Maida flour

Maida flour, also known as Maitha flour, is a finely-milled wheat flour used to make a wide variety of Indian breads such as paratha and naan. Maida is widely used not only in Indian cuisine but also in Central Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine.

Though sometimes referred to as "all-purpose flour" by Indian chefs, it more closely resembles cake flour or even pure starch. In India, maida flour is used to make pastries and other bakery items such as bread, biscuits and toast.

After the flour is ground in a flour mill (Chakki), it is passed through a fine mesh (600 mesh per square inch) to obtain maida.

Pastry flours available in United States may be used as a substitute for maida.