Noticed a big shift in my sourdough after switching flour brands

I used the same cheap store brand bread flour for two years and my loaves were always flat and dense, then I tried a local mill's flour three weeks ago and got huge oven spring overnight. The protein content was actually higher but also the ash content changed everything about how the dough handled. Has anyone else seen that big of a difference just from switching where your flour comes from?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_jackson3d ago

Man its wild how much the flour matters. I had a similar thing happen when I switched to a different brand last year. My starter just seemed happier, the dough was way easier to shape and didnt stick as much. I mean I thought it was all in my head at first but the oven spring was like night and day, totally different crumb structure too. Idk maybe its just the milling process or the specific wheat variety, but that ash content really does something to how the gluten develops.

skylerc863d ago

I heard a baker on YouTube say the ash content basically feeds the yeast differently, so your starter's not just happy, it's flexing.