3 years ago I switched from all-purpose to bread flour for my sandwich loaves

Used to think it didn't matter much, but last week I made two loaves side by side with the same recipe and the bread flour loaf had way better structure and a softer crumb. My regulars at the farmers market near Portland noticed the difference too. Anyone else find that one ingredient swap changed their baking?

2 comments

2 Comments

miaa4113d ago

Oh come on, are we really acting like bread flour is some kind of magic fix-all now? I've been baking for years with all-purpose and my loaves come out fine, just a little denser. I did try bread flour once and yeah, the crumb was a bit softer but honestly not enough to bother buying a whole separate bag. Feels like one of those things where people convince themselves it's a huge deal so they can feel fancy about their baking.

barbara_butler12d ago

Oh totally @miaa41, "a little denser" is a huge difference when you're trying to get that open, airy crumb. I mean, if you're happy with doorstop loaves (no shade, really) then sure, all-purpose is fine. But the protein content (you know, the stuff that actually builds gluten) is way lower, so your dough can't hold as much air or structure, and that's not just some fancy baking flex.