Consumers are weary of words like “chlorinated,” “bleached” and “aluminum” on ingredient labels. While every baker is saying “But we’ve used these for ages!” this reason doesn’t sit well with consumer groups and buyers like Whole Foods. Sad to say, chlorinated flour has to go the way of brominated flour. It would probably not be taken off the FDA’s list of approved food ingredients, but it will be completely avoided by consumers and foodservice customers.
When you take away chlorinated flour, the results aren’t very pretty. With high-ratio cake systems, the chlorination of flour provides altered starch molecules that allow for greater absorption. This strengthens the batter to carry the heavy sugar load, which results in higher volume, finer grain and a tenderized texture.