The difference between bread flour and all-purpose showed up after 3 days on my counter

I baked two loaves of sourdough last Monday, one with bread flour and one with all-purpose, and by Thursday the bread flour loaf was still soft while the all-purpose one was crumbling like stale crackers. My kitchen stays around 70 degrees and I stored them both in the same paper bags, so the only variable was the flour. Has anyone else noticed how fast their all-purpose bread goes dry compared to bread flour?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_adams1mo ago

Wait, you're telling me bread flour actually keeps the loaf soft longer than all-purpose? I always thought it was just a protein thing for gluten structure, lol. Honestly, I used to think bread flour was overhyped and you could swap it for AP in most recipes without noticing a difference. But seeing this side by side test makes me want to try it myself, because that 3 day difference is wild. I'm definitely gonna grab some bread flour next time I bake sourdough and see if I get the same results. This might just change my whole flour buying habit, lmao.

brookep271mo ago

@troy_adams have you tried it with a tangzhong yet? That really locks in moisture too, so if you add a little cooked flour and water before mixing, your loaf might stay soft even longer with bread flour.