29/01/2026
This is my last post about flour types, and I hope it clarifies every confusion.
For the records, I will never come out here to give information about anything that I haven't experienced myself.
I have worked in two big bakeries that specialize in baked products.
That's why even if you wake me up at midnight to ask about how many loaves of Kumba bread, blockade, French bread, etc, that 50kg of flour can produce, I will tell you without stuttering.
I will even tell you about the kind of flour to be used, what products you need to improve your dough, their substitutes, etc.
Most of these bakeries are very keen about the type of flour used for their products.
They do not go about using any type of flour for everything.
I am not self-taught…….
Most of my knowledge is gotten from people with over 15 years of experience who work with large quantities and a variety of flour every day to produce a variety of products, and I am still working closely with them.
I am also close with someone who has worked in a flour industry here in Cameroon and it was from him that I learned about protein contents in flour.
And when it comes to gaining knowledge, I do not go only for the conventional.
There are things I grew up eating that I loved that most people in the baking industry of today do not know how to produce well.
Whenever I need this information, I always know my way around and will not relent until I get it. That's just me.
Back to the hard flour and soft flour issue, I would leave some of you to experiment for yourselves.
I once had a student who came to learn fishrolls from me.
His complaint was about the crunchiness disappearing after few hours of frying.
When asked about the type of flour used, he said he used Bijou.
I immediately told him that that's where the problem was coming from.
We switched to Asso, adjusted some things, and the problem was fixed.
Same with Yana. If Asso gives you 28 pieces of fishrolls from 1kg of flour for 100frs each, Yana will give you at least 32 even though both Asso and Yana are heavier than Bijou.
Sometimes after teaching, some of my students will come back to tell me that the amount of water Yana absorbs is more than what Asso, Ma Copine, Amigo, Bijou, and La Camerounaise absorb.
This goes same with margarine. The type of margarine you use for any product will determine the outcome.
When Jadida was out of stock, why didn’t you ask yourself why bakers were wailing because of its unavailability?
Why did these bakers not quietly switch to other margarine brands?
You might be using Yana for cakes and it gives you a great outcome depending on your recipe. But believe me when I say you can not compare the outcome with what Bijou, Amigo, etc, can give.
This not me castigating any flour brand. All of them are good for the purposes in which they serve.
If I travel to Douala or Bamenda today and I need to bake a cake, I will get Amigo or Ma Copine, or maybe La Camerounaise because I heard it’s also good for cakes even though I have never used it.
If I am in Limbe or Buea, I will get Bijou. And the list goes on.
I will rest my case here.
Do more research, carry out more experiments, get closer to people with more industry experience, and gain more knowledge.
I love you all❤️