floured

Floured is the past tense and past participle of the verb flour, meaning to coat something with flour or to dust a surface with flour. In cooking, flouring reduces sticking, helps with handling dough, and can contribute to browning and crust formation. The term is used for both foods and work surfaces, such as a floured board for rolling dough or a floured pan for preventing dough from sticking.

Common methods include light dusting on the item, dredging by coating with flour before egg wash or batter, and rolling or patting with a floured surface. Flouring a dough or rolling surface helps manage moisture and gluten development by reducing direct contact with other surfaces. In frying or sautéing, lightly floured meat or fish forms a crust and aids browning; excess flour should be removed to avoid a floury taste or scorching.

Different flour types (all-purpose, whole wheat, etc.) influence flavor and texture when used for dusting, though the primary purpose remains to prevent sticking and promote even browning. In recipes, precise flouring instructions—such as “lightly floured” or “well-floured”—guide the amount of coating.

Etymology: flour originates from Old French farine, from Latin farina; the verb to flour is a culinary back-formation from the noun. See also flour, dusting, dredge.