caleb_stone•2mo agoMost Upvoted

Swapped out my all-purpose flour for bread flour in my sourdough and never looked back

For about 8 months I was using just regular AP flour from the store. My starter was fine but my loaves always came out flat and gummy inside. Finally read a post on here about gluten content and tried bread flour on a whim. The difference was night and day - better rise, better crust, and the crumb actually opened up. Switched over in February this year and now I keep a 50 lb bag of King Arthur bread flour in the pantry. Anybody else have a single ingredient change that totally shifted their baking game?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_reed2mo ago

11 straight failed sourdough attempts" - yep I was in that club too. Bread flour changed my mind completely.

the_margaret24d ago

I switched after my 4th failed loaf and it was like night and day. The extra protein in bread flour gives the gluten something to actually work with. I started with King Arthur bread flour from the grocery store and then I hit up a local mill too, they sell 25 pound bags for way less than the store. Now I keep a jar of my starter in the fridge and a big bucket of bread flour in the pantry, and I can crank out a loaf without thinking twice.

mila_perry132mo ago

100% agree. I switched to bread flour after 11 straight failed sourdough attempts in 2023. My starter was healthy but my all-purpose loaves were basically edible hockey pucks. First loaf with bread flour got an actual ear on it and I almost dropped the banneton. Now I buy it in bulk from a local mill and I won't go back.