Maida (flour) facts for kids

Maida is a special kind of white flour that comes from the Indian subcontinent. It's made from wheat, just like many other flours you might know.

What makes Maida unique is how it's made. It's ground very finely, and all the outer layers of the wheat grain, called the bran, are removed. It's also often bleached, which makes it very white. Because of its fine texture and white color, Maida is a lot like cake flour.

People use Maida a lot to make many delicious foods, especially fast foods, baked treats like pastries, bread, different kinds of sweets, and traditional flatbreads. Sometimes, you might even see it called "all-purpose flour" because it's used for so many things, but it's actually a bit different from regular all-purpose flour.

How Maida is Made

Maida is made from the inner, starchy part of the grain called the endosperm. Imagine a wheat grain like a tiny seed. It has an outer skin (the bran), a tiny plant inside (the germ), and a big starchy part (the endosperm).

To make Maida, the bran and germ are carefully separated from the endosperm. Then, this starchy part is ground into a very fine powder. It's passed through a super fine sieve, like a very tiny strainer, to make sure it's smooth and soft.

Wheat naturally has a slightly yellowish color. But Maida is usually made to look very white. This happens either naturally when it's exposed to air, or by using special ingredients called flour bleaching agents.

Even though the wheat used for Maida can have a lot of gluten (which helps bread rise), the way Maida is processed with heat can change the gluten. This means Maida isn't always the best choice for making breads that need to rise a lot, like some regular loaves of bread.

What Maida is Used For

Maida is a very popular ingredient in many different types of cooking, especially in Central Asian cuisine, food from the Indian subcontinent, and Caribbean cuisine.

You'll find Maida in many traditional flatbreads, like soft and chewy naan and crispy tandoori roti. Another yummy food made with Maida is Bhatoora. This is a puffy, deep-fried bread that's often made with Maida and yogurt, giving it a light and fluffy texture.

Maida is also used to make a wide variety of baked goods, sweets, and snacks that are enjoyed by many people around the world.

See also

In Spanish: Harina de maida para niños