Maida is a finely milled refined and bleached wheat flour, closely resembling Cake flour or plain/All-purpose flour from India. White wheat flour without any bran is called Maida in southern India. Its north Indian counterpart is Atta, whole wheat flour.
It is either naturally bleached due to atmospheric oxygen or using chemical bleaches. Maida flour (White Atta) is used extensively in making fast food, bakery products such as pastries and bread, varieties of sweets and in making traditional breads
Maida is used extensively in Central Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine. Flatbreads such as Naan and Tandoori Roti are made using Maida. Bhatoora is fluffy, deep-fried, leavened bread made with Maida and yogurt.
