Sourdough Flours, Flour for making Sourdough, Sourdough Bread Flour (2024)

FAQs

Sourdough Flours, Flour for making Sourdough, Sourdough Bread Flour? ›

Substituting all purpose flour in a sourdough recipe that specifically calls for bread flour is not always an even swap. You'll need to REDUCE the total amount of water first. All purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, which can make the dough too sticky to work with otherwise.

Substituting all purpose flour in a sourdough recipe that specifically calls for bread flour is not always an even swap. You'll need to REDUCE the total amount of water first. All purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, which can make the dough too sticky to work with otherwise.

Anna Napoletana says it's grano ternero, which means soft wheat.

The choice of Organic Flour for Sourdough ensures that the bread is free from harmful pesticides and chemicals, guaranteeing a pure, untainted flavor. Moreover, organic flours often come from grains that are non-GMO and grown in soil that's been treated with care, preserving the natural nutrients of the grain.

Long gone are the days when you simply chose between the white and whole wheat options on the shelf. Now, you can find every type of flour for sourdough starter baking, such as white, whole wheat, organic and stoneground flour.

Any flour containing starch is suitable for a sourdough starter, since it is the sugar that the microbes feed on. Glutenous flours, such as spelt, einkorn, rye, and wheat, tend to work best.

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

Due to the gluten properties of einkorn, you won't achieve a tall rise out of this bread, but that's beside the point — it's all about flavor, texture, and nutrition here. The subtle, tang from natural fermentation paired with the warm, round taste of einkorn results in a truly memorable bread.

Italian bread often contains a bit of milk or olive oil, and sometimes a bit of sugar. French bread tends to be longer and narrower. Italian bread loaves tend to be shorter and plumper. French bread tends to be hard and crusty on the outside, with a light and soft crumb.

The most important things when choosing flour for your sourdough… organic and UNBLEACHED! Bleach will slowly kill your starter, and we definitely don't want that!

Is bleached or unbleached flour better for sourdough bread? ›

If you have an established sourdough starter you can use any flour of your choosing! Honestly, I've even used bleached flour on the rare occasion if I'm in a pinch and don't have unbleached flour in our pantry.

The process for feeding sourdough starter is so simple and takes only a few minutes. For refrigerated starters, feed once a week and start with step 1, but for room temperature starters, feed once a day and start at step 2 (or 3).

If you do not have whole wheat flour, just use all purpose flour instead. The starter will be fine. I switch to all purpose flour for the feedings because it's reliable, inexpensive and practical for everyday baking (remember, a portion of your starter is removed, discarded, or used for something else).

So if you look solely at the ingredients, it is cheaper to make your own sourdough. But if you bring other factors into it - it might not be as cheap. This post aims to show you how you can bake a classic sourdough loaf with a little work and no fancy equipment.