That YouTube baker said to always use bread flour but I call BS

Watched this popular tutorial from a guy called The Bread Code where he claimed all-purpose flour ruins crumb structure. I tried his recipe with King Arthur AP flour at 75% hydration and my loaf came out perfectly fine with great oven spring. Honestly I think a lot of these flour rules are just gatekeeping for beginners. Has anyone else had good results ignoring the bread flour evangelists?

2 comments

2 Comments

williamd701mo ago

Yeah honestly it's more about technique and hydration than the exact protein content. I've used AP flour at 75% hydration for years and get better results than most people with expensive bread flour.

grant9011mo ago

@williamd70 you're out here making me feel bad about my expensive bread flour habit haha. I swear I get so caught up in the numbers on the bag I forget that technique is what really matters. Hydration is tricky at first but once you get a feel for it everything changes. My first few tries with AP flour at 70% were a disaster, sticky mess everywhere. Now I can do 75% no problem and the crumb is honestly better than half the bakery loaves in my town. Youve convinced me to just use whats in the pantry and stop overthinking it