A heads up on the flour I was getting from the local mill

For about two years I was buying their all-purpose in 50-pound bags, and my sourdough was always a bit flat. I switched to a different brand's bread flour six months ago, and the rise and crumb structure improved overnight. The old stuff just didn't have the protein content it claimed, even though the mill swore it was 11.5%. Now I test a small bag of any new batch before committing to a full sack. Has anyone else run into this kind of inconsistency with a supplier they trusted?

3 comments

3 Comments

reesec181mo ago

Hold on, you switched flour and your bread got better. That doesn't mean the mill lied. Maybe your starter just changed at the same time, or your kitchen temp was different. I've seen weather mess with my dough more than anything. They've been milling for years, why would they risk their name over protein numbers? You got one bad result and wrote off a whole local business. Seems like a jump.

wesley_fox921mo ago

Exactly, @reesec18! Weather and starter mood swings are HUGE factors people forget. My own bread went flat for a week because of a humidity spike, not the flour. A local mill has everything to lose by fudging numbers, their whole business is trust. It takes way more than one bake to prove a pattern. Jumping to blame them ignores all the other stuff changing in our kitchens every single day.

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samb428d ago

Man, I used to be quick to blame ingredients when my baking went wrong. Reading this actually shifted my view. You're right that a local mill's reputation is their whole livelihood, and kitchen conditions change constantly. It's humbling to realize how many tiny variables we overlook before pointing fingers.