Am I the only one who thinks bread flour is overrated for sourdough?

Every recipe online swears by bread flour, but after 4 months of testing in my kitchen, I get better crumb and rise using all-purpose with a bit of vital wheat gluten. I tried the same starter, same hydration, same proofing times with both. The bread flour loaves came out denser every single time. Maybe my tap water or oven runs different, but I'm sick of people acting like it's a rule. Has anyone else had better luck skipping the fancy flour?

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noahhall29d ago

Your water and oven are probably fine, the issue is likely protein content. Bread flour runs 12 to 14 percent protein while AP sits around 10 to 11, and some of those bread flours are just too strong for a long cold ferment. When the gluten gets that tight it fights the rise instead of stretching with it, which is exactly why your loaves came out dense. Adding vital wheat gluten to AP lets you dial in the exact strength you want instead of taking whatever the bag gives you. Try backing off your bulk ferment by 30 minutes with the bread flour next time and see if that changes anything, but honestly if AP plus gluten works in your kitchen then stick with it.

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