might be missing a key ingredient. Wondra flour, an ultra-fine flour, that used to be an American pantry staple. Now, it's largely forgotten. You've probably seen Wondra flour before, but it's easy to overlook. The flour is sold in blue cardboard shakers featuring an image of a gravy boat on the front, making it appear more like an instant gravy or seasoning blend than flour. Though it's not an instant gravy mix, it may actually be the ingredient your homemade gravy has been begging for.

Wondra is a type of flour called instant flour, which is named for its ability to dissolve, well, instantly. Wondra is the product name, but its parent brand is Gold Medal — it's basically the gold standard of instant flour. The name is so synonymous with this type of fast-dissolving flour that many recipes call for it by name.

Instant flour is made through a process called pregelatinization. To make instant flour, a blend of wheat and barley flour is steamed, dried, and finely milled. This modifies the structure of the starches, making them more absorbent. However, Wondra flour's ability to dissolve into liquids (which is why it's ideal for gravy recipes) isn't the product's only perk: Wondra flour also has a lighter, less noticeable taste than standard all-purpose flour.

Wondra flour isn't just for sauces and gravies. It's also great for dredging, a technique that involves coating foods in flour before they're fried. Wondra creates a lighter, crispier coating than the standard all-purpose stuff, so you don't notice a heavy, floury taste. Instant flours like Wondra are low-gluten and low-protein, which makes them great for some things — but not for others. Baking bread? Opt for all-purpose flour or bread flour. Bread relies on gluten for structure, so Wondra would be a poor choice. Wondra will work for pie crusts, though, since its lack of gluten leads to a more delicate, flaky texture. It's also perfect for crepes. While most crepe recipes suggest resting the batter for half an hour or more, Wondra flour cuts the wait time down to 10 minutes. 

When cooking for a crowd, however, you may be better off sticking to regular all-purpose flour, as Wondra generally comes in small canisters, which can be quite pricey. If you need a Wondra substitute, try using cake flour instead. Like Wondra, cake flour is ultra-fine, low-gluten, and low-protein. It isn't pre-cooked, though, so it won't absorb as easily. You can also try combining a teaspoon of corn starch with two cups of flour. But substitutes can't beat the real deal, so snag some Wondra if you see it at the supermarket. It's worth the price.